Allegations of Research Misconduct

HEXAGRO takes every allegation of research or publication misconduct seriously and handles it fairly, confidentially, and in line with the COPE flowcharts. This applies to manuscripts under review and to published articles.

What counts as misconduct

  • Fabrication or falsification of data, images, or results
  • Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism (see the Plagiarism Policy)
  • Duplicate or redundant publication, or simultaneous submission
  • Inappropriate authorship (see Authorship Criteria)
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest (see the Conflict of Interest Policy)
  • Citation manipulation or manipulation of the peer-review process
  • Research conducted without required ethical approval or consent

How to report

Send the allegation to the Editor-in-Chief at hexagro@unper.ac.id, stating the manuscript or article (title and DOI), the concern, and any supporting evidence. Anonymous reports are considered when they include sufficient, verifiable evidence. The identity of the person reporting is kept confidential.

How allegations are handled

  1. Acknowledgement: receipt is acknowledged within 7 days.
  2. Initial assessment: the Editor-in-Chief, with an editor who has no conflict of interest, checks whether the concern is within the journal's remit and supported by evidence.
  3. Author response: the authors are informed of the concern and invited to respond with explanations or original data.
  4. Investigation: the editors follow the relevant COPE flowchart and may consult reviewers, subject experts, or the authors' institution.
  5. Decision: the journal aims to conclude within 30 days; complex cases may take longer, and the parties are kept informed.

Possible outcomes

No action; an explanation or education of the authors; rejection of the manuscript; a correction, expression of concern, or retraction of the published article (see Retraction, Correction, Complaints and Appeals); notification of the authors' institution; and, in serious cases, a temporary ban on submissions from the authors involved.