Allegations of Research Misconduct
PrimaryEdu: Journal of Primary Education takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and handles them according to the COPE flowcharts.
What counts as misconduct
- Fabrication or falsification of data or results, including manipulated images;
- Plagiarism and redundant or duplicate publication;
- Fabricated or non-existent references, and citation manipulation;
- Authorship misconduct (gift, guest, or ghost authorship) and undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- Research involving human participants, including children, without ethical approval or informed consent;
- Peer-review manipulation and breaches of reviewer confidentiality;
- Undisclosed or inappropriate use of generative AI.
How to raise a concern
Anyone may report a concern, including anonymously, by emailing the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected] with the article title or submission ID and the supporting evidence.
Procedure
- The Editor-in-Chief acknowledges the report within 7 working days and makes an initial assessment.
- If the concern is substantiated, the authors are asked in writing for an explanation and supporting data, with 14 days to respond.
- The editor reviews the response, consulting independent experts where needed. If the matter cannot be resolved, it is referred to the authors' institution.
- The decision is communicated to the authors and the complainant.
Outcomes
- Before publication: rejection of the manuscript and, for serious misconduct, a ban on submissions from the authors for 2 (two) years.
- After publication: a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, as described in the Correction and Retraction Policy, and notification to the authors' institution where appropriate.
