Allegation of Research Misconduct Policy

The Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review (IJRER) is committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific integrity and publication ethics. IJRER takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and follows strict protocols established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to investigate and resolve grievances impartially, confidentially, and transparently.

  1. Scope of Research Misconduct: Research misconduct encompasses any intentional or negligent action that compromises the accuracy, integrity, or ethical standards of scholarly research. At IJRER, allegations may pertain to, but are not limited to:
  • Data Integrity & Fabrication: Fabrication: Making up data or results. Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or altering data/images to omit critical findings.
  • Plagiarism & Text Recycling: Plagiarism: Unattributed copying of ideas, text, or data. Self-Plagiarism / Text Recycling: Reusing substantial parts of one’s own published work without proper attribution. Redundant/Duplicate Publication: Submitting or publishing the same manuscript across multiple journals.
  • Ethical & Consent Breaches: Conducting research involving human participants without formal Institutional Review Board (IRB) / Ethics Committee approval or informed consent.
  • Authorship Misconduct: Ghost, Guest, or Gift Authorship: Including non-contributors or excluding core contributors. Paper Mill Activity: Buying, selling, or submitting fabricated manuscripts from commercial services.
  • Conflict of Interest & Peer Review Bias: Undisclosed financial/competing interests or manipulation of the peer review process (e.g., fake reviewer profiles, citation rings).
  1. Reporting Mechanism & Whistleblower Protection: Any reader, author, reviewer, or editor who suspects research misconduct in a manuscript under review or already published in IJRER may submit a formal complaint. How to Report an Allegation:
  • Contact Channel: Submissions must be sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief via official email at etdc.ijrer@gmail.com (or designated editorial email).
  • Required Evidence: Allegations must be accompanied by concrete, verifiable evidence (e.g., side-by-side text comparisons, raw data anomalies, original published source DOIs). Vague or unsubstantiated accusations will not be processed.
  • Confidentiality & Protection: Whistleblowers’ identities will remain strictly confidential to prevent retaliation, unless disclosure is legally mandated. Anonymous allegations will only be evaluated if supported by undeniable, self-evident proof.
  1. Investigation Protocol (COPE Flowchart Compliance): When an allegation is received, IJRER follows a structured four-stage investigation framework in compliance with COPE guidelines: Detailed Investigation Steps:
  • Stage 1: Preliminary Desk Assessment (Days 1–7): The Editor-in-Chief and Ethics Officer review the submitted evidence to determine if a prima facie case exists. If deemed frivolous or lacking supporting evidence, the complaint is dismissed with written justification.
  • Stage 2: Inquiry with Authors (Days 8–21): The Editor-in-Chief contacts the corresponding author with detailed specifications of the allegation, requesting raw data, original software scripts, or institutional clearance documents. Authors are given 14 business days to respond.
  • Stage 3: Independent Ethics Committee Evaluation: If author responses are unsatisfactory, incomplete, or contradictory, the matter is referred to an independent Ad-Hoc Ethics Panel comprising senior editorial board members and subject experts with zero conflict of interest.
  • Stage 4: Institutional Escalation (If Required): For severe breaches (e.g., data fabrication or paper mills), IJRER will escalate the dossier to the authors’ host institution, university integrity officer, or funding body for formal investigation.
  1. Post-Investigation Sanctions & Actions: Depending on the severity and outcome of the investigation, IJRER will apply appropriate corrective measures:
  • Exoneration: If the inquiry proves the allegations were unfounded or resulted from an honest mathematical/formatting error, the matter is closed confidentially with no public record.
  • Corrigendum/Addendum: For minor, non-intentional technical errors or omissions (e.g., missed acknowledgements, minor calculation typos) that do not invalidate the scientific conclusions, a Corrigendum or Errata notice is published and linked to the original DOI.
  • Formal Expression of Concern: If an investigation remains inconclusive, or if authors’ institutions refuse to cooperate while strong evidence of potential misconduct exists, IJRER will publish an official Expression of Concern attached to the article.
  • Article Retraction: For severe violations—such as confirmed data fabrication, plagiarism > 20%, duplicate publication, or fake peer review—the article will be Retracted in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines:
  1. The original online PDF will be watermarked on every page with "RETRACTED".
  2. A formal Notice of Retraction will be published detailing the reasons for retraction, signed by the Editor-in-Chief.
  3. The retraction notice will be indexed in Crossref, Scopus, DOAJ, and PubMed Central to ensure transparent record correction.
  4. Author Ban: Authors found guilty of deliberate research misconduct may face a temporary or permanent submission ban (1 to 5 years) to IJRER.