Allegation of research misconduct

Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously, whether they concern manuscripts under review, accepted manuscripts, or published articles.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and other parties involved in the publication process. In handling allegations of research misconduct, ALBARIQ Journal follows recognized principles of publication ethics and due process, including fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and the opportunity for the parties concerned to respond.

1. Definition and Scope of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Fabrication – making up data, evidence, results, participants, sources, or other research information and reporting them as genuine.

  • Falsification – manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, images, data, citations, or results so that the research is not accurately represented.

  • Plagiarism – using another person's ideas, words, data, images, or intellectual work without appropriate acknowledgment.

  • Duplicate or Redundant Publication – publishing substantially the same work in more than one journal or publication without appropriate disclosure or justification.

  • Improper Authorship – including individuals who have not made a substantial contribution, excluding legitimate contributors, or otherwise misrepresenting authorship.

  • Citation Manipulation – improperly adding citations for the purpose of increasing citation counts or benefiting particular authors, journals, or publications.

  • Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest – failing to disclose financial, institutional, personal, or other relationships that may influence the research or publication process.

  • Ethical Violations in Research – conducting research involving human participants, animals, personal data, or other ethically sensitive materials without appropriate approval, consent, or safeguards where these are required.

  • Manipulation of the Peer-Review Process – providing false reviewer information, impersonating reviewers, interfering with independent peer review, or attempting to influence editorial decisions improperly.

  • Other Serious Breaches of Research or Publication Ethics that may compromise the reliability, integrity, or credibility of the scholarly record.

2. Reporting an Allegation

Any individual or institution may report suspected research misconduct concerning a manuscript or article submitted to or published by Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab.

An allegation should, whenever possible, contain:

  1. the title and identifying information of the manuscript or published article;

  2. a clear description of the suspected misconduct;

  3. relevant evidence, documents, links, data, or other supporting information; and

  4. the complainant's contact information where appropriate.

Allegations should be submitted through the journal's official editorial contact channel. Anonymous allegations may be considered when they contain sufficient and verifiable evidence to warrant further examination.

The journal will not dismiss an allegation solely because of the identity, institutional affiliation, or status of the complainant.

3. Initial Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether:

  • the allegation falls within the scope of research or publication misconduct;

  • sufficient information or evidence exists to justify further investigation; and

  • the journal has the authority or responsibility to investigate the matter.

Allegations that are clearly unsupported, frivolous, malicious, or outside the journal's responsibility may be dismissed after appropriate assessment.

If the allegation concerns an editor or another member of the editorial team, that individual will not participate in handling or deciding the case. Responsibility will be transferred to another qualified and impartial editor or appropriate authority.

4. Investigation Procedure

When an allegation warrants further investigation, Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab will undertake a fair and confidential inquiry.

The journal may:

  • examine the manuscript, published article, supplementary materials, peer-review records, and editorial correspondence;

  • request explanations, original data, ethical approval documents, consent records, or other relevant materials from the author(s);

  • seek clarification from reviewers, editors, institutions, or other relevant parties;

  • consult independent experts when specialist assessment is necessary; and

  • refer the matter to the author's institution, research ethics committee, funding organization, or other competent authority when an institutional investigation is required.

Authors or other parties against whom allegations are made will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns and provide relevant evidence.

The journal will avoid making a final determination solely on the basis of an allegation without appropriate examination of the available evidence.

5. Confidentiality and Fairness

All allegations will be handled as confidentially as reasonably possible. Information concerning an investigation will be disclosed only to individuals or institutions whose involvement is necessary for assessing or resolving the case.

The journal will seek to protect both complainants and respondents from inappropriate disclosure while maintaining the integrity of the investigation.

Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab will not retaliate against individuals who raise concerns in good faith. Likewise, allegations must not be used to harass, intimidate, or damage the reputation of authors, reviewers, editors, or other parties without reasonable grounds.

6. Editorial Actions

The editorial action taken will depend on the nature, seriousness, and evidence of the alleged misconduct.

For a manuscript under review, possible actions may include:

  • requesting clarification or correction;

  • suspending the peer-review or editorial process;

  • rejecting the manuscript;

  • informing the relevant institution or authority where appropriate; or

  • imposing other proportionate editorial measures.

For a published article, possible actions may include:

  • publishing a correction or corrigendum;

  • publishing an expression of concern while an investigation is ongoing;

  • retracting the article when its findings or integrity are seriously compromised;

  • updating the published record to clearly indicate the editorial action taken; and

  • notifying relevant institutions or authorities where appropriate.

Editorial decisions will be based on the reliability and integrity of the scholarly record rather than solely on whether the misconduct was intentional.

7. Institutional Investigations

Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab recognizes that universities, research institutions, ethics committees, and other competent bodies generally have greater authority and access to evidence for conducting formal investigations of research misconduct.

When necessary, the journal may request an investigation by the relevant institution and may consider the institution's findings when determining appropriate editorial action.

The journal nevertheless retains responsibility for protecting and correcting the scholarly record under its control.

8. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

When misconduct or a serious error affects a published article, Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab will take appropriate action to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

A correction may be issued when an error affects part of an article but does not invalidate its principal findings.

An expression of concern may be issued when substantial concerns exist but the evidence remains inconclusive, an institutional investigation is pending, or a definitive outcome cannot yet be reached.

A retraction may be issued when there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable as a result of fabrication, falsification, major error, plagiarism, unethical research, unauthorized publication, or other serious breaches of research or publication ethics.

Retraction notices will clearly identify the affected article and state the reason for retraction while avoiding defamatory, speculative, or unsupported statements.

9. Record Keeping

The editorial office may maintain appropriate records of allegations, correspondence, evidence, investigations, responses, and editorial decisions. Such records will be handled confidentially and retained in accordance with applicable journal policies and legal requirements.

10. Commitment to Publication Integrity

Albariq: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Arab is committed to protecting the integrity of scholarly communication and maintaining public trust in academic publishing. Every allegation of research misconduct will therefore be considered objectively, fairly, confidentially, and proportionately.

The journal will take appropriate action whenever credible evidence indicates that the integrity, reliability, or ethical validity of a submitted or published work has been compromised.