ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT

Concerns That Can Be Reported

Concern	Applicable policy
Plagiarism, text recycling, fabricated or falsified data, manipulated images, quotations, or screenshots, fabricated references, and duplicate publication	Plagiarism and Research Integrity Policy
Gift authorship, guest authorship, ghost authorship, and authorship disputes	Authorship and Contributorship
A competing interest that was not declared	Conflicts of Interest
Use of generative AI that was not disclosed or that is prohibited	Generative AI Policies
Research without the permission or consent that is required, or a breach of the privacy of participants, such as informants, respondents, minors, or users of social media	Publication Ethics
Manipulation of peer review, or a breach of confidentiality by an editor or a reviewer	Publication Ethics and Peer Review Process

Procedure at a Glance

Step	Stage	What happens
1	Report	A concern is sent to the editorial office by email.
2	Initial assessment	The report is recorded, and an editor without a conflict of interest checks its scope and its detail.
3	Fair response and preliminary checks	The people concerned can respond, and the journal may pause the processing of the work.
4	Investigation	An editor examines the evidence and may consult experts.
5	Outcome	The journal takes action that is proportionate to the seriousness of the case.

---

1. Submitting a Report

Send the report by email to jurnal.mukasi@gmail.com, with the subject line Integrity Concern: [Article or Submission Identifier]. A report may concern authors, reviewers, editors, or the staff and managers of the journal.

Please include the four items below.

No.	Required information
1	The title or the identifier of the manuscript or the article.
2	A clear and specific description of the concern.
3	Evidence that supports the concern, such as documents, data, or links to sources.
4	Any conflict of interest of the person who reports, and any consideration of confidentiality.

• Please do not send sensitive personal data through channels that are not secure.
• A report without a name is not excluded. It can be assessed when it is specific and is supported by information that can be verified.

---

2. Initial Assessment

• The editorial office records every report and, when contact details are given, confirms that the report was received.
• An editor who has no conflict of interest decides whether the concern is within the remit of the journal, whether it has enough detail, and whether the person who reports needs to give more information.
• A report is judged on its substance and not on the status of the person who made it.
• A report without support may be closed. It can be considered again when new evidence is given.

---

3. Fairness, Preliminary Checks, and Referral

• The people who are the subject of a specific concern normally have a chance to respond. This is subject to safeguards that protect the process and the people who are involved.
• The journal may carry out limited preliminary checks before it contacts the parties, for example to keep evidence safe or to protect research participants.
• The journal may pause the editorial processing of the manuscript or the article while a credible concern is assessed. This is a precaution, and it is not a finding of misconduct.
• A matter that is outside the authority of the journal may be referred to the institution of the authors, to the funder, or to another competent body.

---

4. Investigation and Outcomes

4.1 Investigation

• An editor who has no conflict of interest leads every case that needs a closer examination. The editor may consult members of the editorial board or independent experts.
• The authors and other people concerned are asked to explain their actions and, where it is relevant, to provide data, documents, or permissions.
• Decisions are based on evidence, and they are proportionate to the seriousness of the case.
• The journal keeps a confidential record of the report and of the steps that were taken.

4.2 Possible outcomes

Stage	Possible outcomes
Before publication	A request for clarification, for corrected citations, or for attribution. A request to rewrite or to revise the manuscript. A request for data, permissions, or documents. A pause in the editorial evaluation. Rejection of the manuscript, when serious misconduct is established.
After publication	A correction or a corrigendum. An expression of concern, while an investigation has not been completed. Retraction, when the published record is substantially unreliable or when serious misconduct is proven. Notification of the institutions or the authorities concerned. Other proportionate steps to protect the scholarly record.

Action on a published article follows the Correction and Retraction policy. Scholarly comments on a published article can be made through the Post Publication Discussion page.

---

5. Confidentiality and Protection of People Who Raise Concerns

Commitment	What it means
Confidential handling	Reports are handled in confidence. Information is shared only with the people who need it to assess the concern.
Identity of the reporter	The identity of a person who reports in good faith is kept confidential as far as possible.
No retaliation	Retaliation against a person who reports in good faith is not accepted.
False reports	A report that is knowingly false or malicious is itself a breach of publication ethics.

---

6. Related Policies and Enquiries

Reports and enquiries	jurnal.mukasi@gmail.com | jurnal@yp3a.org
Ethics and integrity	Publication Ethics, Plagiarism Policy, Generative AI Policies
Authors and interests	Authorship and Contributorship and Conflicts of Interest
Review of manuscripts	Peer Review Process
Published articles	Correction and Retraction and Post Publication Discussion

---