Research Misconduct, Retraction, Withdrawal, and Correction Policy

Authors, journals, and institutions have an obligation to ensure the accuracy of the scientific record. Regarding research misconduct, Jurnal Kedokteran Meditek has policy that aims to maintain integrity of scientific records, which adhere to international standards, set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Research misconduct encompasses data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, unethical experimentation, citation manipulation, inappropriate and image manipulation, that may occur during the research or writing process. Misconduct also includes the failure to disclose significant conflicts of interest or the unauthorized use of data.

Article Retraction
In cases of suspected misconducts, the editorial team of Jurnal Kedokteran Meditek maintains responsibility to investigate fairly and objectively in accordance with COPE. The procedure include:
Initial assessment of the validity of allegation: the editorial team first determine if the allegation is consistent with research misconduct stated above and check for potential conflict of interest involving the parties making the allegation.
If scientific misconduct or substantial research irregularities are a possibility, the editorial team will contact the corresponding author on behalf of coauthors to provide detailed responses regarding the allegation.
After evaluating the author’s responses, the editorial team may seek experts’ opinions on the allegation.
For cases in which misconduct is unlikely and errors are minimum, clarification or additional analysis published as letters to editors are sufficient.
However, in cases in which submitted manuscripts found to contain misconduct such as severe plagiarism, the manuscripts will be rejected immediately.
In cases like misuse of generative AI tools, reviewers and editors are tasked to identify and report the misconduct.
If misconduct is identified in a published article, a formal retraction is issued in the Journal website and linked to the original article to notify readers. The published article will still be archived in the Journal however will be noted and watermarked as “Retracted”
Expression of concern: In cases of suspected research and publication misconduct, submitted manuscripts and related correspondence are treated with strict confidentiality. However, when necessary to investigate potential ethical breaches or data irregularities, the journal may share relevant details and evidence with appropriate authorities, including authors' institutional affiliations, ethics committees, and funding bodies, following COPE procedures.

Manuscript Withdrawal
Authors may request a manuscript withdrawal for papers that have not been officially published and do not have an active DOI. The request must be submitted formally in writing to the Editor-in-Chief and signed by all authors.
Manuscripts that have been published and have an active DOI cannot be withdrawn via the withdrawal procedure.
Manuscripts that have been published and have an active DOI cannot be removed via the withdrawal procedure. Only manuscripts that are currently under review and have not been published may be submitted for withdrawal. If compelling reasons arise after publication, the matter will be handled through the retraction procedure.

Article Correction
A correction may be issued provided that the identified error does not compromise the overall validity or scientific integrity of the published article—such as minor inaccuracies in data, content, or author attribution.
Corrections may take the forms as:

• Erratum: Errors or omissions introduced by the journal or publisher during the copyediting or typesetting process.
• Corrigendum: Errors made by the author(s) that require a formal post-publication amendment.
• Addendum: Supplementary information or clarification provided by the author(s) regarding a previously published paper.

The decision to publish any form of correction lies at the authority of the Editor-in-Chief, who may consult peer reviewers or members of the editorial board as necessary.