Allegation of Research Misconduct

'ASABIYAH: Jurnal Pengabdian Hukum is committed to upholding research integrity and taking swift, decisive action against any form of research or publication misconduct. The journal takes all allegations of misconduct seriously to safeguard the reliability, accuracy, and public trust in published legal outreach and academic literature.

1. Definition of Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct encompasses any action that strays from academic integrity and ethical research practices. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism: Presenting another person’s work, words, legal analysis, ideas, or data as one's own without appropriate credit or citation.

  • Data Fabrication and Falsification: Generating fake data, manipulating empirical findings, altering outreach outcomes, or presenting misleading field evidence.

  • Citation Manipulation: Including irrelevant, excessive, or fraudulent citations to artificially inflate citation metrics for specific authors, journals, or institutions.

  • Redundant or Duplicate Submission: Submitting the same manuscript or substantially similar work to more than one journal concurrently.

  • Unethical Authorship Practices: Including ghost, gift, or guest authors, or excluding legitimate contributors who meet authorship criteria.

  • Breach of Ethical Approval or Consent: Failing to obtain voluntary informed consent from human participants involved in legal counseling, workshops, or field surveys.

2. Reporting Procedures

Anyone-including readers, reviewers, editors, or external researchers-who suspects research misconduct in a submitted or published article is encouraged to report the issue to the Managing Editor or Editor-in-Chief. Reports must be made in writing and accompanied by concrete evidence or documentation supporting the allegation (e.g., text comparisons, original data files, or published precedents). Anonymous allegations will be evaluated if sufficient evidence is provided to merit an inquiry.

3. Investigation and Due Process

The editorial team follows COPE flowcharts and guidelines when handling allegations of misconduct:

  • Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary review to determine whether the allegation is credible, supported by evidence, and falls under the scope of research misconduct.

  • Notice and Opportunity to Respond: If the allegation warrants investigation, the corresponding author is formally notified and provided with details of the concern. Authors are given a specified period (typically 14–30 days) to submit a detailed written explanation and supporting documentation on behalf of all co-authors.

  • Review of Evidence: The editorial board reviews the author’s response. Independent subject-matter experts, statistical reviewers, or institutional ethics committees may be consulted if necessary.

  • Institutional Involvement: If the matter cannot be resolved internally or involves complex factual disputes, the journal may refer the case to the authors' home institution or funding body for an official investigation.

4. Post-Investigation Actions

If the investigation confirms that research or publication misconduct has occurred, the Editor-in-Chief will take appropriate action depending on the severity of the offense and the stage of the manuscript:

  • Pre-Publication (Under Review): The manuscript will be rejected immediately, and the authors may be barred from submitting future work to the journal for a specified period.

  • Post-Publication (Published Article):

    • Expression of Concern: Issued if an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive, but strong indications of potential misconduct exist.

    • Formal Retraction: Published if the findings, legal analysis, or data are proven to be fraudulent, plagiarized, or severely compromised. The published PDF will be watermarked as "RETRACTED," and a formal retraction notice explaining the reasons will be linked to the article.

    • Correction Notice (Corrigendum/Erratum): Published if minor, non-intentional errors or omissions are identified that do not invalidate the overall integrity of the work.

5. Whistleblower Protection and Confidentiality

All inquiries and investigations regarding alleged misconduct are conducted with strict confidentiality to protect both the whistleblower and the accused party until a final determination is reached. Investigation details will only be disclosed to individuals directly involved in resolving the complaint.