Allegation of Research Misconduct

1. Policy Statement

Jurnal Kesehatan, published by the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Universitas Yatsi Madani, Indonesia, is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of scholarly publishing. The journal takes allegations of research misconduct seriously and handles them fairly, objectively, and confidentially.

This policy establishes the procedures for receiving, assessing, and addressing allegations of research misconduct involving manuscripts submitted to or articles published in Jurnal Kesehatan. All allegations will be evaluated based on the available evidence, the nature of the concern, and the journal's editorial responsibilities.

2. Definition and Scope of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to actions that compromise the integrity, credibility, or reliability of research and scholarly publication. Allegations may include, but are not limited to:

Fabrication: inventing data, participants, results, or research findings and presenting them as genuine.
Falsification: manipulating research materials, procedures, data, images, or results in a way that misrepresents the research.
Plagiarism: using another person's words, ideas, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment.
Duplicate or redundant publication: submitting or publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure.
Authorship misconduct: falsely assigning authorship, omitting eligible contributors, or changing the author list without proper authorization.
Data manipulation or misrepresentation: selectively altering or presenting data in a misleading manner.
Research ethics violations: failing to comply with applicable ethical requirements, including ethics approval, informed consent, participant confidentiality, or animal welfare, where relevant.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest: failing to disclose relevant interests that may affect the research or its publication.
Peer-review or editorial misconduct: manipulating the review process or misusing confidential information.

Honest errors, differences in interpretation, and good-faith academic disagreements do not automatically constitute research misconduct. Each allegation will be assessed according to its circumstances and supporting evidence.

3. Reporting Allegations

Authors, reviewers, readers, researchers, and other concerned parties may report suspected research misconduct involving a manuscript submitted to or an article published in Jurnal Kesehatan.

Reports should be submitted through the journal's official contact channels and should include, where available:

The title or identifying information of the manuscript or published article.
A clear description of the suspected misconduct.
Supporting documents, data, references, or other relevant evidence.

The journal encourages reports made in good faith. An allegation will not be treated as proven solely because it has been reported. The editorial team may request additional information when necessary.

4. Preliminary Assessment

Upon receiving a report, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the scope of this policy and whether sufficient information is available for further consideration.

The assessment may involve reviewing the manuscript or published article, examining relevant documents and available data, checking similarities with other publications, and requesting clarification from the corresponding author or other relevant parties.

If the allegation is unsupported or does not warrant further action, the journal may close the matter after considering the available information. The reasons for the decision will be documented where appropriate.

5. Investigation and Assessment Procedure

If an allegation requires further examination, the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor will coordinate the assessment. Depending on the nature of the concern, the process may include:

Reviewing the allegation and available supporting evidence.
Requesting a written explanation or relevant documentation from the authors or other involved parties.
Consulting independent experts when specialized assessment is required.
Contacting the authors' affiliated institution or another appropriate body when further investigation is necessary or falls outside the journal's authority.
Evaluating the evidence and determining appropriate editorial action.

The journal will seek to give the parties concerned a fair opportunity to respond. Any editor with a relevant conflict of interest must not lead the assessment. The duration of the process will depend on the complexity of the case and the availability of relevant information.

6. Allegations Before Publication

When an allegation concerns a manuscript that has not yet been published, the journal may temporarily suspend editorial processing while the concern is assessed.

Depending on the available evidence and the outcome of the assessment, the journal may:

Continue the editorial process if the concern is not substantiated.
Request clarification, supporting documents, or appropriate revisions.
Reject the manuscript if serious misconduct or ethical violations are substantiated.
Refer the matter to the authors' affiliated institution or another appropriate body when further investigation is required.

A manuscript will not be rejected solely because an allegation has been made. Editorial decisions will be based on the evidence and the journal's publication policies.

7. Allegations After Publication

When a concern is raised about an already published article, the editorial team will assess whether the alleged problem affects the accuracy, integrity, or reliability of the publication.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Correction: when an error can be corrected without invalidating the overall findings or conclusions.
Expression of Concern: when a substantial concern remains unresolved and readers need to be informed while further clarification is sought.
Retraction: when reliable evidence establishes that the article's findings or publication integrity are seriously compromised.
No further action: when the available evidence does not support the allegation or further editorial action is not warranted.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions will be handled transparently and linked to the original article where applicable. The journal will provide an appropriate explanation for its decision while respecting confidentiality obligations.

8. Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

The journal will handle allegations and related documents confidentially to the extent reasonably possible. Information will be shared only with individuals who need it to assess or address the concern.

The editorial team will seek to treat all parties fairly, avoid premature conclusions, and assess the available evidence objectively. The identity of a person reporting a concern will be protected where reasonably possible, subject to applicable obligations and the requirements of a fair assessment.

Personal information, patient records, clinical images, and other sensitive research materials must be handled carefully. Confidential information will not be disclosed unnecessarily during the assessment.

9. Record-Keeping and Editorial Decisions

The editorial team will maintain appropriate records of allegations received, relevant correspondence, evidence reviewed, responses obtained, and decisions made, subject to applicable confidentiality and data-protection requirements.

Editorial decisions will be made by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor who is not affected by a relevant conflict of interest. When necessary, the journal may consult the publisher, the authors' affiliated institution, or other appropriate parties.

The journal's authority is limited to matters within its publishing responsibilities. Institutional disciplinary proceedings, employment matters, and other issues beyond the journal's authority should be addressed by the relevant institutions.

10. Policy Review

Jurnal Kesehatan may review and update this policy when necessary to improve its procedures and maintain appropriate standards of research integrity and publication ethics.