Allegations of Research Misconduct
Allegations of Research Misconduct
How Sophist handles integrity concerns
Sophist takes every allegation of research or publication misconduct seriously. Concerns about submitted or published manuscripts are handled confidentially, fairly and promptly, following the flowcharts and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
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COPE
Flowcharts guide every investigation
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Confidential
Identity of the person reporting is protected
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Right to reply
Authors are heard before any decision
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Fair
Evidence-based, proportionate outcomes
What Counts as Misconduct
Fabrication of data or sources Falsification or manipulation of data Plagiarism and self-plagiarism Duplicate or redundant publication Simultaneous submission Authorship disputes and ghost or gift authorship Undisclosed conflicts of interest Citation manipulation Peer review manipulation Undisclosed use of AI tools Unethical research on human participants
How an Allegation Is Handled
1
Report
Anyone may report a concern to journalsophist@uinmataram.ac.id, stating the manuscript or article and the evidence. Anonymous reports are considered if the evidence can be verified.
2
Initial assessment
The Editor-in-Chief assesses whether the concern is within the journal's remit and supported by evidence. Editors with a conflict of interest withdraw from the case.
3
Author response
The corresponding author is informed of the concern and invited to respond and provide raw data, sources or other explanations.
4
Investigation
The editors review the evidence and the response, and may consult reviewers, editorial board members or independent experts.
5
Institution
Where needed, the journal contacts the author's institution or funder and asks it to investigate. The journal does not replace an institutional investigation.
6
Decision
The Editor-in-Chief decides on the outcome and informs the parties involved. The decision and the evidence are documented.
Possible Outcomes
No case The concern is not supported, and the matter is closed.
Before publication The manuscript may be returned for correction, or rejected and the author notified.
After publication The journal may publish a correction, an expression of concern or a retraction, following its Correction and Retraction policy.
Serious cases The journal may inform the author's institution and decline further submissions from the author for a set period.
