Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy

Research in the Mathematical and Natural Sciences (RMNS) takes all credible allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether raised before or after publication.

1. Types of Misconduct

Misconduct may include:

  1. Fabrication of research data or findings.

  2. Falsification of research methods, data, or results.

  3. Plagiarism and inappropriate reuse of published work.

  4. Duplicate or redundant publication.

  5. Misleading authorship or contributorship.

  6. Citation manipulation.

  7. Peer-review manipulation.

  8. Undisclosed significant conflicts of interest.

  9. Deliberate misrepresentation of mathematical proofs, computational results, datasets, or research materials.

  10. Other serious violations of research or publication ethics.

2. Reporting

Authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, and other parties may report concerns through the journal's official communication channels.

Reports should identify the affected manuscript or article and provide relevant supporting evidence.

Credible anonymous allegations may be considered when sufficiently supported by verifiable information.

3. Investigation

An independent editor will assess the allegation, examine relevant evidence, invite responses from affected parties, and consult experts or institutions when necessary.

Allegations must not be treated as proven misconduct before appropriate assessment.

4. Editorial Actions

Depending on the evidence, actions may include requesting clarification, suspending manuscript processing, rejecting submissions, referring concerns to relevant institutions, or issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.

5. Fairness and Confidentiality

Investigations must be evidence-based, proportionate, confidential where reasonably possible, and free from relevant editorial conflicts of interest.

Affected parties may request reconsideration under the journal's Complaints and Appeals Policy.