Allegations of Misconduct

The International Journal of Informatics Knowledge Patterns and Applications (IJIKPA) is committed to maintaining scientific and ethical integrity in publications. We take any suspected research ethics violations seriously, and the following policy outlines the procedures that will be followed in dealing with misconduct violations.

Process for Handling Alleged Violations

1. Acceptance of Accusations
 - All ethical violations must be submitted in writing to the editor-in-chief.
 - Allegations must include sufficient information to allow a preliminary investigation, including the identity of the alleged parties involved and a detailed description of the alleged offense.

2. Initial Assessment
 - The editor-in-chief will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the allegations have sufficient basis to proceed to a further stage of investigation.
 - If allegations are judged to be without foundation, the reporting party will be notified, and no further action will be taken.

3. Formal Investigation
 - If the allegations have merit, the editor-in-chief will establish an investigative panel consisting of members of the editorial board and, if necessary, independent external experts.
 - The panel will collect and analyze all relevant evidence, including documents, communications and statements from the parties involved.

4. Notification to the Accused Party
 - The reporting party will be notified of the allegation and given the opportunity to respond in writing to the allegation and the available evidence.

5. Evidence Assessment
 - The investigative panel will assess all evidence collected and responses from the parties concerned.
 - The assessment will be carried out objectively and fairly, taking into account all relevant aspects.

6. Decisions and Actions
 - Once the assessment is complete, the investigative panel will provide recommendations to the editor-in-chief on actions to be taken.
 - Actions may include, but are not limited to, warnings, publication corrections, article withdrawals, temporary or permanent prohibitions on submitting manuscripts to journals, and notification to the affiliated institutions of the parties concerned.

7. Decision Communication
 - The editor-in-chief will communicate the final decision to reporting parties and honest parties.
 - If the article has been published and it is proven that there is a violation, the journal will issue a correction, retraction or related statement in accordance with the investigation panel's recommendations.

8. Right of Appeal
 - The named party has the right to appeal against the decision within the specified time period.
 - The appeal will be reviewed by an independent panel not involved in the initial investigation.

Supporting Principles

- Confidentiality: All investigation processes will be kept confidential to protect the privacy of all parties involved.
- Fairness and Objectivity: Investigations will be conducted fairly and objectively, without prejudice.
- Transparency: Decisions and processes will be well documented and stored for future reference.