Deals of Misconduct
The "Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services" is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in scholarly publishing. We consider the following acts as misconduct, and they will be dealt with seriously:
- Plagiarism: Plagiarism involves using someone else's work, ideas, or words without proper acknowledgment or citation. This includes verbatim copying, paraphrasing without citation, and self-plagiarism (reusing one's own previously published work without proper attribution).
- Fabrication and Falsification: Fabrication refers to the invention or manipulation of data, results, or research findings. Falsification involves the selective omission or alteration of data to misrepresent the truth. Both acts are serious breaches of research integrity and are unacceptable.
- Duplicate Publication: Duplicate publication, also known as redundant or multiple publication, occurs when authors submit the same manuscript or significant parts of it to multiple journals without proper acknowledgment. This includes submitting manuscripts that overlap substantially with previously published work.
- Authorship Misconduct: Authorship misconduct includes guest authorship (including individuals who have not made substantial contributions to the research) and ghost authorship (excluding individuals who have made significant contributions from the list of authors).
- Ethical Violations: Ethical violations encompass any actions that violate ethical standards or guidelines for research involving human subjects, animals, or sensitive data. This includes failure to obtain appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, or disclosure of conflicts of interest.
- Citation Manipulation: Citation manipulation involves artificially inflating citation counts by including irrelevant or false citations, or coercing authors to cite specific papers for the purpose of boosting their citation metrics.
- Image Manipulation: Image manipulation includes the alteration or fabrication of images (e.g., figures, graphs, photographs) to misrepresent research findings. This includes digitally enhancing, modifying, or falsifying images without proper disclosure.
- Breach of Confidentiality: Breach of confidentiality occurs when confidential information obtained during the peer review process is disclosed without authorization. This includes sharing manuscripts, reviewer identities, or confidential communications with third parties.
- Sanctions for Misconduct: Authors found to have engaged in misconduct will face sanctions, which may include rejection or retraction of the manuscript, prohibition from submitting future manuscripts to the journal, notification to the author's institution or employer, and reporting to relevant academic and publishing authorities.
- Reporting Misconduct: Authors, reviewers, and readers are encouraged to report any suspected cases of misconduct to the editorial office of the "Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services." All reports will be investigated thoroughly, and appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the severity of the offense.
- Contact Information: For inquiries or concerns regarding misconduct, please contact the editorial office at [email protected].
- Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in published articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the "Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services."
The "Indian Journal of Information Sources and Services" takes allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to upholding the integrity and trustworthiness of scholarly research in the field of information sources and services.
