Allegations of research misconduct

In the event that a journal's editors or publisher are made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a submitted or published article in their journal, the editor or publisher should follow COPE's guidance in dealing with allegations (including the ones raised by whistleblowers directly or social media). In any instance of suspected misconduct (e.g., misrepresentation/falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicative submissions etc.), the editor-in-chief (or in case of their personal involvement: the team of associate editor) will carry out an investigation process and determine any sanction, if necessary. This process should be carried out with the utmost care and due diligence, strict confidentiality during the internal investigation, and fairness to all parties involved. The process includes an investigation, the involvement of the corresponding author (to provide an explanation with factual statements and any available evidence), and a written decision on sanctions, and the sharing of the decision with the authors, the complainant and other stakeholders. The investigation may also include further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies. The sanctions will be commensurate with the nature of the offense and in line with the Retraction guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).