Allegation of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes acts of fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism during the planning, execution, reviewing, and reporting stages of a study. If authors are found to have committed misconduct or serious irregularities in a published work, scientific journal editors bear full responsibility for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.

In handling suspected misconduct, the editorial team and Editorial Board follow the standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) as well as guidance on handling fabrication and falsification to ensure issues are resolved fairly. This process begins with an internal investigation by the editors. Manuscripts under review that are found to contain such misconduct will be rejected immediately. Meanwhile, for published articles, the journal management will publish a retraction linked directly to the original work.

The first step in this procedure is to verify the validity of the report, ensure whether the allegation aligns with the definition of research misconduct, and check for potential conflicts of interest on the part of the complainant.

If fundamental irregularities are indicated, the editorial team will forward the allegations to the corresponding author, who is requested to provide an official response on behalf of all co-authors. After evaluating the response, the editors may involve additional experts (such as statistical reviewers) if necessary. However, if misconduct is deemed unlikely and the issue is merely a minor error, resolution through clarifications, additional analyses, or the publication of a letter to the editor accompanied by a correction notice will suffice.

In addition to the journal's role, the authors' affiliated institutions are also required to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations. Collaboration among authors, journals, and institutions is crucial in maintaining the transparency of scientific knowledge. Through appropriate handling—ranging from issuing corrections to retracting articles—Jurnal Economia remains committed to safeguarding the validity and integrity of the scientific record on an ongoing basis.