Last updated: 11 August 2026
Research Misconduct
An article can be pulled back from publication under certain circumstances. AJISI adheres to international standards in defining research misconduct, which includes but is not limited to:
- Fabrication — inventing data, results, or images and presenting them as genuine
- Falsification — manipulating materials, equipment, or processes, or altering or omitting data to misrepresent findings
Investigation and Resolution
- Suspected misconduct, before or after publication, is investigated following COPE flowcharts.
- Authors are given the opportunity to respond to allegations.
- If misconduct is confirmed, AJISI notifies the authors’ institutions and funding bodies, and takes corrective action such as rejection or formal retraction.
- Whistleblower confidentiality is strictly protected.
Plagiarism Screening
AJISI enforces a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, text recycling, and redundant publication. All submissions undergo automated similarity checks using Turnitin before peer review.
| Type | What it means |
|---|---|
| Direct plagiarism | Copying text verbatim without attribution. |
| Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism | Mixing phrases from sources with original text without proper citation. |
| Self-plagiarism (text recycling) | Reusing substantial portions of one’s own published work without referencing the original. |
Manuscripts with substantial plagiarism are rejected immediately. If plagiarism is detected after publication, AJISI will issue a formal retraction or correction.
Preserving the Scholarly Record
AJISI acts promptly to correct the literature in line with COPE retraction guidelines.
| Action | Description and trigger | Presentation in the journal |
|---|---|---|
| Correction (erratum / corrigendum) | Minor, honest errors such as typographical or small calculation mistakes that do not affect validity. | Linked correction notice; original article remains online. |
| Expression of concern | Strong but unresolved suspicion of misconduct, or an inconclusive institutional investigation. | Prominent note added to the article. |
| Retraction | Major errors invalidating findings, confirmed misconduct, severe plagiarism, or unethical research. | Article remains online but marked “RETRACTED” with a detailed notice. |
A retracted article is never simply deleted. Removing it would break every citation pointing to it and hide the fact that it was ever published.
Conflict of Interest
- Mandatory disclosure — authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any financial, personal, or professional relationships that may bias judgment.
- Author statement — manuscripts must include a “Conflict of Interest” section. If none exist, authors must state: “The authors declare no competing interests.”
- Reviewer and editor recusal — editors and reviewers must withdraw from handling manuscripts where conflicts exist, such as close relationships, collaborations, or competition.
Data Sharing
AJISI supports the FAIR Data Principles — findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable — and the principles of open science and long-term accessibility of research outputs.
Published studies are uploaded to recognized repositories such as Figshare, Zenodo, the Open Science Framework, Academia.edu, and OpenAIRE. Authors are encouraged to further enhance the visibility of their work by uploading their studies to ResearchGate and other repositories.