Editorial Misconduct & Publication Ethics – OAORIGINALS

The Editorial Staff of OAORIGINALS adheres to the recommended procedures set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) International Standards. These guidelines ensure responsible research publication practices for both authors and editors when addressing allegations of misconduct.

Authors bear full responsibility for the originality and accuracy of their submitted manuscripts. All data and records presented must be precise, with no instances of research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or any other ethical violations related to research and publication.

Any detected misconduct will be subject to investigation by the OAO Journal's Editorial Staff. Regardless of severity, breaches of publication ethics may lead to retraction, formal notices of misconduct, and a restriction on future submissions.

I. Definitions of Publication Misconduct

• Fabrication: Inventing data or results and presenting them as genuine.
• Falsification: Misrepresenting research results, manipulating materials or data.
• Image Manipulation: Minimal image editing is allowed; no enhancement or distortion.
• Plagiarism: Using others’ ideas or content without attribution, including figures/tables.
• Redundant Publication: Submitting content under consideration or published elsewhere.
• Citation Manipulation: Irrelevant or non-reviewed self-citations or references.
• Improper Authorship: All authors must meet ICMJE authorship criteria.
• Salami-Slicing: Fragmenting one study into multiple publications.
• Legal Noncompliance: Must follow local laws and ethics with human/animal research.
• Copyright Infringement: Must obtain permission for reused content and cite sources.
• IRB Approval: Required for human subject research; Declaration of Helsinki compliance needed.
• Conflict of Interest (COI): Must disclose all relationships and affiliations from the last 36 months.

II. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

OAORIGINALS follows COPE guidelines for addressing misconduct:

• Suspected misconduct must be reported to the Editors-in-Chief (EIC).
• Manuscripts under review are paused during investigation.
• Authors may be asked to provide clarification.
• Outcomes may include warnings, rejections, retractions, or submission bans.

Complaints & Appeals: Complaints or appeals should be submitted via email to info@oaoriginals.com with supporting evidence. Acknowledgment will be sent within 3 business days and resolved within 4 weeks when possible.

Post-publication Discussion: Letters to the editor are welcomed to initiate scholarly dialogue.

Appeals: Authors may appeal editorial decisions once with a detailed letter.

III. Erratum, Expression of Concern, and Retraction

• Retraction: Issued for serious errors or misconduct. Retracted articles remain online but marked "Retracted."
• Erratum: Used to correct factual or formatting errors introduced during production.
• Expression of Concern: Published when concerns arise during investigation that cannot be immediately resolved.