Research Misconduct & Whistleblower Policy

Research Misconduct Policy

The Journal of Excellence in Management Sciences (JEMS), under SMARCONS Journals, upholds the highest standards of research integrity and ethics. To ensure transparency and trust in the scholarly record, the journal strictly monitors and addresses all forms of academic misconduct.

Misconduct includes (but is not limited to):

  • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data.
  • Plagiarism, improper attribution, or duplicate publication.
  • Manipulation of the peer review process (e.g., use of fake reviewers).
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Handling Misconduct

  • All misconduct allegations are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief, who oversees investigations in line with COPE guidelines.
  • Investigations are conducted confidentially and fairly. Authors are provided an opportunity to respond to concerns.
  • If misconduct is confirmed, JEMs may take corrective actions, including but not limited to:
  • Issuing a Correction Notice, Retraction, or Expression of Concern.
  • Informing the authors’ affiliated institution(s).
  • Banning authors or reviewers from future submissions or participation.

Whistleblower Policy

The Journal of Excellence in Management Sciences (JEMs) encourages all stakeholders—authors, reviewers, editors, or readers—to report any suspected misconduct or unethical practices in good faith. Whistleblowers can report concerns such as plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or breaches of peer review integrity. All reports are handled confidentially, and the identity of the whistleblower is protected unless disclosure is required by law. Retaliation against whistleblowers is strictly prohibited.

All reports are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief following COPE’s recommended procedures. If necessary, a thorough investigation is carried out, potentially involving relevant institutions or editorial board members. JEMs are committed to transparency, fairness, and ethical accountability in all cases. The whistleblower policy is reviewed periodically to ensure consistency with evolving best practices.