Promoting Health, Protecting the Environment, Advancing Justice and Sustainability in Africa
The Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, academic honesty, publication ethics, transparency and accountability.
The Journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and is committed to handling such allegations fairly, confidentially, objectively and in a timely manner.
This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, guest editors and other individuals involved in the publication process.
The purpose of this policy is to establish a clear procedure for:
For the purposes of AJHEL, research or publication misconduct may include:
Because AJHEL publishes health and medical scholarship, allegations may also concern:
Such allegations will be treated seriously and may be referred to the relevant institution or ethics authority where appropriate.
Allegations involving environmental research may include:
AJHEL also recognises misconduct specific to legal scholarship, including:
Authors are responsible for verifying all legal authorities cited in their manuscripts.
A concern may be reported by:
AJHEL encourages individuals to report legitimate concerns concerning research integrity.
A person who raises a concern in good faith should not be subjected to retaliation merely because the allegation is ultimately found to be unsubstantiated.
However, knowingly making false, malicious or deliberately misleading allegations may itself constitute misconduct.
Allegations should be submitted confidentially to the Editorial Office of AJHEL through the Journal's official communication channel.
Where possible, a report should contain:
Anonymous reports may be considered where credible evidence is provided.
AJHEL will handle allegations as confidentially as reasonably possible.
Information will normally be disclosed only to individuals who have a legitimate role in assessing or resolving the allegation.
Information may be disclosed where necessary to:
Upon receiving an allegation, the Editorial Office may conduct a preliminary assessment to determine:
Not every allegation will automatically result in a formal investigation.
Where appropriate, the author or relevant individual will be given an opportunity to respond.
The Editorial Office may request:
The response will be considered alongside the available evidence.
Where a matter requires further investigation, AJHEL may:
The scope of an investigation will depend on the seriousness and circumstances of the allegation.
AJHEL recognises that universities, research institutions and ethics committees may have access to evidence that the Journal cannot independently obtain.
Where appropriate, the Journal may refer allegations to the relevant:
AJHEL may cooperate with legitimate institutional investigations.
Where misconduct is alleged against an author, the Editorial Board may:
The action taken will depend on the evidence and seriousness of the matter.
Where misconduct is alleged against a reviewer, AJHEL may investigate concerns involving:
A reviewer may be removed from the review process and may be excluded from future reviewing for AJHEL where appropriate.
Where an allegation concerns an editor, the matter should be handled by an appropriate senior editorial authority or independent person who does not have a conflict of interest.
An editor who is the subject of an allegation should not control the investigation or final decision concerning that allegation.
Suspected plagiarism will be assessed in accordance with AJHEL's Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Policy.
The Editorial Board may assess:
Where fabrication or falsification is alleged, AJHEL may request appropriate supporting evidence, including:
Where the Journal cannot independently establish the facts, it may refer the matter to the author's institution.
Where duplicate publication is alleged, AJHEL may compare the relevant publications to determine whether:
Authorship disputes should normally be resolved among the authors and, where necessary, through their institution.
AJHEL may request written confirmation from affected authors.
Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved, the Journal may suspend publication or refer the matter to the appropriate institution.
Failure to disclose a significant conflict of interest may constitute a publication-ethics concern.
AJHEL may request disclosure or clarification.
Where an undisclosed conflict affects the reliability or interpretation of a published article, the Journal may publish an appropriate correction or editorial notice.
Where a serious allegation concerns a published article but the investigation has not yet been completed, AJHEL may publish an Expression of Concern.
An Expression of Concern informs readers that a legitimate issue concerning the article is under investigation.
It does not, by itself, constitute a finding of misconduct.
Where an identified problem is genuine but does not invalidate the article, AJHEL may publish:
Corrections are intended to maintain an accurate scholarly record.
An article may be retracted where serious misconduct or a fundamental problem substantially undermines its reliability.
Possible grounds include:
A retraction notice should explain the reason for the retraction and remain linked to the original publication where technically possible.
Depending on the circumstances, AJHEL may take one or more of the following actions:
An allegation is not automatically evidence of misconduct.
AJHEL seeks to ensure that:
An individual affected by an editorial decision arising from a misconduct investigation may submit an appeal where there are reasonable grounds to believe that:
Appeals should be specific, evidence-based and submitted to the Editorial Office.
AJHEL does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who raise legitimate research-integrity concerns in good faith.
This protection does not extend to knowingly false, malicious or deliberately fabricated allegations.
The Editorial Office may maintain confidential records concerning:
Records will be maintained in accordance with applicable legal, ethical and administrative requirements.
Where appropriate, AJHEL may publish:
to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
Such notices should be factual, clear and proportionate.
AJHEL is committed to creating a scholarly environment based on:
Integrity • Honesty • Fairness • Confidentiality • Transparency • Accountability • Due Process
The Journal recognises that maintaining research integrity is a shared responsibility involving authors, reviewers, editors, institutions and readers.
AJHEL takes credible allegations of misconduct seriously, investigates them fairly and confidentially, and takes proportionate action where necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.
Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL)
Published by Prime Crest Publishers
Promoting Health, Protecting the Environment, Advancing Justice and Sustainability in Africa
Africa Journal of Health and Environmental Law (AJHEL) | ISSN: XXXX-XXXX | © PrimeCrest Publisher
Email: primecrestpublisher@gmail.com
AJHEL is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.