Allegations of Research Misconduct

Jurnal Hukum Islam (JHI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, and academic responsibility. The journal does not tolerate research or publication misconduct and is committed to handling allegations fairly, confidentially, transparently, and in a timely manner.

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved in the journal's publication process.

1. Types of Research Misconduct

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

Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, data, or work without appropriate acknowledgment.
Fabrication: Inventing data, evidence, sources, research findings, or references.
Falsification: Manipulating research materials, data, evidence, legal documents, or findings in a manner that misrepresents the research.
Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing substantially overlapping work without proper disclosure or justification.
Authorship misconduct: Including individuals who have not made qualifying contributions, omitting eligible contributors, or misrepresenting authorship.
Citation manipulation: Inappropriately adding citations to inflate citation counts or artificially improve journal metrics.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, personal, or other interests that could improperly influence research or editorial decisions.
Ethical violations: Conducting research without required ethical approval or consent, misusing confidential information, or violating applicable research ethics requirements.
Peer-review and editorial misconduct: Breaching confidentiality, manipulating peer review, or misusing privileged information obtained during editorial assessment.

Honest errors, differences of scholarly interpretation, and good-faith academic disagreements do not automatically constitute research misconduct.

2. Submission of Allegations

Any individual who suspects research or publication misconduct involving a manuscript submitted to or an article published in Jurnal Hukum Islam may report the concern to the editorial office.

Reports should provide a clear description of the suspected misconduct and, where possible, supporting evidence, such as relevant publications, documentary records, data, correspondence, or other verifiable information.

Allegations should be submitted in good faith. The journal will not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise legitimate concerns responsibly.

3. Preliminary Assessment

Upon receiving an allegation, the editorial team will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the scope of this policy and whether sufficient information exists to warrant further examination.

The journal may request additional information or clarification from the complainant. Where appropriate, the editor-in-chief may appoint an independent editor or other qualified person to assist with the assessment.

Individuals with relevant conflicts of interest will not participate in decisions concerning the allegation.

4. Investigation Procedure

Where further examination is warranted, the journal will conduct a fair and impartial investigation. Depending on the nature of the allegation, the process may include:

Reviewing the manuscript, published article, supporting evidence, and relevant publication records.
Requesting a written explanation from the author or other individuals concerned.
Consulting independent experts or relevant institutional authorities where necessary.
Assessing the evidence in accordance with applicable publication ethics standards.
Documenting the findings and determining appropriate action.

The journal will give the individuals concerned a reasonable opportunity to respond before reaching a decision, except where immediate protective measures are necessary to prevent further harm or preserve evidence.

Where allegations involve complex research-integrity issues, the journal may refer the matter to the author's institution or other competent authority for further investigation.

5. Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

Jurnal Hukum Islam will handle allegations and investigations confidentially to the extent reasonably possible and consistent with a fair investigation and applicable legal obligations.

Information will be shared only with individuals who need it to assess or investigate the matter. The journal will seek to protect the rights, reputation, and legitimate interests of complainants, authors, reviewers, editors, and other individuals involved.

Confidentiality does not prevent the journal from publishing necessary corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction notices when required to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

6. Possible Outcomes and Corrective Actions

Depending on the severity of the misconduct, the strength of the evidence, and the stage of publication, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

Reject the manuscript under consideration.
Request corrections, clarification, or additional documentation where the issue is remediable and does not undermine the integrity of the work.
Publish a correction or erratum for a published article.
Publish an expression of concern while further investigation is pending.
Retract a published article when the findings are unreliable or serious misconduct is established.
Notify the author's institution, funding body, or other relevant authority when justified and appropriate.
Restrict future submissions from individuals responsible for serious or repeated misconduct, following a proportionate editorial assessment.

The journal will ensure that any published correction, expression of concern, or retraction is clearly identified, linked to the original article, and accompanied by an appropriate explanation, subject to confidentiality and legal requirements.

7. Appeals

Individuals directly affected by an editorial decision arising from an investigation may submit a reasoned appeal to the editorial office. Appeals must identify the grounds for reconsideration and provide relevant supporting information.

The appeal will be reviewed by an editor or independent person who was not materially involved in the original decision, where practicable. The journal's decision following the appeal will be communicated to the parties concerned.

8. Prevention and Ethical Standards

Jurnal Hukum Islam encourages authors, reviewers, and editors to comply with recognized research-integrity and publication-ethics standards, including the relevant guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their submissions. Editors and reviewers must act impartially, protect confidential information, disclose conflicts of interest, and report credible concerns about possible misconduct.

The journal will periodically review this policy to ensure that its procedures remain consistent with evolving publication-ethics standards and applicable regulations.

9. Contact

Allegations of research or publication misconduct should be submitted to the editorial office of Jurnal Hukum Islam through the official contact information provided on the journal website. Reports should include the title of the manuscript or article, a description of the concern, and supporting evidence where available.

All allegations will be assessed according to this policy, with due regard for fairness, confidentiality, and the integrity of the scholarly record.