Allegations of Misconduct

FabricationFalsificationCitation manipulationPlagiarism

Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in producing, performing, or reviewing research, in writing an article, or in reporting research results. When authors are found to have been involved in research misconduct or other serious irregularities involving articles published in scholarly journals, editors have a responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Handling of Suspected Misconduct

In cases of suspected misconduct, the Editors and Editorial Board will use the best practices of COPE to help resolve the complaint and address the misconduct fairly. This includes an investigation of the allegation by the Editors.

A submitted manuscript found to contain such misconduct will be rejected. Where a published paper is found to contain such misconduct, a retraction may be published and will be linked to the original article.

Investigation Process

1
Initial assessment
The first step involves determining the validity of the allegation and assessing whether it is consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This step also involves determining whether the individuals alleging misconduct have relevant conflicts of interest.
2
Response from the authors
If misconduct or other substantial research irregularities are a possibility, the allegations are shared with the corresponding author, who, on behalf of all coauthors, is asked to provide a detailed response.
3
Expert review
After the response is received and evaluated, additional review and the involvement of experts (such as methodological or subject-matter experts) may be sought.
4
Outcome
Where misconduct is unlikely to have occurred, clarifications, additional analyses, or both, published as letters to the editor and often accompanied by a correction notice and a correction to the published article, are sufficient.

Responsibilities of Institutions, Authors, and the Journal

Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of allegations of research misconduct. Ultimately, authors, journals, and institutions have an important obligation to ensure the accuracy of the scholarly record.

By responding appropriately to concerns about research misconduct, and taking necessary actions based on the evaluation of these concerns, such as corrections, retractions with replacement, and retractions, Societas Law Review will continue to fulfill its responsibility to ensure the validity and integrity of the scholarly record.

Contact the editorial office