Allegation of Research Misconduct

Purpose

Advances in Tropical Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (ATBES) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in all aspects of publication. This policy establishes the procedures for receiving, investigating, and resolving allegations of research misconduct related to manuscripts submitted to or published in the journal. Research misconduct undermines the integrity of scientific research and scholarly publishing; therefore, all allegations will be treated seriously, promptly, and confidentially.

Scope

This policy applies to all individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and journal staff. It covers:

Manuscripts under consideration
Manuscripts accepted but not yet published
Articles already published

Definition of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Category	Description
Fabrication	Making up data, results, or conclusions and recording or reporting them
Falsification	Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research record is not accurately represented
Plagiarism	Using another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit
Duplicate Publication	Submitting or publishing the same work in more than one journal without proper cross-referencing and permission
Authorship Misconduct	Including individuals as authors who have not made a significant contribution, or excluding those who have
Conflict of Interest Violation	Failing to disclose financial or other interests that may affect the research or publication

Honest error or differences of opinion are not considered research misconduct.

How to Submit an Allegation

Allegations must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief:

Prof. Ni Luh Watiniasih, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Advances in Tropical Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (ATBES)
Institute for Research and Community Services
Udayana University
Gedung LPPM Lantai 4, Bukit Jimbaran
Badung, Bali, Indonesia 80361
E-mail: atbes@unud.ac.id
Phone: +62-813-3789-1231

Submission should include:

Full name, contact information of the person making the allegation
Clear identification of the work(s) in question (manuscript ID, title, authors)
Detailed description and evidence of the alleged misconduct
Any supporting documents or references

Anonymous submissions will be reviewed; however, thorough investigation may be limited without the ability to seek additional information from the source.

Investigation Process

Initial Assessment (within 10 business days): Editor-in-Chief reviews whether the allegation is credible and within scope.
Notification of Respondent (within 15 business days): The party accused is notified and given 30 calendar days to respond in writing.
Inquiry and Review: An ad-hoc committee may be formed; additional data or clarification may be requested from all parties; the author's institution may be consulted as appropriate.
Decision (within 90 calendar days): Possible outcomes include:
- No misconduct found — case closed
- Misconduct confirmed — rejection, correction, or retraction
- Severe misconduct — ban from submission and notification to institution

Confidentiality

All information related to an allegation will be treated as confidential. Only those directly involved in the investigation will have access to details.

Appeals

Parties disagreeing with the decision may submit a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 15 calendar days of receiving the decision. Appeals will be reviewed by an independent panel of the Editorial Board whose decision will be final.