The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan, published by Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Bethel The Way, Jakarta, Indonesia, is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, research ethics, transparency, and accountability in scholarly publishing.

The journal recognizes its responsibility to address allegations of research misconduct fairly, objectively, confidentially, and consistently, regardless of whether concerns arise before or after publication.

This policy establishes procedures for identifying, reporting, assessing, and responding to suspected research misconduct involving authors, reviewers, editors, or other parties participating in the publication process.

The journal follows principles informed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and internationally recognized standards of responsible scholarly publishing.

1. Definition and Scope of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct refers to serious violations of accepted ethical and scholarly standards in conducting, reporting, reviewing, or publishing academic research.

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan considers the following practices potential forms of research or publication misconduct:

a. Fabrication

Inventing research data, observations, interviews, survey responses, experimental results, references, or other research materials and presenting them as authentic findings.

b. Falsification

Manipulating research materials, methods, data, or findings, including selectively altering or omitting information in a manner that misrepresents the research.

c. Plagiarism

Using another person's ideas, words, research findings, interpretations, or intellectual contributions without appropriate acknowledgment or citation.

d. Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Publishing substantially the same research findings in multiple publications without proper disclosure, justification, or acknowledgment.

e. Inappropriate Authorship

Engaging in unethical authorship practices, including gift authorship, guest authorship, ghost authorship, coercive authorship, or the unauthorized inclusion or exclusion of contributors.

f. Citation Manipulation

Adding irrelevant, unnecessary, or misleading citations to artificially increase citation counts or influence journal, author, or institutional metrics.

g. Peer-Review Manipulation

Attempting to compromise the integrity or independence of peer review through fabricated reviewer identities, false contact information, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or inappropriate influence on editorial decisions.

h. Unethical Use of Artificial Intelligence

Using generative AI to fabricate data, create fictitious references, generate misleading research findings, or conceal substantial AI assistance in violation of the journal's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.

i. Research Ethics Violations

Conducting or reporting research involving human participants without appropriate ethical safeguards, informed consent where required, or adequate protection of participant confidentiality.

j. Misrepresentation of Sources

Falsifying, fabricating, deliberately misquoting, or misleadingly presenting biblical texts, theological writings, historical documents, scholarly references, or other primary and secondary sources.

These examples are not exhaustive. Other serious departures from accepted research and publication ethics may also be assessed under this policy.

2. Reporting Allegations of Research Misconduct

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan encourages authors, reviewers, editors, readers, researchers, institutions, and other concerned parties to report suspected research misconduct.

Allegations may concern submitted manuscripts, manuscripts under review, accepted articles, or previously published articles.

Reports should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief through the journal's official editorial communication channels.

Where possible, a report should contain:

1. The title of the manuscript or published article concerned.

2. The names of the authors or other individuals involved, where known.

3. A clear description of the suspected misconduct.

4. Relevant supporting evidence, such as documents, references, similarity reports, correspondence, or links to potentially overlapping publications.

5. The contact information of the person reporting the concern, where available.

The journal may consider anonymous allegations when they contain sufficiently specific and verifiable evidence.

All allegations will be assessed on their merits without automatically presuming that misconduct has occurred.

3. Initial Assessment of Allegations

Upon receiving an allegation, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor without a relevant conflict of interest will conduct a preliminary assessment.

This assessment aims to determine:

• Whether the allegation falls within the scope of the journal's research and publication ethics policies.

• Whether the concern is supported by credible and verifiable information.

• Whether further clarification or additional evidence is required.

• Whether the allegation concerns a submitted or published article.

• Whether independent expertise or institutional involvement may be necessary.

The editorial team may examine relevant manuscript records, references, similarity reports, reviewer correspondence, and other available documentation.

An allegation alone does not constitute proof of misconduct.

The journal will distinguish between intentional misconduct, questionable research practices, methodological limitations, and honest errors when determining appropriate responses.

4. Procedures for Handling Suspected Misconduct

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan follows a structured and proportionate approach to addressing allegations of research misconduct.

Stage 1: Receipt and Documentation

The editorial team receives the allegation and records relevant information and supporting evidence in confidential editorial records.

Stage 2: Preliminary Evaluation

The Editor-in-Chief or designated editor reviews the available evidence and determines whether further examination is warranted.

Stage 3: Request for Clarification

If the concern warrants further consideration, the individuals involved will ordinarily be informed of the relevant allegations and given a reasonable opportunity to respond and provide supporting explanations or documentation.

Stage 4: Further Assessment and Consultation

The editorial team evaluates the responses and available evidence. Where necessary, the journal may seek independent expert advice or contact the relevant institution, research ethics committee, or other competent authority.

Formal determinations of serious research misconduct that require access to institutional research records may be referred to the institution responsible for the research.

Stage 5: Editorial Decision

The editorial team determines an appropriate editorial response based on the available evidence, the seriousness of the concern, and any relevant institutional findings.

Stage 6: Documentation and Follow-Up

The journal maintains confidential records of the concern, assessment process, correspondence, and editorial outcome, subject to applicable record-management and confidentiality requirements.

Where an investigation remains ongoing, the journal may defer final editorial action until sufficient information becomes available.

5. Allegations Involving Submitted Manuscripts

When suspected misconduct concerns a manuscript that has not yet been published, the editorial team may take one or more of the following measures:

1. Request an explanation or additional documentation from the authors.

2. Require corrections or clarification of research methods, data, references, or ethical approvals.

3. Temporarily suspend the manuscript's review or publication process while significant concerns are assessed.

4. Seek independent scholarly or technical evaluation.

5. Contact the authors' institutions when a formal research integrity investigation is warranted.

6. Reject or withdraw the manuscript from editorial consideration when serious violations have been established or the manuscript no longer meets the journal's requirements.

The journal will not treat an unverified allegation as sufficient grounds for declaring an author guilty of misconduct.

6. Allegations Involving Published Articles

When concerns arise after publication, The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan will evaluate whether the reliability, integrity, or scholarly record of the published article has been affected.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the journal may take the following actions:

a. Correction

A correction may be issued when an error or omission requires amendment but does not fundamentally invalidate the principal findings or conclusions.

b. Expression of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when credible and potentially serious concerns exist regarding an article, but the available evidence is inconclusive or an investigation has not reached a definitive conclusion.

c. Retraction

A retraction may be issued when there is sufficient evidence that the findings or conclusions are unreliable, or that serious ethical or publication violations justify withdrawal of the article from the reliable scholarly record.

d. No Further Action

When the available evidence does not substantiate the allegation, the journal may close the case without issuing a public notice, while retaining appropriate confidential documentation.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices will be published transparently and linked to the affected articles where applicable.

Retracted articles will ordinarily remain identifiable in the scholarly record, with their retracted status clearly indicated.

The primary purpose of retraction is to maintain the integrity of the scholarly literature rather than to punish authors.

7. Allegations Involving Reviewers or Editors

Allegations involving reviewers or editorial team members will be handled according to the same principles of fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and evidence-based assessment.

Potential violations include:

• Misusing confidential manuscript information.

• Appropriating unpublished ideas or research findings.

• Manipulating peer-review recommendations.

• Concealing significant conflicts of interest.

• Attempting to influence editorial decisions improperly.

• Disclosing confidential author or reviewer information without authorization.

Individuals directly implicated in an allegation must not participate in assessing or deciding that case.

Where necessary, the journal may appoint an independent editor, consult the publisher, or refer the matter to an appropriate institution.

Confirmed serious violations may result in removal from reviewer assignments, editorial responsibilities, or other appropriate journal activities.

8. Confidentiality and Protection of Involved Parties

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan is committed to protecting the confidentiality and legitimate interests of all parties involved in allegations of research misconduct.

The journal applies the following principles:

1. Allegations will be handled discreetly and disclosed only to individuals or institutions with a legitimate need to know.

2. Individuals accused of misconduct will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond.

3. Individuals reporting concerns in good faith will be treated fairly and protected from inappropriate retaliation within the journal's authority.

4. Personal information and confidential research materials will be handled responsibly.

5. Editorial decisions will be made without discrimination, personal prejudice, or conflicts of interest.

6. Relevant information may be disclosed to competent institutions or authorities when necessary for a legitimate investigation or required by applicable law.

Confidentiality does not prevent the journal from publishing appropriate corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction notices when required to protect the scholarly record.

9. Cooperation with Research Institutions

The journal acknowledges that research institutions have a significant responsibility for investigating allegations involving the conduct of their researchers.

When allegations require examination of primary research records, ethical approvals, participant information, or other institutional materials, the journal may request assistance from the relevant institution.

The editorial team may provide documented concerns and supporting evidence to authorized institutional representatives when appropriate.

The journal retains responsibility for editorial decisions concerning submitted manuscripts and the integrity of its published content.

Institutional investigations and editorial assessments may therefore serve different but complementary purposes.

10. Appeals and Reconsideration

Authors or other directly affected individuals may request reconsideration of an editorial decision concerning alleged research misconduct.

An appeal should provide a clear explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and any relevant additional evidence.

The Editor-in-Chief, or an independent editor where a conflict of interest exists, will evaluate whether the appeal identifies a substantive procedural error, factual misunderstanding, or significant new evidence.

Requests for reconsideration do not automatically overturn an editorial decision.

The journal will communicate the outcome of the reconsideration through its official editorial channels.

11. Prevention of Research Misconduct

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan seeks to prevent research misconduct by promoting ethical scholarly practices throughout its publication process.

Preventive measures include:

1. Providing clear Author Guidelines and publication ethics policies.

2. Requiring originality and appropriate acknowledgment of sources.

3. Applying editorial screening and double-blind peer review.

4. Using appropriate tools to assist with similarity and integrity checks, where available.

5. Requiring authorship accountability and disclosure of relevant conflicts of interest.

6. Establishing clear requirements for the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

7. Encouraging transparent research methods, credible sources, and accurate reporting.

8. Addressing suspected publication ethics violations in accordance with established editorial procedures.

Automated screening results, including plagiarism similarity scores or AI-detection outputs, must not be treated as conclusive proof of misconduct without appropriate human assessment.

12. Policy References

This policy is informed by internationally recognized guidance on research integrity and publication ethics, particularly:

1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE Core Practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

2. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE Flowcharts and Guidance. https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts

3. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Retraction Guidelines. https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4

4. World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Publication Ethics Policies and Resources. https://wame.org/

The Way: Jurnal Teologi dan Kependidikan reserves the right to review and update this policy in response to developments in research integrity, publication ethics, and internationally recognized scholarly publishing standards.