Allegation of Research Misconduct

Lingue: Jurnal Bahasa, Budaya, dan Sastra handles allegations of research and publication misconduct, both before and after publication, in accordance with the Core Practices and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal acts in good faith, protects those who report concerns, gives the people concerned the opportunity to respond, and aims to correct the scholarly record. The journal does not conduct formal investigations itself; it assesses the evidence, contacts the authors, and refers cases to their institutions where necessary.

1. Definitions

Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism:

  • Fabrication: inventing data, sources, informants, quotations, or results.
  • Falsification: manipulating or selectively omitting data, texts, transcripts, translations, or images, including altering interview excerpts or quotations from literary or historical texts.
  • Plagiarism: as defined in the Plagiarism Policy, including translation plagiarism (translating another author’s work, for example from English, Arabic, or a regional language, without attribution) and disguised plagiarism produced with paraphrasing or text-spinning tools, which is often revealed by “tortured phrases”.

Other unacceptable practices include duplicate or simultaneous submission, redundant publication, authorship misconduct, undisclosed conflicts of interest, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, use of paper mills, undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI, and research involving human participants, communities, manuscripts, or cultural recordings without the required consent, permission, or ethical approval.

Honest error and honest differences of interpretation are not misconduct.

2. Reporting a Concern

Anyone may report a concern, including readers, reviewers, editors, co-authors, and institutions. Reports are sent to the Editor-in-Chief at jurnallingue@uinambon.ac.id with the subject “Research Integrity Concern – [manuscript ID or article title]”. A report should identify the manuscript or article, describe the concern clearly, provide specific evidence, and state the reporter’s contact details and any conflict of interest.

  • Anonymous reports are considered only if they contain specific, verifiable evidence.
  • The identity of the person reporting is kept confidential.
  • Concerns about the Editor-in-Chief are sent to the publisher, the Head of LP2M, Universitas Islam Negeri Abdul Muthalib Sangadji Ambon.

3. Procedure Before Publication

  1. The review of the manuscript is paused.
  2. The editor documents the evidence within 14 days and classifies the concern as minor or serious.
  3. The corresponding author is asked to respond on behalf of all authors within 14 days.
  4. Depending on the response, the review resumes, the manuscript is revised, or it is rejected. Serious cases, unsatisfactory responses, or failure to respond may be reported to the authors’ institution.

4. Procedure After Publication

  1. The report is acknowledged within 7 working days.
  2. A preliminary assessment is completed within 14 days.
  3. The corresponding author is asked to provide an explanation and supporting materials within 30 days.
  4. The editor may consult reviewers, editorial board members, or subject experts. Unresolved cases are referred to the authors’ institution, and an Expression of Concern may be published while the case remains open.
  5. The final decision is no action, correction, or retraction in accordance with the Article Retraction & Withdrawal policy.

5. Misconduct by Reviewers or Editors

Concerns about reviewers or editors are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief, or by the publisher if the Editor-in-Chief is involved. Proven misconduct leads to removal from the reviewer database or the editorial team, and any decisions affected by the misconduct are reviewed again.

6. Outcomes and Sanctions

Actions are proportionate to the seriousness of the case:

  • Honest error: correction, with no sanction.
  • Minor misconduct: revision or rejection of the manuscript, or a correction to the article, together with an educational letter to the authors.
  • Serious or repeated misconduct: rejection or retraction, a ban on submissions for a period determined by the editorial board, and notification of the authors’ institutions and, where relevant, funders.

Sanctions apply only to the individuals responsible, not to other authors or to the institution as a whole.

7. Appeals and Records

Authors may appeal a decision to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days, providing new evidence or arguments. The appeal is reviewed by an editor who was not involved in the original decision, and the outcome of the appeal is final. Case records are kept confidential for at least five years.