Allegations of Misconduct

ETDC's policy for managing allegations of research and publication misconduct, guided by COPE, ICMJE, and WAME principles.

Guiding Standards	: COPE, ICMJE, and WAME
Reporting Channel	: etdc@tuah.or.id
Author Response Period	: 14 working days
Appeal Period	: 30 days from notification of decision
Whistleblower Protection	: Anonymous reporting permitted

Educational Technology in Developing Countries (ETDC) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal's policy for managing allegations of research and publication misconduct is guided by the principles and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

1. Scope of Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following categories:

Fabrication

Making up data or results and recording or reporting them as genuine.

Falsification

Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or altering or omitting data or results so that the research is not accurately represented.

Plagiarism

The appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.

Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously, or publishing the same content in more than one journal without proper disclosure.

Authorship Manipulation

Adding or removing authors without proper justification, or misrepresenting the contributions of authors, including gift, guest, or ghost authorship.

Citation Manipulation

Including citations solely to increase citation counts or to manipulate journal metrics.

Conflict of Interest Concealment

Failure to disclose financial or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.

2. Reporting Allegations

Allegations of misconduct may be reported by anyone, including authors, reviewers, readers, or other editors. Reports may relate to a published article or a manuscript currently under peer review. All allegations are treated with seriousness, sensitivity, and confidentiality.

How to Report

To report suspected misconduct, contact the Editorial Office at etdc@tuah.or.id. The complainant should clearly indicate the specific nature and details of the alleged misconduct. For example, in a case of suspected plagiarism, the plagiarized passages should be clearly highlighted and both the original and suspected sources should be identified.

3. Procedure for Handling Allegations

a.	The Editorial Office receives a complaint alleging that a submitted or published article contains research or publication misconduct.
b.	The Editor in Chief conducts a preliminary assessment to determine whether the allegation has sufficient substance to warrant a formal investigation.
c.	If the allegation is deemed credible, the corresponding authors of the suspected article are contacted and asked to provide an explanation with supporting evidence within 14 working days.
d.	The Editorial Board evaluates the author's response in light of the available evidence.
e.	If the authors acknowledge the misconduct or the evidence supports the allegation, actions are taken based on the manuscript status (see sub categories below).
f.	In the case of no response within the stipulated time or an unsatisfactory explanation, the article may be permanently retracted or rejected. Confirmation may be sought from the relevant institution or other authorities before a final decision is made.
g.	The complainant is informed of the outcome once the matter is resolved, and the case is thereupon considered concluded.

Actions Based on Manuscript Status

Published Articles

An erratum, correction, expression of concern, or retraction is issued as appropriate, following COPE retraction guidelines.

Under Review

The review process may be suspended and the manuscript may be rejected.

4. Whistleblower Protection

ETDC respects the right of whistleblowers to raise concerns anonymously. The journal protects the identity of individuals who report allegations in good faith and does not retaliate against them.

5. Institutional Cooperation

In accordance with COPE guidelines, ETDC may contact the author's institution regarding allegations of misconduct. The journal reserves the right to share manuscripts and related information with other publishers, editors, or institutional research integrity officers during the course of an investigation.

6. Appeals

Authors who disagree with the outcome of a misconduct investigation may submit an appeal in writing to the Editor in Chief within 30 days of being notified of the decision. The appeal should include new evidence or a clear explanation of why the original decision should be reconsidered.