In cases of suspected [research] or [publication] misconduct, it may be necessary for the Editor to contact and share manuscripts with third parties, for example, author(s)’ institution(s) and ethics committee(s). ISCI may also seek advice from COPE and discuss anonymized cases in the COPE Forum.
A notice of suspected transgression of ethical standards in the peer review system may be included as part of the author’s and article’s bibliographic record.
Research misconduct
All research involving humans (including human data and human material) and animals must have been carried out within an appropriate ethical framework (see our [Ethics] policy for further information). If there is suspicion that research has not taken place within an appropriate ethical framework, the Editor may reject a manuscript and may inform third parties, for example, author(s)’ institution(s) and ethics committee(s).
In cases of proven research misconduct involving published articles, or where the scientific integrity of the article is significantly undermined, articles may be retracted. See our [Retraction] policy for further information.
Publication misconduct
ISCI will follow the COPE guidelines outlining how to deal with cases of potential publication misconduct.
Plagiarism
ISCI is a member of CrossCheck’s plagiarism detection initiative and uses plagiarism detection software. If plagiarism is identified, the COPE guidelines on plagiarism will be followed.