Allegations of Research Misconduct

The Jurnal Manajemen Retail Indonesia (JMARI) is committed to maintaining integrity, transparency, accountability, and the highest ethical standards throughout the scholarly publication process. JMARI does not tolerate research or publication misconduct, including data fabrication, data falsification, plagiarism, citation manipulation, duplicate publication, or any other practice that violates the principles of academic integrity.

1. Types of Research Misconduct

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

  • Data fabrication: Inventing data, research findings, or information that was never actually obtained.
  • Data falsification: Manipulating research materials, procedures, data, or findings so that the research record does not accurately represent the work performed.
  • Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, text, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.
  • Duplicate publication and simultaneous submission: Publishing the same or substantially similar work in more than one journal, or submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals without appropriate authorization or disclosure.
  • Citation manipulation: Adding irrelevant citations or engaging in citation practices intended to inappropriately influence publication metrics.
  • Authorship misconduct: Listing individuals who do not meet authorship criteria, omitting eligible contributors, or using an author's identity without consent.
  • Research ethics violations: Conducting research without required ethical approval, misusing data, violating participant privacy or confidentiality, or failing to obtain informed consent when required.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, or personal interests that could potentially influence the conduct of research or the interpretation of its findings.

2. Reporting Allegations

Authors, readers, reviewers, editors, or other parties who have evidence or reasonable grounds to suspect research misconduct may submit a report to the JMARI editorial team through the journal's official contact channels. Reports should include relevant information, such as the article or manuscript title, publication details where available, a description of the alleged misconduct, and supporting evidence that can be verified. JMARI will take all reports seriously and handle them objectively, confidentially, and impartially. Reports made in good faith will be handled without intimidation or retaliation against the person reporting the concern.

3. Investigation Procedures

Upon receiving a report, the JMARI editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for further examination. Where necessary, the editor may request clarification or a response from the author concerned, examine supporting documents and research data, use similarity-detection tools, and consult reviewers, subject-matter editors, the author's affiliated institution, or other relevant authorities. The person accused of misconduct will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond. All investigations will uphold the principles of fairness, confidentiality, procedural justice, and the protection of the rights of all parties involved. JMARI will not conclude that misconduct has occurred solely on the basis of an unverified allegation. Where a matter requires a formal investigation beyond the journal's authority, JMARI may refer the case to the relevant institution or authority, depending on the nature of the allegation and applicable requirements.

4. Actions and Sanctions

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

  • Reject a manuscript that is still under review.
  • Request corrections, clarification, or additional supporting documentation.
  • Publish a correction or clarification statement for an article that has already been published.
  • Issue an expression of concern when a serious allegation remains unresolved or cannot yet be conclusively established.
  • Retract an article when serious misconduct undermines the reliability or integrity of the published work.
  • Notify the author's institution or relevant authorities of pertinent findings where necessary and appropriate.
  • Restrict or decline future submissions based on proportionate and documented considerations.

Any action taken will be proportionate to the available evidence, the severity of the misconduct, its impact on publication integrity, and relevant scholarly publication ethics guidelines.

5. Confidentiality and Protection of Involved Parties

Throughout the review process, JMARI will maintain the confidentiality of information and restrict access to case details to individuals with a legitimate need to know. The identity of the person reporting the concern will be protected to the extent permitted by law and the requirements of the investigation. JMARI will also seek to protect authors, reviewers, editors, and other involved parties from unfounded allegations and retaliation.

6. Commitment to Publication Integrity

JMARI is committed to addressing allegations of research misconduct fairly, transparently, consistently, and responsibly. All parties involved in the publication process are expected to comply with the principles of academic integrity and scholarly publication ethics. This policy is implemented with reference to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other relevant ethical standards and regulations.