Allegations of Research Misconduct

Allegations of Research Misconduct

The Journal of Soil Science and Environment (Jurnal Ilmu Tanah dan Lingkungan) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. The journal takes allegations of research misconduct seriously and is committed to investigating concerns fairly, objectively, confidentially, and transparently.

Research misconduct refers to behaviors that violate accepted standards of responsible research and scholarly publishing. Allegations may arise before, during, or after publication.

Scope of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

  • Fabrication — making up research data, results, observations, or other research information that did not occur;

  • Falsification — manipulating research materials, processes, data, images, or results so that the research record is inaccurately represented;

  • Plagiarism — presenting another person's ideas, words, data, figures, or other intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgement;

  • Duplicate or redundant publication — publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure or justification;

  • Manipulation of citations — inappropriate addition, omission, or manipulation of references or citations for the purpose of influencing citation metrics or misleading readers;

  • Authorship misconduct — including guest, gift, or ghost authorship, inappropriate exclusion of qualified contributors, or unauthorized changes to authorship;

  • Peer-review manipulation — attempting to interfere improperly with the peer-review process, including providing fabricated reviewer identities or misleading contact information;

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest that materially affect the integrity or interpretation of the research;

  • Misrepresentation of research methods, data, results, affiliations, or funding; and

  • Other practices that seriously compromise the integrity, reliability, or transparency of the scholarly record.

Reporting Allegations

Concerns regarding possible research misconduct may be reported to the editorial office of the Journal of Soil Science and Environment.

Allegations should provide sufficient information to allow the editorial team to understand and assess the concern. Where possible, a report should include:

  • The title and/or DOI of the manuscript or published article;

  • A clear description of the alleged misconduct;

  • Relevant evidence or documentation;

  • Identification of the specific section, data, figure, table, reference, or other material concerned; and

  • The name and contact information of the person reporting the concern, where the reporter is willing to provide them.

Anonymous allegations may be considered when sufficient information and evidence are provided to permit a meaningful assessment.

Preliminary Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial office will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the scope of the journal's publication ethics policies.

The editor may:

  1. Review the submitted evidence and relevant publication records;

  2. Check the manuscript or article and associated editorial records;

  3. Conduct additional similarity or integrity checks where appropriate;

  4. Request clarification or documentation from the authors;

  5. Consult members of the editorial board or independent experts when necessary; and

  6. Determine whether further investigation is warranted.

The journal will avoid reaching a conclusion solely on the basis of an allegation or an automated screening result.

Investigation

If the preliminary assessment indicates that a substantive investigation is warranted, the journal may contact the corresponding author and, where appropriate, other authors or relevant parties to obtain an explanation and supporting documentation.

Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests from the editorial office concerning the integrity of their work.

Where the matter involves institutional research practices, serious allegations, or circumstances beyond the journal's ability to investigate adequately, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution, research organization, funding body, or other appropriate authority.

The journal may follow established principles and procedures for publication ethics investigations, including those recommended by recognized scholarly publishing organizations.

Fair and Confidential Process

The journal will handle allegations as confidentially as reasonably possible during the investigation.

The editorial team will make reasonable efforts to ensure that:

  • Allegations are assessed objectively;

  • All relevant parties have an opportunity to respond;

  • Conflicts of interest are appropriately managed;

  • Information is shared only with individuals who have a legitimate role in the investigation; and

  • Editorial decisions are based on evidence rather than unsupported accusations.

The journal does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise legitimate concerns about research or publication integrity.

Possible Outcomes

The action taken by the journal will depend on the nature, severity, evidence, and stage at which the concern is identified.

Possible outcomes include:

  • No further action when the allegation is not substantiated;

  • Request for clarification or additional documentation;

  • Correction of the manuscript or published article;

  • Revision of authorship information where appropriate;

  • Rejection of a submitted manuscript;

  • Publication of an Expression of Concern;

  • Publication of a correction or editorial notice;

  • Retraction of a published article; or

  • Referral of the matter to an appropriate institution or authority.

A finding of research misconduct does not automatically result in the same action in every case. The journal will consider the circumstances and potential impact on the integrity of the scholarly record.

Post-Publication Allegations

Research misconduct may be reported after an article has been published.

When a credible concern is raised regarding a published article, the journal may conduct a post-publication investigation.

If the concern is substantiated, the journal will take appropriate corrective action to maintain the integrity and transparency of the published scholarly record.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions will remain linked to the original publication where technically possible so that readers are clearly informed of the status of the article.

Retraction

An article may be considered for retraction when there is clear evidence that the publication contains serious problems that substantially affect the reliability or integrity of the scholarly record.

Examples may include substantial fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, serious ethical violations, or other forms of misconduct that invalidate significant parts of the published work.

Retraction decisions will be made in accordance with the journal's Retraction Policy.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical conduct of their research.

By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors confirm that:

  • The research has been conducted responsibly and ethically;

  • The data and results have not been fabricated or falsified;

  • Sources and intellectual contributions have been appropriately acknowledged;

  • Authorship information is accurate;

  • Relevant conflicts of interest have been disclosed;

  • The manuscript has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal; and

  • They will cooperate with reasonable investigations concerning the integrity of their work.

Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers

Editors and reviewers share responsibility for protecting the integrity of the publication process.

Editors should investigate credible concerns that come to their attention and should take appropriate action when evidence indicates potential misconduct.

Reviewers who identify possible plagiarism, data manipulation, ethical concerns, or other forms of research misconduct should promptly notify the editor and should not independently investigate or contact the authors regarding the allegation.

Correction of the Scholarly Record

The journal's primary objective in handling allegations is to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where an error or misconduct affects only part of an article and can be adequately corrected, the journal may publish a correction rather than retract the entire article.

Where the reliability of the article as a whole is seriously compromised, retraction or another appropriate editorial action may be necessary.

Commitment to Research Integrity

Journal of Soil Science and Environment is committed to promoting responsible research practices, ethical authorship, rigorous peer review, transparency, and accountability.

All allegations of research misconduct will be handled carefully and in accordance with recognized principles of publication ethics and applicable institutional policies.

The journal seeks to ensure that concerns are addressed fairly while protecting the rights of authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, and readers and maintaining the reliability of the scientific record.