Process for Dealing with Research Misconduct

If the journal identifies or receives allegations of potential publication ethics violations or academic misconduct, it will conduct a transparent and fair investigation in accordance with the following procedures:

1. Initial Consideration 
     Upon identifying or receiving an allegation of misconduct, the editor will conduct a preliminary assessment of the available information.
     If there is evidence suggesting potential publication ethics violations or academic misconduct, the journal will appoint an investigation committee to conduct further examination.
2. Formation of an Investigation Committee
     The journal will establish an independent investigation committee whose members have no conflicts of interest to ensure that the investigation is conducted fairly, objectively, and without bias.
3. Reviewing Evidence
     The investigation committee will examine the allegations using plagiarism detection tools, analyze potentially problematic manuscript content, and carefully evaluate all available evidence to determine the nature and extent of any potential publication ethics violations or academic misconduct.
     All investigative procedures will be conducted under strict confidentiality to ensure fairness to all parties involved.
4. Opportunity for Author Response
     The journal will provide authors accused of misconduct with an opportunity to explain the relevant facts or respond to the allegations made against them.
5. Final Decision and Actions
     If the investigation committee determines that publication ethics violations or academic misconduct have occurred, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
     Such actions may include:
          * Rejection of manuscripts that are still under editorial consideration.
          * Retraction of articles that have already been published.
          * Issuance of corrections.
          * Notification to the authors' affiliated institutions or research funding agencies.
          * Suspension of submission privileges or restrictions on future manuscript submissions.
6. Outcome Notification
     If the investigation committee determines that no publication ethics violations or academic misconduct have occurred, the journal will formally notify all relevant parties of the investigation results.

Reference: Guidelines issued by the Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre (TCI).