This policy establishes the procedures followed by IJMSDH for identifying, evaluating, investigating, and addressing allegations of research misconduct. The objective is to ensure fairness, transparency, consistency, and accountability while protecting the integrity of the scientific literature.

The objectives of this policy are to:

• Promote responsible conduct of research.
• Protect the integrity of published scientific literature.
• Provide transparent procedures for handling allegations of misconduct.
• Support ethical research and responsible authorship.
• Maintain confidence in the editorial and peer review process.
• Ensure compliance with internationally accepted publication ethics principles.

Research misconduct refers to actions that seriously violate accepted ethical and professional standards in the planning, conduct, reporting, review, or publication of scholarly research. Such misconduct may compromise the reliability, originality, transparency, or integrity of the scientific record.

Research misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• Fabrication of research data or results.
• Falsification or manipulation of research findings.
• Plagiarism or unattributed use of another person's work.
• Image manipulation or inappropriate alteration of research data.
• Duplicate or redundant publication.
• Citation manipulation or inappropriate referencing practices.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest affecting research integrity.
• Peer review manipulation.
• Authorship manipulation or inappropriate attribution of authorship.
• Failure to obtain required ethical approval or informed consent.
• Submission of fraudulent, misleading, or intentionally deceptive research.

Each allegation is evaluated individually based on available evidence, editorial assessment, and internationally accepted publication ethics standards.

Fabrication involves the intentional creation, invention, or reporting of data, observations, experiments, patient information, images, or research findings that never actually existed. Fabricated data seriously undermines scientific credibility and represents one of the most serious forms of research misconduct.

Examples of fabrication include:

• Inventing experimental results or patient data.
• Creating fictitious laboratory observations.
• Reporting experiments that were never conducted.
• Generating false statistical analyses or datasets.
• Presenting fictional case reports or clinical outcomes.

Any confirmed evidence of fabrication may result in rejection of the manuscript, retraction of published articles, notification of relevant institutions where appropriate, and other editorial actions considered necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Falsification refers to the intentional manipulation, modification, omission, or selective reporting of research materials, methods, data, images, analyses, or results in a manner that misrepresents the true findings of the research.

Examples include:

• Altering research data to obtain preferred results.
• Manipulating images, figures, or graphical data.
• Removing unfavorable observations without scientific justification.
• Misrepresenting statistical analyses.
• Selectively reporting results to create misleading conclusions.

The journal considers data falsification to be a serious breach of publication ethics and investigates all credible concerns thoroughly and fairly.

IJMSDH considers plagiarism to be a serious form of research misconduct. Authors are expected to submit only original work and properly acknowledge the ideas, data, figures, tables, and publications of others through appropriate citation and referencing.

Plagiarism may include:

• Copying text without proper citation.
• Paraphrasing another author's work without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Using figures, tables, or images without permission or attribution.
• Translation plagiarism.
• Self-plagiarism or excessive reuse of previously published work without disclosure.
• Submitting substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals.

All submitted manuscripts may undergo originality screening using plagiarism detection tools together with editorial assessment. Suspected plagiarism is investigated in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Policy.

Authors must ensure that all figures, photographs, radiological images, microscopy images, gels, and graphical data accurately represent the original observations. Image processing should be limited to adjustments that improve clarity and must not alter or misrepresent the scientific findings.

Unacceptable practices include:

• Adding or removing image elements.
• Selective enhancement or concealment of results.
• Manipulation of contrast or brightness that changes interpretation.
• Duplicating images to represent different experiments.
• Using AI-generated or altered images without appropriate disclosure where applicable.

Where image integrity concerns arise, the Editorial Office may request original image files or supporting documentation before making an editorial decision.

References should be included solely to acknowledge relevant previous work and support scientific discussion. Authors, reviewers, and editors must not manipulate citations to artificially increase citation counts or influence bibliometric indicators.

Examples of citation manipulation include:

• Adding irrelevant references.
• Excessive self-citation without scientific justification.
• Coercive citation requests.
• Citation cartels or reciprocal citation arrangements.
• References included solely to improve citation metrics.

Editorial decisions are never influenced by citation counts, journal metrics, or requests to increase unnecessary citations.

Authors must not submit manuscripts that have already been published or are simultaneously under consideration elsewhere unless full disclosure has been provided and editorial approval has been obtained.

Duplicate publication may include:

• Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals.
• Publishing substantially identical research more than once.
• Fragmenting one study into multiple overlapping publications ("salami publication").
• Reusing previously published content without appropriate disclosure.

The journal investigates suspected duplicate publication in accordance with accepted publication ethics principles and may reject or retract affected articles where appropriate.

IJMSDH does not tolerate manuscripts produced by paper mills or any organization that manufactures, sells, or manipulates scientific manuscripts for publication.

Indicators may include:

• Fabricated datasets or patient information.
• Fictitious authorship.
• Manipulated peer review.
• Purchased manuscripts.
• Artificially generated research without scientific validity.

Where credible evidence suggests the involvement of paper mills or fraudulent research practices, the Editorial Office may reject the manuscript, initiate a formal investigation, or take appropriate editorial action.

Authors may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools only as supportive instruments for language improvement, grammar correction, or other limited editorial assistance. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and scientific validity of all submitted work.

Authors must not use AI to:

• Fabricate or falsify research data.
• Generate fictitious references or citations.
• Create misleading scientific results.
• Manipulate images or experimental findings without disclosure.
• List AI systems as authors.

Where AI tools have contributed meaningfully to manuscript preparation, authors should disclose their use in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and applicable ethical guidelines.

The journal encourages authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, and other stakeholders to report suspected cases of research or publication misconduct. All allegations are handled confidentially, fairly, and objectively, regardless of the source of the complaint.

Reports of suspected misconduct should include, where possible:

• A clear description of the concern.
• Relevant supporting evidence or documentation.
• References to the affected manuscript or published article.
• Any additional information that may assist the editorial investigation.

Anonymous reports may also be considered if they contain sufficient credible evidence to justify an editorial assessment.

Upon receiving a credible allegation of research misconduct, the Editorial Office conducts an initial assessment to determine whether further investigation is warranted. Investigations are performed impartially while respecting confidentiality and the rights of all individuals involved.

The investigation may include:

• Editorial review of the available evidence.
• Requests for clarification from the corresponding author and co-authors.
• Review of original data, images, or supporting documents.
• Consultation with independent experts or Editorial Board members where appropriate.
• Communication with affiliated institutions or funding agencies when necessary.

The journal strives to resolve all investigations promptly while ensuring fairness, transparency, and due process.

Where research misconduct is confirmed, the Editorial Office may take appropriate editorial action depending on the severity and nature of the case.

Possible actions include:

• Requesting manuscript revision or clarification.
• Rejecting the submitted manuscript.
• Publishing a Correction or Editorial Notice.
• Issuing an Expression of Concern.
• Retracting the published article.
• Temporarily declining future submissions from the responsible author(s), where appropriate.
• Informing relevant institutions, funding agencies, or regulatory authorities when necessary.

Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of scientific evidence, publication ethics, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

IJMSDH is committed to promoting honesty, transparency, accountability, and responsible scholarly publishing. Allegations of research misconduct are handled consistently and fairly in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics principles.

The journal considers the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other internationally recognized best practices when addressing research misconduct, publication ethics, editorial responsibility, and research integrity.

The journal is committed to:

• Maintaining an accurate and trustworthy scholarly record.
• Protecting the integrity of the editorial and peer review process.
• Ensuring fair and objective investigation of misconduct allegations.
• Promoting responsible authorship and ethical research practices.
• Supporting transparency and accountability in scholarly communication.

Questions regarding this Research Misconduct Policy or reports of suspected research or publication misconduct may be submitted to the Editorial Office using the official contact information provided on the journal website. All communications will be handled confidentially and in accordance with the journal's editorial procedures.

This Research Misconduct Policy may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in publication ethics, research integrity, editorial best practices, and international scholarly publishing standards. Authors, reviewers, editors, and readers are encouraged to consult the latest version available on the journal website.

Important Notice

The International Journal of Medical Science and Dental Health (IJMSDH) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record through fair, objective, and transparent handling of all allegations of research misconduct. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, available evidence, and internationally recognized publication ethics principles, and are never influenced by commercial interests, institutional affiliations, or Article Processing Charges (APCs). The journal reserves the right to request additional documentation, consult independent experts, or communicate with relevant institutions whenever necessary to ensure an appropriate and ethical resolution.