Allegation of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to actions such as fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism during the process of conducting, reviewing, or reporting research, as well as in article authorship. If authors are determined to have engaged in scientific misconduct or other major ethical breaches concerning manuscripts submitted to or published in Medium: Jurnal Ilmiah Fakultas Ilmu Komunikasi, the Editorial Board holds a fundamental obligation to safeguard the accuracy, validity, and reliability of the scholarly record.

To resolve allegations of misconduct impartially and transparently, the Editors and Editorial Board adhere to the best practices set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This framework includes a thorough internal investigation led by the editorial team. Any manuscript under review identified with such misconduct will be immediately rejected. In cases where a published article contains verified misconduct, a formal retraction notice will be issued and permanently linked to the original publication.

The initial evaluation requires validating the claim to verify whether the reported action aligns with recognized definitions of research misconduct. Concurrently, the Editorial Board assesses whether the party submitting the allegation has any competing or conflicting interests that might influence the complaint.

If there is plausible cause to suspect scientific misconduct or substantial research irregularities, the editorial team will share the allegations with the corresponding author, who must submit a comprehensive response representing all co-authors. Following the evaluation of this response, independent technical experts or specialized reviewers (e.g., statistical reviewers) may be consulted. If the investigation concludes that misconduct did not occur but minor errors exist, the matter may be resolved through published clarifications, supplementary analyses, or formal correction notices attached to the paper.

Academic and research institutions are expected to conduct thorough investigations when ethical violations are reported. Maintaining the integrity of scholarly publications is a collective responsibility shared among authors, journals, and affiliated institutions. By systematically addressing ethical concerns and taking appropriate corrective actions—such as errata, retractions with replacement, or full retractions—Medium: Jurnal Ilmiah Fakultas Ilmu Komunikasi remains committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific rigor and publication ethics.