ALLEGATION OF RESEARCH MISCONDUCT

KENANGA: Journal of Biological Sciences and Applied Biology is committed to maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and credibility of scientific research and scholarly publications. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously and handles them fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with established publication ethics principles and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Research misconduct undermines scientific credibility and may compromise the reliability of the scientific record. Therefore, KENANGA establishes procedures to receive, assess, investigate, and resolve allegations of research misconduct involving submitted manuscripts, articles under review, and published articles.

1. Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following practices:

1. Fabrication: Inventing research data, observations, experimental results, specimens, or findings and presenting them as genuine.
2. Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, procedures, data, images, or results, or selectively omitting relevant findings in a manner that misrepresents the research.
3. Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, words, data, figures, tables, or other intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.
4. Duplicate or Redundant Publication: Publishing or submitting substantially the same research findings in more than one journal without appropriate disclosure or justification.
5. Authorship Misconduct: Inappropriately assigning authorship, omitting eligible contributors, including individuals who have not made a substantial contribution, or misrepresenting author contributions.
6. Citation Manipulation: Inappropriately adding, requesting, or manipulating citations to increase citation counts or influence journal metrics rather than to support the scientific discussion.
7. Image and Data Manipulation: Inappropriately altering, duplicating, or selectively presenting scientific images, photographs, microscopy images, gel electrophoresis results, or other research data in ways that could mislead readers.
8. Ethical Violations in Research: Conducting research without required ethical approval, collecting biological materials without necessary authorization, or failing to comply with applicable research ethics, biosafety, animal welfare, or environmental regulations.
9. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, or personal relationships that could improperly influence research, peer review, or editorial decisions.
10. Peer-Review Manipulation: Providing false reviewer identities, attempting to influence reviewers improperly, or interfering with the independence and integrity of the peer-review process.

Honest errors, differences in scientific interpretation, and disagreements regarding research findings do not, by themselves, constitute research misconduct. Such matters will be evaluated according to their nature, severity, and potential impact on the reliability of the scientific record.

2. Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct

Any individual who identifies a reasonable concern regarding possible research misconduct in a manuscript submitted to or an article published by KENANGA may report the concern to the Editorial Office.

Reports may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, researchers, institutional representatives, or other parties with relevant information.

An allegation should, where possible, include:

• The title and DOI or URL of the relevant article, if applicable.
• A clear description of the suspected misconduct.
• Supporting evidence, such as relevant publications, research records, data comparisons, images, or other verifiable documentation.
• The names of the individuals or institutions involved, if known and relevant.
• The complainant's contact information, if the complainant is willing to provide it.

Allegations should be made in good faith and supported by specific information wherever possible. The journal will not treat an allegation as proven solely because it has been submitted.

Reports may be sent to the KENANGA Editorial Office at (journal.kenanga@ar-raniry.ac.id).

3. Preliminary Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the scope of research or publication misconduct.

The preliminary assessment may include:

1. Verifying the identity and publication details of the manuscript or article concerned.
2. Reviewing the evidence and determining whether the allegation is sufficiently specific and credible to warrant further investigation.
3. Examining relevant similarities, research data, images, references, ethical statements, or publication records.
4. Identifying potential conflicts of interest involving the complainant, authors, reviewers, or editors.
5. Determining whether additional information or expert assistance is required.

Where appropriate, the journal may use plagiarism-detection software, image-analysis methods, statistical assessment, or other suitable verification procedures.

If the allegation is unsupported or does not provide a reasonable basis for further action, the journal may close the preliminary assessment. The decision will be documented internally.

4. Investigation Procedure

If the preliminary assessment identifies reasonable grounds for concern, KENANGA will initiate a more detailed investigation.

The investigation may involve the following steps:

1. The Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor reviews the available evidence.
2. The corresponding author is contacted and given an opportunity to provide an explanation and relevant supporting documentation on behalf of the authors, where appropriate.
3. Other authors may be contacted when their individual contributions or knowledge are relevant to the allegation.
4. Independent experts, reviewers, or specialists may be consulted when technical assessment is necessary.
5. The authors' affiliated institutions or relevant research authorities may be contacted when the allegation requires a formal institutional investigation.
6. All relevant evidence and responses are evaluated objectively before an editorial decision is made.

The journal will provide the parties concerned with a reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegations. The investigation will be conducted impartially, and editorial decisions will be based on the available evidence rather than personal relationships, institutional reputation, or external pressure.

Where an allegation involves the Editor-in-Chief, an editorial board member, or another person with a potential conflict of interest, the matter will be handled by an independent editor or another appropriately designated person.

5. Actions for Manuscripts Under Review

If research misconduct is identified or reasonably established during the editorial or peer-review process, KENANGA may take one or more of the following actions, depending on the seriousness of the case:

• Reject the manuscript.
• Request additional explanations, original data, research records, or other supporting documents.
• Request appropriate corrections or clarification if the concern can be resolved without compromising the validity of the research.
• Suspend the editorial process while a significant allegation is being investigated.
• Refer the matter to the authors' affiliated institution or other relevant authority when necessary.

A manuscript will not be accepted for publication if serious research misconduct is established or if the authors fail to provide adequate evidence to resolve substantial concerns about the reliability or ethical acceptability of the research.

6. Actions for Published Articles

If an allegation concerns an article that has already been published, KENANGA will assess whether the concern affects the accuracy, reliability, integrity, or ethical acceptability of the published work.

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

1. Correction: A correction notice may be published when an identified error can be corrected without invalidating the main findings or conclusions of the article.
2. Expression of Concern: An expression of concern may be published when there are substantial unresolved questions about an article and further investigation is required.
3. Retraction: An article may be retracted when the evidence establishes serious misconduct or demonstrates that its findings are unreliable.
4. Retraction with Replacement: Where appropriate and consistent with accepted publication ethics practices, a retraction with replacement may be considered if a reliable corrected version can be provided and the applicable procedures are satisfied.
5. Editorial Clarification: Additional information may be published when clarification is necessary to protect the accuracy and transparency of the scientific record.

Any correction, expression of concern, or retraction will be clearly identified, appropriately linked to the original article, and published with an explanation of the reasons for the action, subject to applicable confidentiality and legal requirements.

The journal will not remove a published article from the scholarly record solely because an allegation has been made. Any action will be proportionate to the evidence and the nature of the problem.

7. Role of Authors and Affiliated Institutions

Authors are expected to cooperate fully with investigations concerning their submitted manuscripts or published articles. They may be asked to provide original research data, laboratory records, field observation records, experimental documentation, ethical approval documents, permits, or other relevant materials.

When a suspected violation requires a formal investigation beyond the journal's authority, KENANGA may refer the matter to the relevant author's affiliated institution, research ethics committee, funding body, or other competent authority.

The journal recognizes that institutions are often best placed to investigate research conduct, verify original research records, and determine whether formal research misconduct has occurred.

KENANGA reserves the right to consider the findings of institutional investigations when determining the appropriate editorial action.

8. Confidentiality and Protection Against Retaliation

KENANGA will handle allegations and related documentation confidentially to the extent reasonably possible and consistent with a fair investigation, applicable legal requirements, and the need to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Information will be shared only with individuals or institutions who need it to assess or investigate the allegation or implement an appropriate decision.

The journal will not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith or cooperate with a legitimate investigation.

At the same time, knowingly submitting false allegations, deliberately fabricating evidence, or using the reporting process to harass or unfairly damage another person's reputation may itself constitute serious misconduct and may be referred to the relevant institution or authority where appropriate.

9. Editorial Decisions and Appeals

Editorial decisions concerning allegations of research misconduct will be made by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated independent editor after considering the available evidence and relevant responses.

The journal will document the assessment, investigation, findings, and actions taken.

Authors or other affected parties may submit a reasoned appeal if they believe that an editorial decision was based on a procedural error, a material misunderstanding of the evidence, or a failure to consider relevant information.

Appeals will be reviewed by an editor or designated individual who is not subject to a conflict of interest. The journal may request additional evidence or clarification before making a final decision.

10. Commitment to Research Integrity

KENANGA: Journal of Biological Sciences and Applied Biology is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity, transparency, accountability, and publication ethics.

The journal will handle allegations of research misconduct carefully and consistently, respecting the rights of the parties involved while protecting the reliability of published scientific knowledge.

All investigations and editorial actions will be guided by the principles of fairness, confidentiality, impartiality, proportionality, and accountability, taking into consideration the relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Through these procedures, KENANGA seeks to safeguard the credibility of biological sciences and applied biology research and to maintain public trust in the scholarly publishing process.