Management of Ethical Misconduct at JKMI

When allegations of misconduct (such as plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate submission, authorship disputes, or violations of vulnerable population protections) are raised against a submitted or published JKMI manuscript, we follow a structured and transparent internal process. JKMI strictly adheres to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for investigating and resolving allegations of scientific misconduct.

Filing a Complaint
Formal complaints must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief via the official JKMI editorial email or the journal's official complaint portal. All allegations are investigated thoroughly and impartially, regardless of how much time has passed since the manuscript's submission or publication. In accordance with COPE guidelines, all listed authors will be copied on all correspondence from the journal regarding the allegation to ensure fairness and transparency.

Internal Investigation
The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) conducts an initial preliminary assessment of the complaint. If a potential major breach of publication ethics is suspected, the case is escalated to the JKMI Editorial Advisory Board for independent and objective adjudication. Throughout the investigation, the accused author(s) will be formally notified of the specific allegations and given a fair opportunity to provide a formal written defense and supporting evidence.

Final Outcomes
Depending on the findings and the severity of the ethical breach, the EiC and the Editorial Board may issue a formal correction (erratum), an Expression of Concern, or a full retraction of the article from JKMI. In cases of confirmed severe misconduct, the author's affiliated institution and relevant funding bodies may also be notified. For detailed procedural timelines, specific documentation requirements, and retraction criteria, please refer to the JKMI Correction and Retraction Policy page.