MJA is very sensitive to research misconduct and uses all means available to prevent publishing miscounted research. Though there is no standard definition of research misconduct, the Council of Editors defines research misconduct broadly in three categories of action and conducts. MJA uses this definition of misconduct in dealing with the issue and strictly follows the COPE follow chart in dealing with research misconduct. In addition, for each component of the research misconduct, MJA has many assurance policies as follows
- Mistreatment of research subjects
- Falsification and Fabrication of data
- Piracy and Plagiarism
Protection of Animal rights
MJA does not publish manuscripts that do not declare a statement about the protection of animal rights. Normally, the journal requires that a statement be declared that an institutional review board has reviewed research either in the material method section of the manuscript or in the acknowledgment section. MJA encourages authors to report the registry number of the council certification.
Falsification and Fabrication of data
Fabrication is making up data without collecting or synthesizing scientific data. Falsification is the manipulation of research material to reach a favorable result. Fabrication and falsification could happen at any stage of research (in the field) up to the publication of a manuscript, where misuse of citation can happen (referencing a citation when the citation does not support the argument). MJA tries to identify any fabrication or falsification in all levels of manuscript processing, from initial screening to comprehensive evaluation of a revised manuscript, even after a manuscript has been published. Reporting any fabrication and falsification is an ethical duty of our authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. In any event of falsification or fabrication, MJA keeps its right to retract or withdraw the fabricated or falsified article. MJA strictly follows the COPE follow chart in dealing with fabrication and falsification.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is appropriating another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. Another category of plagiarism is self-plagiarism when the author publishes his idea, data, and text in different journals when there is no need for such duplication. MJA uses all means to detect plagiarism. As a matter of quality assurance, a similarity of more than 20% in the text of a manuscript will be returned to the author to remove the similarities and reduce the chance of plagiarism. MJA strictly follows the COPE follow chart in dealing with plagiarized articles.