The term “research misconduct" refers to fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism by authors when producing, performing, or reviewing research and writing an article by authors, or reporting research results. When authors are determined to have engaged in research misconduct or other serious irregularities regarding articles published in scientific journals, editors are obliged to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.
In cases of suspected misconduct, the Editors and Editorial Board will employ the best practices of COPE to assist them in resolving the complaint and addressing the misconduct fairly. This will entail an investigation of the allegation by the Editors. A submitted manuscript that is discovered to include such misconduct will be rejected. If a published study is discovered to involve such misconduct, a retraction can be issued and linked to the original article.
The first step is to determine the validity of the allegation and examine if it is consistent with the definition of research misconduct. This initial step also involves determining whether the individuals alleging misconduct have relevant conflicts of interest.
If there is a likelihood of scientific misconduct or other significant research irregularities, the allegations are forwarded to the corresponding author, who is asked to respond in detail on behalf of all co-authors. After the response has been received and assessed, professionals (such as statistical reviewers) may be consulted. For cases in which it is unlikely that misconduct has occurred, clarifications, additional analyses, or both, published as letters to the editor, and often including a correction notice and correction to the published article are sufficient. 
Institutions are expected to conduct an appropriate and thorough investigation of allegations of scientific misconduct. Ultimately, authors, journals, and institutions have an important obligation to ensure the accuracy of the scientific record. By responding appropriately to concerns about scientific misconduct, and taking necessary actions based on evaluation of these concerns, such as corrections, retractions with replacement, and retractions, DAWUH: Islamic Communication Journal will continue to fulfil the responsibilities of ensuring the validity and integrity of the scientific record.