RESEARCH MISCONDUCT POLICY

Research Misconduct Policy

The International Journal of Recent Advances in Science, Humanities and Technology (IJRASHT) maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards research misconduct. The publisher and editors take all reasonable steps to identify, prevent, and address any form of scientific misconduct prior to and following publication.

1. Types of Research Misconduct

The journal actively monitors and guards against all forms of unethical publishing practices, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism: Copying text, ideas, data, or images from another source without appropriate attribution or permission.
  • Data Fabrication and Falsification: Inventing data/results (fabrication) or manipulating research materials, images, equipment, or processes to alter the findings (falsification).
  • Citation Manipulation: Inducing artificial citations, excessive self-citation, or forced referencing to inflate citation metrics.
  • Redundant/Duplicate Publication: Submitting or publishing the same manuscript (or substantially similar work) across multiple outlets without proper disclosure.
  • Unauthorised/Ghost Authorship: Excluding authors who contributed significantly or adding guest/gift authors who did not contribute to the research.

2. Prevention & Identification Protocols

  • Pre-Publication Screening: All submitted manuscripts undergo systematic screening for similarity/plagiarism using standard detection tools prior to peer review.
  • Rigorous Peer Review: Peer reviewers and editors assess manuscripts for internal data consistency, image manipulation, and ethical integrity.
  • Non-Encouragement Policy: Neither the journal nor its editors shall encourage, tolerate, or knowingly allow research misconduct to take place under any circumstances.

3. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

If the publisher or editorial board receives allegations of research misconduct—from whistleblowers, reviewers, readers, or automated detection tools—concerning a submitted or published paper, the following procedure is strictly executed:

  • Initial Assessment: The Managing Editor conducts a confidential preliminary review to examine the evidence provided.
  • COPE Flowchart Compliance: Investigations follow the official COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and flowcharts.
  • Notice and Right to Respond: The authors are notified in writing with the specific details of the allegation and given a reasonable timeframe to provide a formal response and supporting raw data.
  • Institutional Inquiry: If required, the journal may escalate the matter to the authors' home institution, university ethics committee, or funding agency for an independent investigation.

4. Post-Investigation Actions & Sanctions

If research misconduct is substantiated following a full investigation, IJRASHT will take appropriate corrective actions based on the severity of the violation:

  • During Review: Immediate rejection of the manuscript and a potential temporary or permanent ban on future submissions by the author(s).
  • Post-Publication: Publication of a formal Expression of Concern or a full Article Retraction in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines.
  • Stakeholder Notification: Formal communication to the author's institution, employer, or relevant regulatory bodies regarding the ethical breach.

COPE Compliance Statement

International Journal of Recent Advances in Science, Humanities and Technology (IJRASHT) is not currently a formal/paid member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). However, the journal fully adheres to and follows the principles, code of conduct, and best practice guidelines established by COPE in handling all aspects of publication ethics, peer review, retractions, and allegations of research misconduct.