Islamic Moral Architecture in Primary Education (IMAPE) considers research and publication misconduct to include fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate data manipulation, citation manipulation, unethical authorship, duplicate or redundant publication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, peer-review manipulation, misrepresentation of ethical approval, and other intentional practices that compromise the integrity of research or scholarly publication.
Honest errors, methodological disagreement, or legitimate differences in scholarly interpretation are not normally treated as misconduct. They may, however, require clarification, correction, additional evidence, or appropriate editorial action.
| • Fabrication of data or results • Falsification or selective alteration of data • Plagiarism and unattributed reuse • Duplicate or redundant publication • Citation or reference manipulation |
• Inappropriate or false authorship • Peer-review manipulation • Undisclosed conflicts of interest • Misrepresentation of ethical approval • Other deliberate research-integrity violations |
Allegations of misconduct are handled confidentially, objectively, consistently, and without premature judgment. IMAPE is guided by relevant Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) principles and procedures when evaluating allegations and determining proportionate editorial action.
The Editor-in-Chief and relevant members of the Editorial Board first determine whether an allegation is sufficiently specific, credible, supported by available evidence, and relevant to research or publication integrity.
Potential conflicts of interest involving authors, reviewers, editors, complainants, or other involved parties will be identified and managed before further assessment whenever reasonably possible.
When reasonable grounds exist, the corresponding author may be asked to provide an explanation and relevant supporting documentation, including raw data, research instruments, ethical approval, informed-consent documentation, authorship information, analytical records, or other evidence necessary to assess the concern.
The editors may seek confidential advice from independent experts, statistical reviewers, ethics specialists, institutional officials, research funders, or other appropriate authorities. Editorial conclusions will be based on the available evidence, responses received, and seriousness of the alleged irregularity.
Information concerning an allegation will be shared only with persons whose involvement is reasonably necessary for assessment or investigation. Individuals or authors against whom concerns are raised will normally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond before a final editorial conclusion is reached.
When serious misconduct is suspected or confirmed before publication, IMAPE may suspend editorial processing, request additional documentation, conduct further assessment, reject the manuscript, withdraw an acceptance decision, or refer the matter to the authors' institution or another appropriate authority where formal investigation is warranted.
When credible concerns relate to a published article, IMAPE may publish an Expression of Concern while a significant investigation remains unresolved.
Depending on the findings, the journal may issue a correction, retraction, retraction and republication, removal notice, or another appropriate post-publication notice. Such notices will be transparently linked to the original article wherever technically possible.
| • Request clarification or raw data • Request ethical documentation • Require correction or revision • Suspend editorial processing |
• Reject or withdraw acceptance • Publish correction or concern • Retract a published article • Notify relevant institutions or authorities |
Because IMAPE publishes original empirical research, authors must be prepared to provide reasonable supporting evidence for reported findings when serious integrity concerns arise, subject to ethical, legal, confidentiality, and participant privacy limitations.
Complaints should be submitted in good faith and, where possible, supported by relevant evidence. Deliberately false, abusive, retaliatory, or malicious allegations may be dismissed and appropriate measures may be taken to protect affected parties and the integrity of the editorial process.
IMAPE conducts editorial assessment but does not replace formal institutional investigation. Universities, research institutions, ethics committees, and funding organizations remain responsible for formally investigating serious allegations involving researchers under their authority.
Concerns regarding suspected research or publication misconduct should provide sufficient information to identify the publication or manuscript involved and explain the basis of the concern. Supporting documentation may be included where available.
CONTACT IMAPE EDITORIAL OFFICE ↗IMAPE is committed to protecting the accuracy, transparency, reliability, ethical integrity, and credibility of the scholarly record. Concerns will be assessed carefully, and proportionate corrective action will be taken when research misconduct or substantial publication irregularities are reasonably established.