Research Misconduct Policy
Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
- Fabrication of data or results
- Falsification
- Plagiarism
- Duplicate or redundant publication
- Manipulation of images or research materials
- Misrepresentation of sources
- Improper authorship
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest
- Manipulation of peer review
- Citation manipulation
- Misrepresentation of ethical approval or consent
Procedure
When a credible allegation is received, the journal may:
- Conduct a preliminary assessment;
- Request clarification or evidence;
- Give relevant authors an opportunity to respond;
- Consult independent experts or the author’s institution where appropriate;
- Determine an appropriate editorial action;
- Correct, withdraw or retract published material when warranted.
The journal may cooperate with institutions, funders, publishers and appropriate research-integrity bodies when necessary.