The Employee Relations Law Journal (Empl. Relat. Law J.) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously and follows established ethical procedures to ensure that concerns are handled fairly, confidentially, and consistently.

The journal follows relevant Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance and flowcharts when assessing and responding to allegations of research or publication misconduct. COPE Guidance and Flowcharts

Authors' Responsibility

Authors are required to carefully read and comply with the journal's Guide for Authors, Manuscript Submission Guidelines, Publication Ethics Policy, Research Ethics Policy, Authorship and Contributorship Policy, Plagiarism Policy, and other applicable journal policies before submitting a manuscript.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that they understand and agree to comply with the journal's ethical and publishing requirements.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research and manuscript are original, accurate, ethically conducted, properly documented, and appropriately reported.

Types of Research Misconduct

Research or publication misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

• Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or research information
• Plagiarism or inappropriate textual reuse
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Manipulation or falsification of citations
• Inappropriate or fraudulent authorship
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Peer-review manipulation
• Failure to obtain required ethical approval or informed consent
• Unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information
• Misrepresentation of research methods, findings, or sources
• Copyright or intellectual property infringement
• Any other conduct that seriously compromises research integrity or the reliability of the scholarly record

Reporting Allegations

Allegations of research or publication misconduct may be submitted to the Editorial Office by authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other individuals with a legitimate concern.

Reports should provide sufficient information and, where possible, supporting evidence that allows the Editorial Office to assess the concern appropriately.

Allegations should be made in good faith. The journal does not tolerate knowingly false, malicious, or deliberately misleading accusations.

Initial Assessment

When an allegation is received, the Editor will conduct an initial assessment to determine whether the concern falls within the journal's responsibility and whether sufficient information exists to warrant further investigation.

Where appropriate, the Editor may request clarification or additional information from the complainant or authors.

The journal will follow relevant COPE flowcharts and guidance when determining appropriate procedures for specific types of allegations.

Investigation

Where a credible concern requires further investigation, the journal may contact the corresponding author and request an explanation, supporting documentation, original data, ethical approval documents, consent records, or other relevant information.

The journal may also contact co-authors, reviewers, institutions, ethics committees, or other relevant parties where necessary to establish the facts.

The journal will seek to handle investigations fairly, objectively, and confidentially.

Institutional Involvement

Where the alleged misconduct concerns the conduct of research rather than solely the publication process, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant author's institution, research organization, ethics committee, or other appropriate authority.

The journal may request that the relevant institution investigate the matter and communicate the outcome to the Editorial Office.

Editorial Actions

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, the journal may take one or more appropriate actions, including:

• Requesting clarification or additional documentation
• Requiring corrections or revisions
• Rejecting a manuscript before publication
• Suspending the editorial or publication process
• Notifying the relevant institution or responsible authority
• Publishing a correction
• Publishing an expression of concern
• Retracting a published article
• Taking other appropriate measures to protect the integrity of the scholarly record

The action taken will depend on the evidence available, the seriousness of the concern, and the applicable ethical guidance.

Misconduct Identified Before Publication

If credible evidence of serious misconduct is identified before publication, the journal may reject the manuscript and, where appropriate, notify the relevant institution or other responsible authority.

Rejection of a manuscript does not prevent the journal from taking further action if additional concerns arise.

Misconduct Identified After Publication

If research or publication misconduct is identified after an article has been published, the journal will assess the matter in accordance with its publication ethics procedures.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction to ensure that the published record accurately reflects the reliability of the research.

Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

All allegations and investigations will be handled with appropriate confidentiality. Information will be shared only with individuals who have a legitimate role in assessing or resolving the matter.

The journal will provide authors with a reasonable opportunity to respond to allegations before making a final editorial determination, except where immediate action is necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record or the rights and safety of others.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors or other relevant parties may raise concerns regarding the handling of an allegation by contacting the Editorial Office. Appeals or complaints will be considered objectively and in accordance with the journal's applicable policies and recognized publication-ethics guidance.

Commitment to Research Integrity

The Employee Relations Law Journal is committed to protecting the integrity, reliability, and transparency of the scholarly record. All authors, Editors, reviewers, and contributors are expected to cooperate with legitimate investigations into suspected research or publication misconduct.

The journal may update this policy in accordance with developments in COPE guidance, recognized scholarly publishing standards, and applicable legal or institutional requirements.