ThufuLA: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal is committed to upholding the integrity, reliability, and credibility of scholarly research and academic publishing. The journal takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. It handles them fairly, objectively, and confidentially, following internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, particularly the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Because much of the research published in ThufuLA involves young children, teachers, parents, and early childhood institutions, the journal gives particular attention to the protection, dignity, and privacy of research participants.
Research misconduct may include, but is not limited to, the following practices:
- Fabrication: Inventing data, research findings, observations, or other information and presenting them as authentic research results.
- Falsification: Manipulating research materials, instruments, procedures, data, images, or findings in ways that misrepresent the research process or its outcomes.
- Plagiarism: Using another person’s ideas, methods, findings, words, learning media, or intellectual property without proper acknowledgment or attribution.
- Inappropriate manipulation, alteration, or duplication of images, figures, tables, or research data.
- Duplicate, redundant, or overlapping publication without appropriate disclosure or justification.
- Improper authorship practices, including ghost authorship, guest authorship, gift authorship, or fraudulent attribution of authorship.
- Failure to disclose conflicts of interest that may significantly affect the integrity, interpretation, or credibility of the research.
- Manipulation of citations, peer review procedures, or editorial processes.
- Misuse, manipulation, or misrepresentation of research data or supporting evidence.
- Failure to obtain the necessary research ethics approval, institutional permission, informed consent from parents or legal guardians, or the assent of children when required.
- Publishing photographs, video stills, names, or other information that could identify children or other participants without appropriate consent and protection of their privacy.
- Other practices that seriously undermine the integrity, accuracy, transparency, or reliability of the scholarly record.
Reporting an Allegation
Any individual or institution may report suspected research misconduct involving a manuscript submitted to, or an article published in, ThufuLA: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal. This includes authors, reviewers, editors, readers, academic institutions, early childhood education institutions, and other relevant parties. Reports should be sent to the editorial team through the journal’s Contact page.
Allegations must be made in good faith. They should include enough information, and supporting evidence whenever possible, to allow the journal to carry out a proper preliminary assessment.
The identity of the complainant and all information related to the allegation will be kept confidential as far as reasonably possible. Such information will be disclosed only when necessary for a proper investigation or when required by applicable laws and regulations.
Anonymous allegations may also be considered, provided they contain sufficient and credible evidence to justify further examination.
Initial Assessment
When an allegation is received, the Editor-in-Chief, or a designated editor with no relevant conflict of interest, will carry out an initial assessment to determine whether:
- the allegation falls within the journal’s responsibilities and authority;
- there is sufficient information or evidence to justify further investigation;
- immediate editorial action is needed to protect the integrity of the review or publication process, or the welfare and privacy of research participants.
The journal will not conclude that misconduct has occurred on the basis of an allegation alone. The people involved will generally be given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the concerns, provide clarification, and submit relevant evidence before further decisions are made.
Investigation and Cooperation
When further investigation is needed, ThufuLA: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal will follow appropriate procedures in line with recognized publication ethics standards, including the relevant COPE flowcharts. The journal may ask the authors for additional explanations, original research data, instruments, field notes, observation records, ethics approvals, consent forms, institutional permission letters, or other relevant materials.
When an allegation requires a formal investigation beyond the journal’s authority, the journal may refer the matter to, or cooperate with:
- the institution with which the author is affiliated;
- relevant research ethics committees;
- the early childhood education institutions where the research was conducted;
- research funding organizations;
- appropriate regulatory or professional bodies;
- other journals or publishers involved in the case.
The journal recognizes that academic and research institutions are generally responsible for investigating the conduct of their researchers. The journal, in turn, remains responsible for safeguarding the integrity of its editorial procedures and its published scholarly record.
Editorial Actions
If an allegation concerns a manuscript that is still under editorial assessment or peer review, the journal may suspend the editorial process until the concerns have been adequately examined.
Depending on the nature and severity of the alleged misconduct and the findings of the investigation, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:
- Request clarification, additional information, or corrections from the authors.
- Reject the manuscript when serious misconduct is established.
- Stop the review or publication process when necessary.
- Publish a correction to address errors in an already published article.
- Issue an expression of concern when serious questions about the integrity of an article remain unresolved or an investigation is still ongoing.
- Retract a published article when its findings are considered unreliable or when serious misconduct justifies retraction.
- Remove or replace content that compromises the privacy or safety of children or other participants.
- Notify the author’s institution, employer, or research funding organization when appropriate.
- Inform other relevant journals or publishers when the misconduct may affect their publications.
- Take other appropriate measures needed to protect the integrity and credibility of the scholarly record.
Any correction, expression of concern, or retraction will be clearly labeled and linked to the original article, so that the publication record remains transparent and accurate.
Fairness and Confidentiality
All allegations of research misconduct will be handled fairly, objectively, and without prejudice, with due regard for confidentiality, procedural fairness, and the rights of everyone involved.
Editors or editorial board members who have a conflict of interest related to a particular allegation must not take part in the investigation or in any decisions about the case.
The journal distinguishes between honest errors and deliberate or serious research misconduct. Unintentional errors that do not substantially affect the validity or reliability of an article’s main findings may be addressed through corrections rather than treated as research misconduct.
Allegations Made in Good Faith
Individuals who report suspected research misconduct in good faith will not face retaliation, discrimination, or unfair treatment from ThufuLA: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal as a result of raising legitimate concerns.
However, allegations that are knowingly false, malicious, or deliberately misleading may themselves be unethical conduct, and may be referred to the relevant institution or authority for appropriate consideration.
Post-Publication Concerns
Concerns about the integrity, validity, or reliability of published articles may be raised at any time after publication. Publication does not prevent the journal from examining credible allegations or investigating ethical concerns that emerge later.
When research misconduct is confirmed, or when the reliability of the published scholarly record is significantly compromised, ThufuLA: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Guru Raudhatul Athfal will take appropriate corrective measures in line with internationally recognized standards of publication ethics.
The main purpose of these procedures is not punishment. Their purpose is to protect the integrity of scholarly research, keep the academic record accurate, promote responsible publishing, and maintain public trust in scholarly communication, particularly research that shapes the education and well-being of young children.
p-ISSN: 2355-0163 | e-ISSN: 2502-3845
