Allegations of research misconduct

Journal of Islamic Mubādalah is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously, whether they relate to submitted manuscripts, manuscripts under review, accepted manuscripts, or published articles.

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, citation manipulation, data manipulation, image manipulation, duplicate submission, duplicate publication, redundant publication, peer review manipulation, authorship misconduct, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research practices, or any other conduct that may compromise the integrity of scholarly publication.

The journal does not tolerate any form of research or publication misconduct. The Editorial Board, authors, reviewers, and all parties involved in the publication process are expected to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and publication ethics.

Identification and Prevention of Misconduct

Journal of Islamic Mubādalah takes reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts in which research misconduct has occurred. These steps may include initial editorial screening, plagiarism and similarity checking, verification of references, assessment of citation practices, evaluation of research methods and data presentation, peer review, and editorial assessment.

The journal will not knowingly allow misconduct to take place and will not encourage any practice that may compromise the integrity of the scholarly publication process. If misconduct is identified before publication, the manuscript may be rejected or returned to the authors for clarification, depending on the nature and severity of the case.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of research misconduct may be raised by editors, reviewers, authors, readers, institutions, or other parties. All allegations will be handled carefully, fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the principles of due process. The journal is guided by the COPE Core Practices and relevant COPE guidance in addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct.

When an allegation is received, the Editor-in-Chief and/or the Editorial Board will first assess whether the allegation is specific, credible, and relevant to the definition of research misconduct. The initial assessment may include reviewing the manuscript or published article, examining the supporting evidence, checking the similarity report, reviewing citation patterns, evaluating data or image concerns, and identifying whether any conflict of interest exists among the parties involved.

If the allegation appears to have sufficient basis, the journal will contact the corresponding author and request a detailed explanation or clarification on behalf of all co-authors. Authors are expected to respond honestly, completely, and within the timeframe determined by the editor. When necessary, the journal may also request original data, ethical approval documents, authorship contribution statements, conflict of interest declarations, or other relevant supporting materials.

Further Investigation

If the explanation provided by the author is insufficient or if the concern remains unresolved, the Editorial Board may seek further advice from independent experts, statistical reviewers, methodological reviewers, ethics advisors, or other competent parties. In cases involving serious allegations, the journal may contact the authors’ institution, research ethics committee, funding body, or other relevant authority to request an appropriate investigation.

The journal recognizes that institutions are generally responsible for conducting formal investigations into allegations of research misconduct involving their researchers. However, editorial decisions regarding submitted or published articles remain the responsibility of the journal. The journal may take editorial action based on available evidence, even if an institutional investigation is still ongoing or has not yet been completed.

Editorial Actions

The action taken by Journal of Islamic Mubādalah will depend on the nature, seriousness, and evidence of the misconduct. Possible editorial actions include:

1. Requesting clarification or additional information from the author;

2. Requesting correction or revision of the manuscript;

3. Rejecting the manuscript before peer review;

4. Rejecting the manuscript after peer review;

5. Withdrawing an acceptance decision before publication;

6. Publishing a correction notice when an honest error affects part of a published article but does not invalidate the overall findings;

7. Publishing an expression of concern when there is a serious but unresolved concern regarding the integrity of a published article;

8. Retracting the article when there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to misconduct or serious error;

9. Notifying the authors’ institution, ethics committee, funding body, or other relevant authority when necessary;

10. Taking additional editorial measures to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

If a published article is found to contain serious misconduct, Journal of Islamic Mubādalah may publish a retraction notice. The retraction notice will be linked to the original article and will clearly state the reason for the retraction, while maintaining transparency and fairness to all parties involved.

Corrections, Retractions, and Scholarly Record

The journal is committed to correcting the scholarly record when necessary. Minor errors that do not affect the integrity, interpretation, or validity of the article may be corrected through a correction notice. Serious errors or misconduct that affect the reliability of the article may result in retraction.

Retraction is not intended to punish authors, but to protect the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of the scholarly record. The original article may remain accessible with a clear retraction label to preserve the transparency of the publication history.

Confidentiality and Fairness

All allegations of misconduct will be handled confidentially. The journal will protect the confidentiality of complainants, authors, reviewers, and other parties involved, as far as possible and appropriate. Allegations will be assessed objectively and without discrimination based on nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, academic status, or personal background.

The journal will not take final action solely based on unsupported allegations. Decisions will be made based on evidence, editorial assessment, ethical standards, and the need to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Responsibility of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts are original, accurate, ethically conducted, properly cited, and free from any form of research or publication misconduct. Authors must ensure that all data, references, quotations, paraphrases, figures, tables, and research findings are presented honestly and transparently.

By submitting a manuscript to Journal of Islamic Mubādalah, authors declare that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere, is not under consideration by another journal, does not contain plagiarism or falsified data, and complies with the journal’s publication ethics policy.

Journal of Islamic Mubādalah is committed to upholding academic integrity and ensuring the validity of the scholarly record. By responding appropriately to allegations of research misconduct and taking necessary actions such as clarification, correction, expression of concern, withdrawal, or retraction, the journal seeks to maintain trust, accountability, and ethical standards in scholarly publishing.