Research Misconduct refers to violating the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behaviour in the publication of scientific research. It encompasses a range of unethical practices that compromise the integrity and credibility of research findings. At the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry, we ensure a strict ethical policy to ensure that the scientific works published in our Journal meet high-quality standards. Our Publication Ethics and Malpractice statement is guided by the principles and guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics. Our editors implement a rigorous peer-review process to certify that the publications meet ethical standards and provide valuable contributions to the field. Several types of misconduct may be faced during the submission, which are as follows

Types of Research Misconduct

1. Data Fabrication:
   • Definition: Fabrication is the invention or falsification of data or results. Researchers might create non-existent data, experiments, or subjects.
   • Example: Reporting experiments or clinical trials that were never conducted.
2. Data Falsification:
   • Definition: Falsification involves manipulating research processes and equipment or changing or omitting data to misrepresent the research.
   • Example: Modifying experimental data (that was not collected.) to fit a desired outcome, manipulating images (gels or radiological images) to distort the research findings.
3. Plagiarism:
   • Definition: Plagiarism is appropriating another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. This includes both verbatim copying and paraphrasing.
   • Example: Reproducing text from another source without citation, submitting someone else’s research as your own.
4. Ghostwriting:
   • Definition: This involves having someone else write the research paper or report without giving them credit as an author.
   • Example: Hiring a professional writer to draft a manuscript without acknowledging their contribution.
5. Data Duplicate Publication:
   • Definition: Also known as “self-plagiarism,” it is the practice of publishing the same set of data or research findings in more than one Journal.
   • Example: Publishing the same experimental results in two scientific journals without appropriate acknowledgment that may occur alsosimultaneously or after a few years   
6. Redundant Publication

Definition: redundant publication involves dividing a single study into various parts, submitting them to different journals, or publishing previously reported study findings without proper cross-referencing, justification, or permission.

Example: An example of redundant publication is publishing the same research findings or self-plagiarism in two different journals without disclosing that it has already been published elsewhere. Therefore, authors need to be transparent about their past publications. Translations without proper permission or notification and resubmissions of previously published open-access articles are also considered duplicate submissions.

7. Authorship Issues

Definition: Authorship issues in research involve disputes or concerns over who should be credited as an author, the order of authors, and the level of contribution required for authorship.

Example: The issue of authorship can arise when someone is listed as an author without their knowledge or when someone has contributed significantly to a research article but is not acknowledged as an author.

It is recommended that the guidelines provided by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the Committee on Publication Ethics be followed to ensure proper authorship. For a detailed policy on authorship, please refer to the Authorship Policy page of the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry. These can lead to unethical practices like granting authorship to those who didn’t contribute or excluding deserving contributors. Proper authorship reflects accountability and credit in research.

Undeclared Conflict of Interest

Undeclared Conflict of Interest refers to situations where authors or reviewers have financial or personal interests that could compromise or influence their professional judgment and objectivity. Authors and reviewers are required to disclose any conflicts of interest related to the work being considered, including financial or personal relationships that may interfere with the interpretation of the work, to avoid potential bias.

Ethical Issues in Research

Ethical issues (EI) in research refer to concerns about the moral principles guiding research and ensuring honesty, integrity, and respect for participants. These include obtaining informed consent, providing privacy and confidentiality, avoiding harm to participants, and managing conflicts of interest. Ethical research practices aim to protect the rights and well-being of participants and maintain trust in scientific inquiry. Several types of EI may occur, such as conflict of interest, authorship dispute, informed consent, animal welfare, privacy and confidentiality, data sharing, bias and objectivity, and the exploitation of research participants.

Pakistan Journal of Chemistry takes such publishing ethics issues very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy. Our editors are trained to handle such cases with due diligence and utmost care. Researchers are expected to conduct their research according to the ethical codes and best practices prescribed by professional and regulatory bodies at national and international levels, from the inception of the research proposal to the publication of the findings. However, suppose the Journal detects any potential ethical issues or research misconduct. In that case, researchers can refer to guidelines to help them handle the situation effectively and mitigate any possible consequences of breaching the codes of conduct.

Factors contributing to research misconduct are pressure to publish, competition for funding, lack of oversight, and inadequate training. Lack of Consequences and collaborative Research Issues must be considered before submission of the manuscript to the Pakistan Journal of Chemsitry

Authors seeking to publish their papers in the Pakistan Journal of Chemistry must comply with the following requirements:

• Research findings must be accurately presented, and authors must include an objective discussion of the significance of their findings.
• Sufficient details regarding data and methods used in the research should be provided in the paper to enable other researchers to replicate the work.
• Authors should publicly deposit the raw data before submitting their manuscripts. If requested, they must have the raw data readily available for presentation to referees and journal editors. Additionally, they must take appropriate measures to ensure raw data retention in full for a reasonable time after publication.
• Manuscripts cannot be submitted simultaneously to more than one Journal.
• Republishing content that is not novel is not allowed. For instance, an English translation of a paper previously published in another language will not be accepted.
• Authors must immediately inform the journal editors if they find any errors or inaccuracies in their published paper so that appropriate actions can be taken.
• Manuscripts should not contain information that has already been published. If previously published figures or images are included, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to publish them under the CC-BY license. For further information, see the Copyright and Licensing page.
• Plagiarism, data fabrication, and image manipulation are strictly prohibited.
• If text is copied from another source, it must be between quotes, and the source must be cited. If previous works have inspired the study’s design or the manuscript’s structure or language, these works must be explicitly cited.
• Manuscripts may be rejected if Plagiarism is detected during the peer-review process. If Plagiarism is detected after publication, the paper may be corrected or retracted.
• Image files must not be manipulated or adjusted in any way that could lead to misinterpretation of the information provided by the original image.
• Irregular manipulation includes 1) introducing, enhancing, moving, or removing features from the original image; 2) grouping images that should be presented separately, such as from different parts of the same gel or different gels; or 3) modifying the contrast, brightness, or color balance to obscure, eliminate, or enhance some information.
• Manuscripts may be rejected if irregular image manipulation is identified and confirmed during peer review. The paper may be corrected or retracted if irregular image manipulation is identified and confirmed after publication.

Our internal editors will thoroughly investigate any claims of publication misconduct and may contact the authors’ institutions or funders if deemed necessary. If evidence of misconduct is discovered, we will take appropriate measures to rectify or retract the publication.