Allegations of Research Misconduct

1. Policy Statement

The International Journal Linguistics of Sumatra and Malay (IJLSM) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, and academic accountability. The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, and responsibility.

Research misconduct refers to violations of accepted standards of research integrity that compromise the reliability, originality, or ethical conduct of scholarly work. IJLSM takes allegations of research misconduct seriously and is committed to assessing and addressing such allegations in a fair, confidential, impartial, and timely manner.

This policy applies to manuscripts submitted to the journal, articles under review, accepted manuscripts, and published articles.

2. Types of Research Misconduct

Allegations of research misconduct may include, but are not limited to, the following practices:

  • Fabrication 

    Inventing data, research findings, participant responses, linguistic examples, interview transcripts, or other research materials and presenting them as genuine.

  • Falsification

    Manipulating research materials, data, analytical procedures, or results in a manner that misrepresents the research record.

  • Plagiarism

    Using another person's words, ideas, data, analytical frameworks, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Duplicate or Redundant Publication

    Publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure or submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals.

  • Citation Manipulation

    Intentionally including irrelevant citations, engaging in coercive citation practices, or manipulating references to inflate citation metrics.

  • Authorship Misconduct

    Improperly assigning authorship, omitting eligible contributors, engaging in gift or ghost authorship, or making unauthorized changes to the author list.

  • Ethical Violations in Research Involving Participants

    Conducting research involving human participants without required ethical approval or consent, where applicable, or failing to protect participants' privacy and confidentiality.

  • Data Misrepresentation

    Misrepresenting the origin, authenticity, ownership, collection, or analysis of research data, including linguistic corpora, field recordings, interview materials, and documentary evidence.

  • Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest 

    Failing to disclose financial, professional, personal, or institutional relationships that could improperly influence research or editorial judgment.

  • Misuse of Artificial Intelligence

    Using AI tools to fabricate data, generate false references, misrepresent research activities, conceal relevant AI assistance, or otherwise compromise research integrity.

  • Other Ethical Violations

    Any other conduct that materially undermines the credibility, reliability, or ethical integrity of scholarly research and publication.

Honest errors, reasonable differences in interpretation, and good-faith scholarly disagreements do not, by themselves, constitute research misconduct. Each allegation will be assessed according to its nature, supporting evidence, and relevant ethical standards.

3. Reporting Allegations

Any individual who has a reasonable concern regarding potential research misconduct in a manuscript submitted to or an article published by IJLSM may report the matter to the editorial office.

Reports should include, where available:

  • The title of the manuscript or published article and its DOI or URL.

  • A clear description of the suspected misconduct.

  • Relevant supporting evidence, such as source publications, data discrepancies, duplicated material, or documentation of potential ethical violations.

  • The name and contact details of the reporting individual, if they are willing to provide them.

The journal encourages reports to be made in good faith and supported by verifiable information. Anonymous reports may also be considered when sufficient information is provided to enable a preliminary assessment.

All allegations will be handled with appropriate discretion. The identity of the reporting individual will be protected to the extent reasonably possible and consistent with a fair investigation. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where disclosure is necessary to investigate the allegation or comply with applicable legal or institutional obligations.

4. Preliminary Assessment and Investigation

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the scope of this policy and whether sufficient information exists to justify further examination.

The process may include the following steps:

  1. Initial Assessment

    The editorial team examines the allegation and available evidence to determine whether further action is warranted.

  2. Evidence Verification

    Relevant manuscript files, publication records, similarity reports, research data, citations, ethical approval documentation, or other supporting materials may be examined, as appropriate.

  3. Author Response

    Where appropriate, the corresponding author and other relevant parties may be invited to provide an explanation or supporting documentation. They will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before an adverse decision is made, subject to the circumstances of the case.

  4. Consultation

    The journal may consult editorial board members, independent experts, research ethics specialists, or the relevant author's institution when necessary.

  5. Editorial Decision

    The journal will determine appropriate action based on the available evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and applicable publication ethics standards.

The scope and duration of an investigation will depend on the complexity of the allegation. IJLSM will seek to handle cases promptly while ensuring that the assessment is fair, evidence-based, and proportionate.

5. Cooperation with Authors and Institutions

Where an allegation requires a formal institutional investigation, IJLSM may refer the matter to the relevant university, research institution, funding body, or other appropriate authority.

The journal's role is to assess the implications of the allegation for editorial decisions and the integrity of the scholarly record. It does not replace the formal investigative responsibilities of research institutions or other competent authorities.

Authors are expected to cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification, relevant research documentation, and explanations concerning the integrity of their work. Failure to provide requested information may be considered when determining the appropriate editorial response, although it does not, by itself, establish that misconduct has occurred.

6. Possible Outcomes and Editorial Actions

Depending on the findings and the stage of publication, IJLSM may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Dismiss the allegation if the available evidence does not substantiate the concern.

  • Request clarification, additional documentation, or corrections to the manuscript.

  • Require revisions or additional ethical disclosures where appropriate.

  • Reject the manuscript if serious concerns remain unresolved or the work fails to meet the journal's ethical or scholarly standards.

  • Suspend editorial processing while a credible allegation is being assessed.

  • Publish a correction or corrigendum when the scholarly record requires correction.

  • Publish an expression of concern when significant doubts about the reliability or integrity of an article remain unresolved and a public notice is warranted.

  • Retract a published article when the evidence establishes that retraction is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

  • Notify relevant institutions, publishers, or other appropriate bodies when warranted and consistent with applicable obligations.

Any action will be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the concern. The journal will distinguish between correctable errors, questionable practices, and substantiated misconduct.

7. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

IJLSM is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of its published scholarly record.

A correction may be issued when an error can be rectified without invalidating the principal findings or conclusions of an article.

An expression of concern may be issued when credible questions about an article's integrity or reliability arise but cannot yet be resolved conclusively.

A retraction may be considered when an article is found to contain unreliable findings resulting from misconduct or serious error, substantial plagiarism, unethical research practices, or other circumstances that fundamentally undermine its validity or publication integrity.

Retractions and other post-publication notices will be clearly linked to the relevant article and will explain the reasons for the action to the extent supported by the available evidence and permitted by applicable obligations. The original publication record will be maintained where appropriate, with its status clearly indicated.

8. Fairness, Confidentiality, and Protection Against Retaliation

IJLSM will handle allegations impartially and will not presume misconduct solely because an allegation has been made. All relevant parties should be treated fairly and given an appropriate opportunity to provide information or respond to concerns.

Information relating to an allegation will be shared only with individuals who need it for the assessment or investigation, except where broader disclosure is necessary under applicable obligations or to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal does not tolerate knowingly false, malicious, or deliberately misleading allegations. At the same time, individuals who raise genuine concerns in good faith should not be subjected to retaliation through the journal's editorial processes.

9. Appeals and Further Communication

Authors or other affected parties who believe that an editorial action has been based on a factual misunderstanding or a procedural irregularity may submit a written appeal to the editorial office. Appeals should clearly identify the decision being challenged and provide relevant supporting information.

Appeals will be considered by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriate editor who is not directly implicated in the matter, where feasible. The journal may seek independent advice when necessary. An appeal does not automatically suspend an editorial action or guarantee a change in the decision.

Questions or reports concerning research misconduct should be directed to the IJLSM editorial office through the contact information provided on the journal's website.

10. Commitment to Publication Ethics

IJLSM is committed to handling allegations of research misconduct in accordance with recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), where applicable.

The journal seeks to ensure that allegations are assessed responsibly, decisions are evidence-based, affected parties are treated fairly, and appropriate measures are taken to maintain the reliability of the scholarly record.

By submitting a manuscript to IJLSM, authors acknowledge their responsibility to conduct and report research honestly, comply with applicable ethical requirements, and cooperate with reasonable editorial inquiries concerning the integrity of their work.