Deals of Misconduct and retraction policy

Editor-in-Chief considers retracting a publication in the following circumstances

• They have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either because of a major error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error), or because of fabrication (e.g., of data) or falsification (e.g., image manipulation). It constitutes a plagiarism
• The manuscript contains direct copying, paraphrasing of others’ ideas, data, texts, or methods without appropriate citation. 
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication). It contains material or data without authorization for use
• Copyright has been infringed, or there is some other legal severe issue (e.g. libel, privacy). It reports unethical research. It has been published solely based on a compromised or manipulated peer review process
• The author(s) failed to disclose a major conflict of interest that, in the editor's view, would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers.

Retraction Notes should

• Be linked to the retracted article wherever possible (i.e., in all online versions)
• Clearly identify the retracted article (e.g., by including the title and authors in the retraction heading or citing the retracted article)
• Be clearly identified as a retraction (i.e., distinct from other types of correction or comment)
• Be published promptly to minimize harmful effects
• Be freely available to all readers (i.e., not behind access barriers or available only to subscribers)
• State who is retracting the article
• State the reason(s) for retraction
• Be objective, factual and avoid inflammatory language

 Retractions are not usually appropriate if

• The authorship is disputed, but there is no reason to doubt the validity of the findings
• The main findings of the work are still reliable, and correction could sufficiently address errors or concerns
• An editor has inconclusive evidence to support retraction or is awaiting additional information such as from an institutional investigation
• Author conflicts of interest have been reported to the journal after publication, but in the editor's view, these are not likely to have influenced interpretations or recommendations or the conclusions of the article.

Manuscript withdrawal by the submitting author

• The corresponding author should explain to the editorial board the reasons of withdrawing a successfully submitted manuscript.
• If the submitting author wishes to withdraw an accepted or reviewed manuscript. All authors are required to provide the editors with convinced reasons for withdrawal.
• Authors are not allowed to withdraw a manuscript after final publication.
• If a manuscript was withdrawn twice for personal reasons, the editorial board will not accept further submissions from the first or corresponding author for one year.

Academic misconduct and Crossref Similarity detection tool

Editors have a responsibility to ensure that academic integrity is maintained. To confirm originality, submitted articles are checked using the plagiarism detection tool, Crossref Similarity Check that is powered by the iThenticate software or any other originality detection service. The maximum allowed percentage of plagiarism should be less than 20%. However, plagiarism should not exceed 5% from the same reference. Similarity reports are carefully interpreted by a subject expert.

Academic Misconduct Sanctions

• Editorial board shall only reach the corresponding author on misconduct of a submitted manuscript after the manuscript is carefully checked. Author shall in turn submit relevant evidences/materials to the editorial committee to decide on its withdrawal.
• The evidence of suspected academic misconduct is checked by the editorial office before informing the authors or any sanction is made.
• If the suspected manuscript is under review processes, the assessment procedure shall be terminated and corresponding author is informed by the manuscript's rejection.
• In the case that the suspected manuscript has been accepted but not officially published, the editorial board shall withdraw the manuscript promptly and inform the author of its rejection.
• Online retraction statement is posted if the suspected manuscript has already been published. The editorial board shall withdraw all data related to the retracted manuscript and inform author's institution immediately about the misconduct.
• The authors of the manuscript containing academic misconduct shall be prohibited from submitting further manuscripts for the subsequent three years.