Allegations of Research Misconduct

KomunikA takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and handles them according to the COPE guidelines and flowcharts. Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

• Fabrication or falsification of data, images, or results.
• Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism and duplicate or redundant publication.
• Authorship misconduct, such as ghost, gift, or guest authorship.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Manipulation of the peer review process or citations.
• Unethical research involving human participants, including the absence of informed consent.

Reporting an allegation. Anyone, including readers, reviewers, and editors, may report suspected misconduct by email to komunika@usu.ac.id. The report should describe the concern and include supporting evidence. Reports may be made anonymously, but they must contain enough evidence to be investigated.

Handling procedure.

1. The Editor-in-Chief acknowledges receipt of the allegation and keeps it confidential.
2. The Editor reviews the evidence to determine whether an investigation is warranted.
3. If warranted, the Editor contacts the author(s) with the concern and requests an explanation within a reasonable time.
4. If the explanation is unsatisfactory or no response is received, the matter may be referred to the author's institution or another relevant authority.
5. Based on the findings, the Editor decides on the outcome.

Possible outcomes. If the manuscript is still under review, it may be rejected. If the article is already published, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction according to the Correction and Retraction policy. Where the allegation is unfounded, the case is closed and the author is informed.

Throughout the process, the journal protects the confidentiality of all parties and gives the accused party a fair opportunity to respond.