Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct

PJEMS takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct may include:

• Fabrication
• Falsification
• Plagiarism
• Duplicate publication
• Data manipulation
• Image manipulation
• Citation manipulation
• Authorship manipulation
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Forged ethical approvals
• Manipulated peer review
• Misrepresentation of research findings
• Undisclosed inappropriate use of AI
• Other violations of research integrity

Reporting a Concern

Concerns should be submitted to the editorial office with sufficient information to enable an appropriate assessment.

Where possible, complaints should include:

• Article title
• DOI or manuscript identification
• Description of the concern
• Supporting evidence
• Relevant sources or documentation

Investigation

The journal may conduct an initial assessment and, where appropriate, request clarification from the authors.

Where institutional investigation is necessary, the journal may contact the relevant institution or research organization.

Confidentiality

Investigations will be handled confidentially as far as reasonably possible, subject to applicable ethical and legal obligations.

Possible Outcomes

Depending on the evidence, the journal may:

• Take no further action;
• Request clarification;
• Require correction;
• Reject a manuscript;
• Publish an Expression of Concern;
• Retract an article;
• Notify an appropriate institution or authority.