Misconduct & Fraud Prevention Policy

Aligned with COPE Core Practices

We are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. We take all forms of academic misconduct and fraudulent activity seriously and follow the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

1. Definition of Misconduct

Misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • ICRP has been informed that the content violates the intellectual property right, right to privacy or any other legal right of a third party or is otherwise unlawful.
  • A court or government order has been issued, requiring the removal of content.
  • If found conflict of interest during the investigation,
  • if found unethical behavior from the author.
  • The content, if acted upon, would present an immediate and serious health risk.
  • The removal may be permanent. The bibliographic metadata will be kept, along with a statement explaining why the content was removed.
  • Submitting falsified or fabricated data
  • Plagiarism or self-plagiarism
  • Fake authorship or impersonation
  • Submitting manuscripts through unauthorized third parties
  • Manipulation of the peer review process
  • Use of forged or misleading acceptance letters

2. Detection and Investigation

All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality and ethical compliance. If any suspected misconduct is identified at any stage:

  • The manuscript will be immediately put on hold.
  • An initial investigation will be conducted by the editorial team.
  • Authors may be asked to provide clarification or supporting documents.
  • If misconduct is confirmed, the submission will be rejected, and further actions may be taken.

3. Author Identity and Data Protection

Authors must submit their work directly via the journal’s official submission system. Any attempt to use false names, impersonate authors, or misrepresent affiliations will be treated as misconduct. We also strongly advise authors to avoid using third-party agents or intermediaries. We are not responsible for issues arising from unauthorized submissions or fake acceptance letters distributed by fraudulent parties.

4. Consequences of Misconduct

In confirmed cases of misconduct, the journal reserves the right to:

  • Reject the submission without refund (if payment has been made)
  • Blacklist the author(s) from future submissions
  • Notify the author’s institution, funding agency, or relevant authorities
  • Publicly retract any affected articles if they have already been published

5. Reporting Misconduct

If you suspect unethical behavior, falsified communication, or misuse of the journal’s name, please report it to the editorial office immediately at:
📩 [misconduct@icrp.org.uk]