Allegation of Research Misconduct

KUBIK: Jurnal Publikasi Ilmiah Matematika is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, and academic transparency. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously and handles them fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

This policy applies to all manuscripts submitted to or published in KUBIK and covers concerns involving authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties participating in the publication process.

1. Types of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct and unethical publication practices may include, but are not limited to:

1. Fabrication and Falsification: Inventing research data, results, or findings, or manipulating research materials, processes, data, or results in ways that misrepresent the research.

2. Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, methods, text, results, or intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment.

3. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Submitting or publishing substantially similar research in more than one journal without proper disclosure or justification.

4. Authorship Misconduct: Misrepresenting author contributions, including gift authorship, ghost authorship, or the unauthorized addition or removal of authors.

5. Citation Manipulation: Intentionally manipulating references or citations to increase citation counts or create misleading scholarly influence.

6. Peer-Review Manipulation: Interfering with the integrity of the peer-review process, including fabricated reviewer identities, fraudulent reviews, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

7. Data and Image Manipulation: Inappropriately altering research data, figures, graphs, or other materials in ways that misrepresent findings.

8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, or personal relationships that may influence the research or publication process.

2. Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct

KUBIK welcomes reports of suspected research misconduct from authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, and other concerned parties.

Allegations should be submitted to the journal's editorial office through the official contact information provided on the journal website.

Reports should include sufficient information to support an initial assessment, such as:

• The title, authors, and DOI or URL of the article concerned, if available.

• A clear description of the suspected misconduct.

• Relevant documents, evidence, or supporting references.

• Contact information for further communication, where appropriate.

Anonymous allegations may also be considered when supported by credible and verifiable evidence.

All allegations will be assessed impartially, and the journal will protect the confidentiality of the individuals involved to the extent reasonably possible.

3. Investigation and Handling Procedures

When an allegation of research misconduct is received, KUBIK will follow a structured editorial assessment process consistent with relevant COPE guidelines.

Step 1: Preliminary Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor will evaluate the allegation and the available evidence to determine whether further investigation is warranted.

Step 2: Communication with Relevant Parties

Where appropriate, the editorial team will contact the corresponding author or other relevant individuals to request clarification, explanations, or supporting documentation. The individuals concerned will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond.

Step 3: Further Investigation

If necessary, the journal may seek additional information from independent experts, research institutions, ethics committees, or other relevant authorities.

Where an allegation requires a formal investigation into research conduct, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant institution or competent authority.

Step 4: Editorial Decision

Following the assessment and consideration of available evidence, the editorial team will determine an appropriate editorial response based on the nature and seriousness of the concern.

Step 5: Documentation and Follow-Up

The journal will maintain appropriate records of the allegation, communications, evidence, and editorial decisions. Further action may be taken if new evidence becomes available.

4. Possible Editorial Actions

Depending on the findings and severity of the issue, KUBIK may take one or more of the following actions:

• Request clarification, additional evidence, or corrections from the authors.

• Suspend the editorial or peer-review process while significant concerns are assessed.

• Reject a submitted manuscript when serious ethical violations are established or remain unresolved.

• Publish a correction for a published article when necessary.

• Issue an Expression of Concern when serious unresolved concerns affect the reliability of published research.

• Retract a published article when its findings are determined to be unreliable or when serious publication misconduct warrants retraction.

• Notify relevant research institutions or other appropriate authorities when justified.

Any correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction will be handled transparently and in accordance with relevant COPE recommendations.

5. Confidentiality and Fairness

KUBIK is committed to ensuring that allegations of research misconduct are handled fairly and without prejudice.

The journal will respect the confidentiality of complainants, authors, reviewers, and other parties involved throughout the assessment and investigation process, subject to applicable legal obligations and the need to investigate the concerns appropriately.

All individuals against whom allegations are raised will be provided with an appropriate opportunity to respond before an editorial decision is made, where practicable.

Editors with actual or potential conflicts of interest in a particular case must withdraw from handling that case. Responsibility will be assigned to an independent editor or other appropriate party.

Unsubstantiated allegations will not automatically result in sanctions.

6. Responsibilities of Authors, Reviewers, and Editors

All participants in the publication process are expected to uphold research integrity and ethical publishing practices.

Authors must ensure the originality, accuracy, and transparency of their research and cooperate with legitimate requests for clarification or investigation.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, disclose potential conflicts of interest, and report suspected misconduct identified during peer review.

Editors must evaluate allegations objectively, safeguard confidential information, avoid conflicts of interest, and take appropriate action to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

7. Compliance with COPE Guidelines

KUBIK follows relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when addressing allegations of research misconduct, including concerns raised before or after publication.

The journal recognizes that research institutions generally have primary responsibility for investigating the conduct of their researchers, while journal editors are responsible for making appropriate editorial decisions and maintaining the reliability of the published scholarly record.

Reference Guidelines:

• COPE – Allegations of Misconduct.

• COPE – Cooperation Between Research Institutions and Journals on Research Integrity and Publication Misconduct Cases.

• COPE – Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

KUBIK: Jurnal Publikasi Ilmiah Matematika is committed to addressing research misconduct responsibly and maintaining the credibility, transparency, and integrity of scholarly communication.