RESEARCH MISCONDUCT POLICY

Policy Statement

TRANSFORMA: Journal of Community Innovation and Transformation is committed to maintaining the integrity, credibility, and reliability of scholarly publishing. The journal takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and investigates them in a fair, confidential, transparent, and objective manner.

Editorial decisions concerning misconduct are based on evidence and are made independently of authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, funding source, seniority, or academic status.

Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Fabrication of research data or community service outcomes.
  • Falsification or manipulation of data, images, tables, or figures.
  • Plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
  • Duplicate submission or duplicate publication.
  • Citation manipulation.
  • Manipulation of the peer-review process.
  • False claims regarding authorship or contributorship.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  • Submission of fraudulent ethical approval documents.
  • Deliberate misrepresentation of funding sources or institutional affiliations.
  • Any intentional action that compromises the integrity of scholarly publication.

Honest errors, differences in scientific interpretation, or unintentional mistakes are not normally regarded as research misconduct unless evidence indicates intentional deception or gross negligence.

Reporting Allegations

Allegations of research misconduct may be submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, or any other interested party.

Reports should include sufficient information and supporting evidence to enable the Editorial Board to conduct an initial assessment.

Anonymous allegations may be considered when credible evidence is provided.

Investigation Procedure

Upon receiving an allegation, the Editorial Board will:

  1. Conduct a preliminary assessment of the available evidence.
  2. Maintain confidentiality throughout the investigation.
  3. Contact the corresponding author when clarification is required.
  4. Request supporting documentation where necessary.
  5. Consult reviewers, editorial board members, or independent experts when appropriate.
  6. Reach an editorial decision based on the available evidence.

Where necessary, the journal may communicate with the authors' institution, funding agency, or other relevant organizations.

Possible Editorial Actions

Depending on the severity and nature of the misconduct, the Editorial Board may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request corrections or clarifications.
  • Require revision of the manuscript.
  • Reject the manuscript.
  • Withdraw an accepted manuscript before publication.
  • Publish a correction.
  • Publish an Expression of Concern.
  • Retract a published article.
  • Notify the authors' institution or funding organization.
  • Restrict future submissions from the responsible author(s) for a specified period.

The selected action will be proportionate to the seriousness of the confirmed misconduct.

Authors' Rights

Authors accused of research misconduct have the right to:

  • Receive information regarding the allegation.
  • Respond to the concerns raised.
  • Provide explanations and supporting evidence.
  • Be treated fairly and without prejudice during the investigation.

No decision will be made solely on the basis of unverified allegations.

Confidentiality

The Editorial Board will make every reasonable effort to maintain the confidentiality of all parties involved throughout the investigation.

Information relating to an investigation will only be disclosed when necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record or when required by law.

Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions related to research misconduct by submitting a written explanation together with supporting evidence.

Appeals will be reviewed independently by the Editorial Board, and additional expert opinions may be sought where appropriate.

The Editor-in-Chief's decision following the appeal shall be considered final.

Commitment to Research Integrity

TRANSFORMA is committed to promoting responsible research conduct and safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal encourages authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to report suspected misconduct responsibly and supports transparent, evidence-based, and impartial investigations consistent with internationally recognized principles of ethical publishing.