Misconduct Policy

Cultural Arts Research and Development is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. The journal does not tolerate any form of academic misconduct and takes all allegations seriously.

The journal follows internationally recognized ethical standards and best practices in scholarly publishing, including the guidance provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Allegations of misconduct may arise during submission, peer review, editorial evaluation, or after publication, and will be investigated in a fair, confidential, and systematic manner.

Academic misconduct refers to practices that compromise the integrity, reliability, or transparency of scholarly research and publication. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Plagiarism or unattributed use of another person’s work
• Data fabrication or falsification
• Manipulation or misrepresentation of images or research data
• Duplicate submission or redundant publication
• Improper authorship practices, including ghost or guest authorship
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Peer review manipulation
• Citation manipulation or coercive citation
• Violations of ethical standards for research involving humans, animals, or sensitive data

These practices undermine the credibility of the scholarly record and are strictly prohibited.

Plagiarism and Originality

Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another individual’s ideas, text, data, or images as one’s own without proper attribution. This includes copying material from other sources as well as reuse of substantial portions of an author’s previously published work without appropriate citation.

All submissions may be screened using plagiarism detection software such as iThenticate to ensure originality. Manuscripts found to contain significant plagiarism may be rejected during the editorial assessment or peer review process.

If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the journal will conduct a formal investigation and may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction depending on the severity of the issue.

Data Integrity and Image Manipulation

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the data presented in their manuscripts are accurate, authentic, and transparently reported. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, selectively omitted, or manipulated in ways that could mislead readers or distort research conclusions.

Image files should accurately reflect the original data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are permitted only when applied uniformly and when they do not alter or obscure the interpretation of the image. Inappropriate practices include:

• Adding, removing, or enhancing specific features within an image
• Combining images from separate experiments without clear disclosure
• Adjusting images in a way that misrepresents the original results

The journal reserves the right to request original data files, raw images, or supporting documentation during manuscript evaluation or after publication to verify the integrity of the reported results. Failure to provide such materials may result in rejection of the manuscript or further investigation.

Authors are encouraged to retain original research data and supporting materials for a reasonable period after publication and to deposit datasets in appropriate institutional or public repositories where possible.

Peer Review Manipulation

The integrity of the peer review process is essential for maintaining the quality of scholarly publishing. Any attempt to manipulate or compromise the peer review process is considered serious misconduct. The publisher will follow the material, How to recognize potential manipulation of the peer review process, supplied by COPE to check for such cases, and to monitor the peer review process. 

The Editorial Office takes measures to safeguard the independence and transparency of peer review. Reviewer identities, affiliations, and qualifications will be verified, and suspicious patterns in reviewer suggestions or reports may be investigated in accordance with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

If peer review manipulation is suspected, the manuscript may be rejected and further investigation may be conducted.

Citation Manipulation

Citation practices should serve scholarly purposes and reflect relevant contributions to the research topic. Citation manipulation refers to practices intended primarily to inflate citation metrics rather than improve the scholarly quality of the manuscript.

Examples include:

• Excessive self-citation by authors
• Unjustified citation of articles from the same journal
• Requests from editors or reviewers to cite specific works unrelated to the manuscript
• Honorary citation of influential researchers or editorial board members without relevance to the research

Editors and reviewers may recommend relevant literature where appropriate, but such recommendations must be based solely on scholarly relevance. The Editorial Office may review citation patterns to identify potential irregularities.

Handling misconduct

When potential misconduct is identified, the Editorial Office will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether further investigation is warranted. Authors may be asked to provide explanations, original data, or additional documentation.

Where appropriate, the journal may consult with editors, independent experts, or the authors’ affiliated institutions. Investigations will follow the principles and procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics, ensuring fairness, confidentiality, and due process.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation and the stage of the publication process, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Reject the manuscript under consideration
• Request revisions or clarification from the authors
• Publish a correction to the article
• Issue an expression of concern
• Retract the article from the scholarly record

Any corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions will be clearly identified and linked to the original article in order to preserve transparency and the integrity of the academic record.

In cases involving serious ethical concerns or confirmed misconduct, the journal may notify the authors’ affiliated institutions, funding agencies, or relevant authorities. The journal may also cooperate with institutional investigations when necessary.

By submitting manuscripts to Cultural Arts Research and Development, authors confirm that their work complies with the journal’s ethical standards and that the research has been conducted and reported responsibly. The journal remains committed to promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in academic publishing and to maintaining a trustworthy scholarly record.