Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism in producing, performing, or reviewing research and 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 scientific journals, editors have a responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.

 

In cases of suspected misconduct, the editors and Editorial Board will use the best practices of COPE to assist them in resolving the complaint and addressing the misconduct fairly. This will include an investigation of the allegation by the editors. A submitted manuscript that is found to contain such misconduct will be rejected. In cases where a published paper is found to contain such misconduct, a retraction can be published and will be linked to the original article.

 

The first step is to determine the allegation's validity and assess whether it aligns with the definition of research misconduct. This initial step also involves determining whether the individuals alleging misconduct have relevant conflicts of interest.

 

If scientific misconduct or other substantial research irregularities are possible, the allegations are shared with the corresponding author, who, on behalf of all co-authors, is asked to provide a detailed response. After we receive and evaluate the response, we may seek additional review and expert involvement (such as statistical reviewers). For cases in which misconduct is unlikely, clarifications, additional analyses, or both, published as electronic letters to the Editor and often including a correction notice and correction to the published article, are sufficient.

 

Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of allegations of scientific misconduct. Ultimately, authors, journals, and institutions have an important obligation to ensure the accuracy of the scientific record. By responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct and taking necessary actions based on the evaluation of these concerns, such as corrections, retractions with replacement, and retractions, CDK journal will continue to fulfill the responsibilities of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record.