Allegations of Reseach Misconduct

1. General Principles

The Journal of Indonesian Comparative of Syari'ah Law (JICL) is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. JICL takes credible allegations of research misconduct and publication ethics violations seriously and handles them fairly, objectively, and confidentially, in accordance with relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

This policy applies to allegations concerning manuscripts submitted to JICL and articles already published in the journal. It should be read together with the journal's Publication Ethics policy.

2. Types of Alleged Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

Plagiarism or inappropriate appropriation of another person's words, ideas, or scholarly work.
Fabrication or falsification of research data, evidence, or findings.
Inappropriate manipulation of images or other research materials.
Duplicate or redundant publication without appropriate disclosure.
Citation manipulation or other practices intended to distort the scholarly record.
Authorship misconduct, including inappropriate attribution or omission of eligible contributors.
Manipulation of the peer-review or editorial process.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest or other ethical violations that may materially affect the integrity or reliability of a manuscript or published article.

The identification of a potential concern does not, by itself, establish that misconduct has occurred. Each allegation will be assessed according to the available evidence and the circumstances of the case.

3. Reporting Allegations

Authors, reviewers, readers, researchers, and other concerned parties may report suspected misconduct to the editorial office through the journal's official contact address.

Reports should, where possible, identify the manuscript or published article concerned, describe the suspected misconduct, and provide supporting evidence or relevant references.

Anonymous allegations may be considered when they contain sufficiently specific and verifiable information. The journal will not dismiss a credible allegation solely because the identity of the complainant is unknown.

4. Initial Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the editor or an appropriately designated editorial representative will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the concern warrants further examination.

This assessment may include reviewing the submitted evidence, comparing relevant publications, examining similarity reports, assessing potential data or image irregularities, and considering whether the concern affects the originality, integrity, or reliability of the work.

Where necessary, the editor may seek additional information or consult an independent expert who has no relevant conflict of interest.

5. Clarification and Investigation

When further examination is warranted, the journal may contact the author or authors concerned and provide a reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegation.

The journal may request relevant supporting documents, original data, source materials, research records, or other information necessary to assess the concern, where applicable and reasonably available.

The editor will evaluate the allegation, the available evidence, and the responses received before determining the appropriate editorial action.

Where the allegation requires a formal investigation into a researcher's conduct, the journal may refer the matter to the author's institution, employer, or another competent body. The journal will cooperate with legitimate institutional investigations and provide relevant information or evidence, subject to applicable confidentiality and legal requirements.

The journal recognizes that formal investigations into research misconduct generally fall within the responsibility of the relevant research institution or competent authority. JICL remains responsible for editorial decisions concerning manuscripts and articles under its control.

6. Editorial Actions

Depending on the nature of the allegation, the available evidence, and the effect on the reliability of the scholarly record, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Request clarification or additional evidence from the author or relevant parties.
Request corrections or revisions where the issue can appropriately be resolved before publication.
Reject a submitted manuscript when serious ethical violations are established or the manuscript fails to meet the journal's ethical standards.
Publish a correction when an error in a published article requires correction.
Publish an Expression of Concern when serious concerns remain unresolved and a public notice is necessary to alert readers.
Retract a published article when the applicable criteria for retraction are met.
Contact the relevant institution, employer, publisher, or other competent body when appropriate.

An allegation alone will not be treated as conclusive proof of misconduct. Editorial actions will be based on a fair assessment of the available evidence and relevant responses.

The journal may take appropriate action to protect the scholarly record while an institutional investigation is pending when the reliability of a published article is seriously in question.

7. Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

The journal will handle allegations with appropriate confidentiality and restrict access to sensitive information to those who need it for the assessment or investigation.

The identities of complainants, authors, reviewers, and other parties will be protected where reasonably possible and consistent with applicable legal requirements and the need for a fair investigation.

All parties will be treated professionally and fairly. The journal will avoid public statements that present unverified allegations as established findings.

8. Post-Publication Actions

If concerns arise after publication, the editor will assess whether the issue affects the accuracy, integrity, or reliability of the published article.

Where appropriate, the journal may issue a correction, an Expression of Concern, or a retraction in accordance with relevant COPE guidance.

Any correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction notice will clearly explain the reason for the action and will remain linked to the original article, as appropriate, to preserve the transparency and integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal may also communicate with the relevant institution or other competent body when further investigation is necessary.

9. Records and Documentation

The journal will maintain appropriate records of allegations, supporting evidence, relevant correspondence, editorial assessments, and decisions.

Records will be handled securely and confidentially, in accordance with applicable legal requirements and the journal's privacy practices.

10. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains consistent with the journal's publication ethics standards and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

For general ethical responsibilities and related editorial policies, readers should also consult the journal's Publication Ethics page.