Allegation of Research Misconduct

JMM – Jurnal Masyarakat Merdeka is committed to maintaining the integrity, honesty, and credibility of community service publications. The journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and handles each case fairly and carefully to protect the quality and reliability of published articles.

Research and publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

  1. Fabrication of Data or Activities, which means making up data, results, participant information, or community service activities that did not actually take place.

  2. Falsification of Data or Results, which means changing, manipulating, or presenting data, photographs, evaluation results, or other evidence in a misleading way.

  3. Plagiarism, which means using another person's ideas, words, data, photographs, or other work without proper acknowledgment.

  4. Duplicate or Redundant Publication, which means submitting or publishing substantially similar articles in more than one journal without proper disclosure.

  5. Improper Authorship, which means including people who did not make a significant contribution to the article or excluding people who made important contributions to the community service activities or manuscript.

  6. Misrepresentation of Community Service Activities, which means providing false or misleading information about the activities, implementation methods, target communities, partner involvement, or outcomes of a community service program.

  7. Manipulation of the Peer Review Process, which means attempting to influence or interfere unfairly with the journal's review process.

  8. Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest, which means failing to disclose personal, professional, financial, or institutional interests that may influence the community service activities, manuscript, review, or editorial decision.

  9. Other Unethical Practices, which means any other actions that may compromise the honesty, accuracy, or credibility of community service activities and their published results.

Handling Allegations

Allegations of research or publication misconduct may be submitted by authors, reviewers, editors, community service partners, readers, or other parties who have reasonable grounds for concern. Reports should include relevant information or supporting evidence whenever possible.

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team will:

  1. Review the allegation to determine whether it concerns research or publication misconduct related to the submitted or published article.

  2. Maintain confidentiality and handle the case fairly, objectively, and professionally.

  3. Contact the relevant author(s) and provide them with an opportunity to explain or respond to the allegation.

  4. Examine the available evidence, including the manuscript, data, photographs, activity reports, evaluation results, and other relevant documents, when necessary.

  5. Consult the author's institution, community service partner, or other appropriate authorities when further investigation or clarification is required.

  6. Make an editorial decision based on the available evidence and the results of the investigation.

Possible Actions

Depending on the seriousness of the case and the findings of the investigation, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

  • Request corrections or additional explanations from the author(s).

  • Publish a correction or clarification to address errors in a published article.

  • Issue an expression of concern when a serious issue remains unresolved.

  • Reject a submitted manuscript if misconduct is established.

  • Retract a published article when the findings are unreliable or serious misconduct is confirmed.

  • Take other appropriate actions to protect the integrity of the journal's publications.

Fairness and Confidentiality

JMM will not consider an allegation as proof of misconduct without proper assessment. Every case will be evaluated based on the available evidence, with respect for fairness, confidentiality, and the rights of all parties involved.

The journal aims to resolve allegations responsibly and to protect the interests of authors, reviewers, community service partners, and the communities involved in the reported activities.

Reporting Misconduct

Anyone who suspects research or publication misconduct in an article submitted to or published by JMM is encouraged to report the concern to the editorial team through the journal's official contact channels at JMM – Jurnal Masyarakat Merdeka.

Reports should provide a clear explanation of the concern and supporting evidence, if available. All reports will be reviewed carefully and handled in accordance with the principles of publication ethics.