Plagiarism
Concerns involving inappropriate use of another person's words, ideas, data, or scholarly work without proper acknowledgment.
Allegations of Misconduct
RESEARCH INTEGRITY · CASE HANDLING
Allegations of Misconduct
Journal of Science, Mathematics and Educational Innovation takes concerns regarding research and publication misconduct seriously and seeks to handle allegations fairly, confidentially, consistently, and responsibly.
Integrity Process Responsible Allegation Handling
JSMEI Integrity
Case Review Receive · Assess · Respond
Case Review Receive · Assess · Respond
MI
POLICY STATEMENT
Handling Concerns Responsibly
Allegations concerning possible research or publication misconduct may arise before publication, during peer review, or after an article has been published.
JSMEI seeks to evaluate such concerns based on available information and relevant publication records while providing involved parties an appropriate opportunity to clarify or respond to the allegation.
POTENTIAL MISCONDUCT
Integrity Cases Concerns That May Be Reported
Fabrication or Falsification
Concerns regarding invented, altered, manipulated, or misleadingly presented research data or findings.
Authorship Disputes
Concerns involving inappropriate inclusion, exclusion, attribution, or representation of authorship contribution.
Review Manipulation
Concerns involving attempts to improperly influence, manipulate, or interfere with the peer-review process.
Undisclosed Conflict
Concerns involving relevant interests or relationships that may not have been appropriately disclosed.
Duplicate Publication
Concerns involving redundant, overlapping, or duplicate publication without appropriate disclosure.
REPORTING A CONCERN
What Should a Report Include?
Reports should provide enough information for the editorial team to understand the concern and conduct an appropriate preliminary assessment.
01
Clear Description
A concise explanation of the alleged issue.
02
Relevant Article
Title, DOI, submission ID, or other identifying information.
03
Supporting Evidence
Documents, links, comparisons, or other relevant material.
04
Contact Information
Contact details for follow-up where appropriate.
CASE HANDLING WORKFLOW
6 Stages How an Allegation Is Reviewed
01
RECEIVEInitial Stage
Receipt of Allegation
The journal receives a concern related to a manuscript, reviewer activity, editorial process, or published article.
02
SCREENPreliminary Assessment
Initial Evaluation
Editors assess whether the allegation contains sufficient information and falls within the journal's publication responsibilities.
03
CLARIFYInformation Gathering
Request for Clarification
Where necessary, relevant parties may be contacted for clarification, documentation, or additional information concerning the allegation.
04
ASSESSEvidence Review
Evaluation of Information
Available records, responses, manuscript information, and supporting evidence are assessed before an editorial conclusion is reached.
05
DECIDEEditorial Response
Editorial Determination
The editorial team determines the appropriate journal response based on the information available and the seriousness of the concern.
06
ACTIONCase Resolution
Appropriate Action
Where required, the journal may take editorial or publication-related action and preserve an appropriate record of the case.
CASE HANDLING PRINCIPLES
How Concerns Should Be Managed
01
FAIRNESS
Impartial Assessment
Concerns should be considered objectively and without predetermined conclusions.
02
CONFIDENTIALITY
Responsible Handling
Information relating to allegations should be shared only where appropriate for case assessment.
03
RESPONSE
Opportunity to Clarify
Relevant parties should normally have an appropriate opportunity to respond to substantive concerns.
04
PROPORTIONALITY
Appropriate Action
Journal actions should reflect the nature, evidence, and seriousness of the identified issue.
POSSIBLE JOURNAL ACTIONS
Outcomes Following Assessment
01
CASE OUTCOME
No Further Action
The available information may not establish a publication-related concern requiring further action.
02
CASE OUTCOME
Clarification
Additional information or clarification may resolve the issue without further publication action.
03
CASE OUTCOME
Correction
A correction may be issued where an identified issue requires amendment of the published record.
04
CASE OUTCOME
Editorial Notice
An editorial notice may be considered when readers should be informed of an unresolved or relevant concern.
05
CASE OUTCOME
Rejection
A manuscript under consideration may be rejected when serious publication integrity problems are established.
06
CASE OUTCOME
Retraction
Retraction may be considered where serious problems undermine the reliability or integrity of the published scholarly record.
WHERE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED
Institutional or External Review
A journal's role is primarily related to the integrity of manuscripts and the published scholarly record. Where an allegation requires investigation beyond the information available to the journal, the matter may need to be referred to an appropriate institution or other relevant body.
01Journal Assessment
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02Further Review
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03Appropriate Body
REPORT AN INTEGRITY CONCERN
Report a Concern → Contact the JSMEI Editorial Office
Concerns should be submitted with sufficient information and supporting material to enable an appropriate editorial assessment.
