Research misconduct
Bulletin of Humanities and Social Sciences is committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal does not tolerate any form of research or publication misconduct. All allegations of misconduct will be investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with established ethical publishing standards.
Definition of Research Misconduct
Research misconduct refers to actions that compromise the integrity, validity, or trustworthiness of scholarly research and publication. Misconduct may occur before, during, or after the publication process.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism includes the use of another person's ideas, words, data, figures, or research findings without proper acknowledgment. This also includes self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and excessive reuse of previously published material without appropriate citation.
Data Fabrication
Data fabrication involves inventing, creating, or reporting data, results, or research findings that were never obtained through actual research activities.
Data Falsification
Data falsification includes manipulating research materials, methods, processes, images, or data in a way that misrepresents research findings or conclusions.
Duplicate and Redundant Publication
Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or publish substantially similar content in more than one publication without proper disclosure and permission.
Improper Authorship
Authorship misconduct includes gift authorship, ghost authorship, honorary authorship, or the exclusion of individuals who have made significant contributions to the research.
Citation Manipulation
Authors, reviewers, or editors must not artificially increase citations to specific articles, authors, or journals for personal or institutional benefit.
Peer Review Misconduct
Any attempt to manipulate the peer-review process, including providing false reviewer information, submitting fraudulent reviews, or interfering with the review process, is considered serious misconduct.
Ethical Violations in Human Research
Failure to obtain necessary ethical approvals, informed consent, or adequate protection of participant privacy and confidentiality constitutes research misconduct.
Artificial Intelligence Misuse
The use of artificial intelligence tools to generate, fabricate, manipulate, or misrepresent research data, results, images, or authorship without proper disclosure is considered unethical. Authors remain fully responsible for all submitted content.
Reporting Misconduct
Suspected cases of research misconduct may be reported by authors, reviewers, readers, editors, or institutions. All allegations should be supported by relevant evidence whenever possible.
Investigation Procedure
The journal will conduct a fair and confidential investigation of all reported concerns. Authors may be asked to provide explanations, original data, ethical approvals, or other supporting documentation during the investigation process.
Corrective Actions
If misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:
- Reject the manuscript.
- Request corrections or clarifications.
- Publish a correction or expression of concern.
- Retract the published article.
- Notify the authors’ institution or funding agency.
- Restrict future submissions from the responsible author(s).
Appeals
Authors have the right to respond to allegations and may appeal editorial decisions by providing additional evidence or clarification. Appeals will be reviewed impartially by the editorial team.
Commitment to Research Integrity
The journal is dedicated to preserving the accuracy, credibility, and integrity of scholarly publications and will take appropriate measures to prevent, identify, and address research misconduct whenever it occurs.
