Allegations of Research Misconduct

Abdimas: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang is deeply committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity in community service publications. We strictly prohibit any form of research misconduct and handle all allegations, complaints, or concerns in a fair, objective, and transparent manner in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. What is Research Misconduct?

Research misconduct refers to actions that compromise the integrity of community engagement, scientific research, and publication. In Abdimas: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang, research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Data Fabrication: Creating, inventing, or reporting fake or manipulated field data, implementation results, community feedback, or conclusions.

  • Data Falsification: Manipulating community service materials, process documentation, survey results, or altering images, charts, and statistical data to falsely represent community engagement findings.

  • Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism: Using another person's ideas, text, framework, or data without appropriate citation, or republishing significant portions of the author's own previously published work without proper attribution.

  • Redundant or Multiple Submissions: Submitting the same manuscript (or substantially similar content describing the same community service project) to more than one journal simultaneously.

  • Authorship Misconduct: Adding individuals who made no intellectual contribution to the community service project or writing process (ghost/guest/gift authorship), or excluding legitimate team members and community partners who contributed significantly.

  • Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, personal, or institutional conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity or integrity of the reported community empowerment activities.

2. Reporting Misconduct

Abdimas: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang encourages readers, reviewers, authors, community partners, or editorial board members to report any suspected research or publication misconduct related to manuscripts published in or submitted to the journal.

  • How to File a Complaint: Reports should be submitted via email to the Managing Editor / Editor-in-Chief at [email protected].

  • Required Details: The report should include clear and objective evidence, such as comparative text analysis, raw data/field observation discrepancies, original publication links, or detailed explanations supporting the claim.

  • Confidentiality: All reports will be handled with strict confidentiality. The identity of the whistleblower/complainant will be protected unless disclosure is required by law.

3. Investigation Procedure

Upon receiving a formal allegation, the Editorial Board follows COPE flowcharts to conduct a thorough evaluation:

  • Initial Assessment: The Managing Editor / Editor-in-Chief evaluates the report and supporting evidence to determine whether there is sufficient cause for a formal inquiry.

  • Contacting the Author: If the allegation has merit, the corresponding author will be notified in writing and given a reasonable timeframe (typically 14 business days) to respond and provide explanations, raw field data, or activity documentation.

  • Independent Review: The Editorial Board may form an ad-hoc ethical committee or consult independent expert reviewers in community development to evaluate the evidence impartially.

4. Outcomes and Sanctions

If research misconduct is proven, Abdimas: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang will apply appropriate actions depending on the stage of the manuscript and the severity of the violation:

  • Pre-Publication (During Review/Editing):

    • Immediate desk rejection or termination of the peer-review process.

    • Formal warning issued to the authors.

    • Potential temporary or permanent submission ban to Abdimas: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Universitas Merdeka Malang.

  • Post-Publication:

    • Issuance of a formal Correction/Corrigendum for minor errors or omissions.

    • Issuance of an Expression of Concern while an investigation is ongoing.

    • Full Article Retraction in line with COPE Retraction Guidelines if major misconduct (such as plagiarism or data fabrication) is confirmed.

    • Formal notification sent to the author's home institution, LPPM (Institute for Research and Community Services), or funding agency in severe cases.