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Journal of Forensic and Allied Sciences (JFAS)

The Journal of Forensic and Allied Sciences (JFAS) is committed to maintaining ethical standards in academic publishing. This document outlines our policies on fabrication, plagiarism, redundant publication, corrections, retractions, and citation practices. These policies are aligned with common ethical guidelines, including those from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Fabrication, Falsification, and Misleading Information

Authors are expected to submit accurate, honest, and original work. Submitting articles that contain fabricated data, manipulated figures, or intentionally misleading content is a serious violation.

If any form of misconduct is discovered, including:

  • False or manipulated data

  • Invented experiments

  • Image or figure manipulation

  • Untrue declarations of author contributions

The journal will:

  • Reject the manuscript during review, or

  • Retract the article if already published

  • Notify the authors’ institutions (if applicable)

  • Ban authors from submitting future work

All such cases will be reviewed in accordance with COPE’s flowcharts and best practices.

2. Corrections and Retractions

We recognize that honest mistakes can occur. If errors are discovered in a published article, they will be evaluated based on their impact on the content.

Major Errors:

These are errors that affect:

  • Scientific accuracy

  • Interpretation of results

  • Author attributions

  • Funding disclosures

  • Conflicts of interest

What we will do:

  • Publish a separate correction notice

  • Update the article online

  • Link the correction notice to the original article

  • Add a footnote explaining the correction

Minor Errors:

These are typographical or minor formatting mistakes that do not alter the scientific meaning.

What we will do:

  • Correct the article online

  • Add a simple footnote indicating the update

Retractions:

Articles will be retracted if:

  • Plagiarism or serious ethical issues are found post-publication

  • Data is proven to be falsified or unreliable

  • Author conflicts or disputes violate integrity

The article will remain online but marked clearly as “Retracted” with a retraction notice linked to it.

3. Withdrawal of Articles in Press

Articles that have been accepted but not yet assigned to an issue (commonly referred to as “Articles in Press”) may be withdrawn if:

  • Ethical misconduct is identified (e.g., plagiarism, false authorship)

  • The article was submitted simultaneously to another journal

  • The article violates our originality policy

In such cases:

  • All article files will be removed

  • A PDF notice will be uploaded in place of the article, indicating that the paper has been withdrawn due to policy violation

4. Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

All submissions must be original. We check for plagiarism using standard tools.

Authors must:

  • Not submit the same paper to multiple journals

  • Not republish content that has already been published elsewhere

  • Cite and reference their own previously published work properly

  • Indicate how the new work is different if building upon earlier research

  • Obtain necessary permissions for any reused figures or tables

If plagiarism or redundant publication is discovered:

  • The manuscript will be rejected

  • If already published, the article may be retracted

Note: Minor reuse of Methods sections must still be properly cited.

5. Conference Paper Policy

We accept extended versions of papers that were previously presented at conferences or published as abstracts, only if:

  • The conference version is clearly cited

  • The new submission includes substantial new content

  • All necessary permissions are secured

  • This information is declared in the cover letter

Failure to comply may result in rejection or retraction.

6. Citation Manipulation

All parties involved in the publishing process must maintain ethical citation practices.

Unacceptable practices include:

  • Adding irrelevant citations to boost an author’s or journal’s metrics

  • Pressuring authors to cite specific works for editorial or personal gain

  • Self-citation without valid academic justification

If detected:

  • The manuscript may be rejected or corrected

  • The responsible individuals may be subject to future sanctions

7. Use of COPE Guidelines

JFAS uses COPE’s international guidelines to handle ethical issues, including:

  • Plagiarism

  • Duplicate publication

  • Author disputes

  • Fabricated data

Further information can be found at:
https://publicationethics.org/guidance