Allegations Of Misconduct

Scientific misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, plagiarism, or other unethical practices in the conduct, performance, or review of research, as well as in the preparation of manuscripts and reporting of research findings. When such misconduct occurs, the Editors of JACTA are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and authenticity of the scholarly record.

For any suspected misconduct, the Editors and Editorial Board of JACTA will follow the best practices and guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in investigating complaints and addressing allegations fairly and appropriately. If a submitted manuscript is found to involve scientific misconduct, the manuscript may be rejected immediately. If misconduct is identified in a published article, appropriate action will be taken, which may include correction, retraction, or other measures, with the relevant notice linked to the original article.

The preliminary stage involves assessing the credibility of the allegation and determining whether it is consistent with the established definition of research misconduct. This stage may also include evaluating whether the individual or individuals reporting the alleged misconduct have any relevant conflicts of interest.

When scientific misconduct or significant research irregularities are suspected, the allegations will be communicated to the corresponding author, who will be requested to provide a comprehensive response on behalf of all co-authors. Following the receipt and assessment of the response, further review or consultation with relevant experts, such as statistical reviewers or subject-matter experts, may be required. Where misconduct is considered unlikely, appropriate clarification, additional analysis, or correction may be sufficient to address the concerns and maintain the accuracy of the published record.

Where necessary, the authors' affiliated institution may be requested to undertake a comprehensive and rigorous investigation into the allegations. Maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record is a shared responsibility of authors, reviewers, editors, journals, and institutions. JACTA will take appropriate measures, including issuing corrections, retractions with replacement, or full retractions, where necessary to ensure the validity, transparency, and integrity of the journal's published record.