Allegations of Research Misconduct

Introduction

Musyarakah: Journal of Sharia Economics (MJSE) is committed to maintaining research integrity, publication ethics, and the reliability of the scholarly record. This policy establishes the procedures for receiving, assessing, investigating, and addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct. MJSE follows the principles and relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure that all allegations are handled fairly, objectively, confidentially, and transparently.

Definition and Types of Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct refers to actions that compromise the credibility, originality, reliability, or ethical integrity of scholarly work. Such misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Fabrication: Inventing data, results, or research findings and presenting them as genuine.
Falsification: Manipulating research materials, methods, data, or results in ways that misrepresent the research.
Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, data, or findings without appropriate acknowledgment, including inappropriate reuse of previously published work.
Authorship Misconduct: Inappropriately assigning or withholding authorship, including gift, guest, or ghost authorship.
Citation Manipulation: Inappropriately adding citations or manipulating references to inflate citation counts or misrepresent scholarly relevance.
Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, personal, or other interests that could influence research or editorial decisions.
Research Ethics Violations: Conducting research without required ethical approval, informed consent, or other applicable safeguards, where relevant.
Peer Review and Editorial Misconduct: Manipulating peer review, providing false reviewer identities, interfering with editorial decisions, or improperly disclosing confidential review information.
Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing substantially overlapping research without appropriate disclosure or justification.

Allegations may arise before or after publication and may be submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or other individuals with relevant information. All credible allegations will be considered regardless of their source.

Principles for Handling Allegations

MJSE applies the following principles when handling suspected research or publication misconduct:

Commitment to Investigation: All credible allegations are assessed and investigated in accordance with applicable publication ethics standards and relevant COPE guidance.
Confidentiality: Information concerning allegations and investigations is handled confidentially and shared only with individuals who need it for the investigation or where disclosure is legally or institutionally required.
Fairness and Impartiality: All parties are treated fairly and objectively. Individuals accused of misconduct are given a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final determination is made.
Timeliness: Investigations are conducted as promptly as possible without compromising the thoroughness or fairness of the process.
Cooperation: Authors, reviewers, editors, institutions, and other relevant parties are expected to cooperate with legitimate investigative requests.
Protection of Complainants: MJSE seeks to protect complainants acting in good faith from inappropriate disclosure or retaliation, within the journal's authority.
Scope of Application: This policy applies to manuscripts submitted to or published in MJSE and to individuals involved in the journal's editorial and publication processes.

Procedures for Handling Allegations

Reporting an Allegation

Allegations should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief, accompanied by specific information and supporting evidence where available. Relevant information may include the manuscript title or identification number, a description of the suspected misconduct, source documents, data, or other verifiable evidence.

Anonymous reports may be considered when they contain sufficient information to permit a meaningful assessment.

Preliminary Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editorial representative will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the allegation is credible, relevant to this policy, and supported by information requiring further examination.

If the allegation lacks sufficient evidence or falls outside the journal's remit, the matter may be closed or referred to an appropriate body. The complainant will be informed of the outcome where appropriate and feasible.

Formal Investigation

When an allegation warrants further investigation, MJSE will review the available evidence and may consult independent experts or relevant members of the editorial board. The investigation may include:

Notifying the individual concerned and providing an opportunity to respond.
Reviewing manuscripts, research data, source materials, peer review reports, editorial correspondence, and other relevant records.
Seeking clarification or additional documentation from the authors or other involved parties.
Consulting external experts or relevant publication ethics advisors in complex cases.
Contacting the authors' institutions or other appropriate organizations when the allegation concerns research integrity or serious ethical violations.

Where an institutional investigation is necessary, MJSE may consider its findings before reaching a final editorial decision. Appropriate interim measures, including an expression of concern, may be taken when necessary to protect the scholarly record.

Possible Outcomes and Editorial Actions

The action taken will depend on the nature, severity, extent, and evidential basis of the alleged misconduct.

Unsubstantiated Allegations: If the evidence does not support the allegation, the case will be closed and the relevant parties informed as appropriate.
Minor or Correctable Issues: Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request clarification, issue a warning, or publish a correction.
Serious Misconduct: Confirmed fabrication, falsification, substantial plagiarism, or other serious violations may result in manuscript rejection, article retraction, notification of relevant institutions or funding bodies, or other appropriate measures.
Unresolved Concerns: If substantial doubts remain about a published article's integrity while the investigation is ongoing or inconclusive, MJSE may issue an expression of concern.
Further Editorial Measures: In serious cases, the journal may consider restrictions on future submissions, provided that the decision is justified, proportionate, and consistent with applicable publication ethics standards.

Any correction, expression of concern, or retraction will be accompanied by an appropriate notice explaining the editorial action, subject to confidentiality and other applicable requirements.

Appeals

Authors or other directly affected parties may appeal an editorial decision concerning an allegation of misconduct by submitting a written explanation and relevant supporting evidence to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals will be reviewed impartially and may involve the editorial board or independent experts who were not directly involved in the original decision.

The journal will communicate the outcome of the appeal to the relevant parties. The appeal process does not guarantee that the original decision will be reversed.

Record Keeping and Communication

MJSE maintains appropriate confidential records of allegations, evidence, investigative steps, correspondence, decisions, and outcomes. Records will be retained and handled in accordance with applicable legal requirements and institutional policies.

The journal will communicate relevant findings to the parties concerned and, when justified, publish corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction notices to maintain the accuracy and transparency of the scholarly record.

Preventive Measures

To promote responsible research and prevent misconduct, MJSE is committed to:

Providing clear publication ethics policies for authors, reviewers, and editors.
Implementing appropriate editorial screening and peer review procedures.
Conducting similarity checks to identify potential plagiarism and inappropriate text reuse.
Requiring accurate authorship, funding, and conflict-of-interest declarations.
Encouraging transparency in research methods, data reporting, and source attribution.
Reviewing and updating its ethical procedures in line with recognized publication ethics standards and relevant COPE guidance.

Through these measures, MJSE seeks to uphold academic integrity, protect the interests of authors and readers, and preserve trust in scholarly research.