Peninsula Publishing Press handles suspected misconduct according to the COPE flowcharts. The categories below are the ones the press acts on. The Editor-in-Chief of the journal and the publishing office conduct the process. Peninsula does not describe this office as a separate standing ethics panel.
How to raise a concern
Anyone may write to the Editor-in-Chief or to support@peninsula-press.ae about a submitted or published article. The message should identify the article, the concern, and the evidence. Anonymous reports are considered when the evidence is enough to act on. The publishing office acknowledges a complaint within 5 working days.
How a concern is handled
- The concern is recorded: who is involved, what is alleged, when and where it arose, and why it matters.
- The corresponding author is told of the concern and given a fair chance to respond. The editor reads that response.
- If the response is unsatisfactory, or the case needs facts the journal does not hold, the editor may write to the authors’ institution, the funder, the ethics committee, or the other journal involved. Advice may also be sought from COPE.
- The editor decides on the evidence. The publishing office supports that decision and publishes any notice that results.
Possible outcomes are: no action, a letter of warning, a correction, an expression of concern, rejection of an unpublished manuscript, withdrawal of an accepted article that is not yet in an issue, retraction of a published article, and a ban on further submissions for a stated period. Notices on published articles stay linked to the article. Retractions follow the COPE retraction guidelines.
Fabrication and falsification
Fabrication is the invention of data, experiments or sources. Falsification is changing or omitting data or images so that the reader is misled. Authors should be able to provide original data and unprocessed images. Image standards are on the Editorial Policies page. If the authors cannot explain the record, the institution is informed.
Plagiarism and redundant publication
Overlap is checked with Turnitin and, where needed, by comparing the texts. Plagiarism in a submission can lead to rejection. Plagiarism in a published article can lead to retraction. Duplicate submission, and republication of the same data without disclosure, are treated as redundant publication. A legitimate republication, such as a translation, is acceptable only when both editors agree and the original source is cited. COPE’s flowcharts for redundant publication, before and after publication, are followed.
Authorship
Authorship disputes are not decided by the journal. They are referred to the authors’ institutions, using the COPE flowcharts, and the process on the Authorship page. A published author list is corrected only by a formal notice.
Undeclared conflicts of interest
An undeclared interest is put to the author. If it is not explained, the institution or the funder may be told. See Conflict of Interest.
Peer-review manipulation
Reviewers are chosen by the editorial office so that they are independent of the authors. Suggested reviewers are not accepted where the suggestion would let the authors review their own paper. Suspected manipulation during review or after publication is handled with the COPE flowcharts. A reviewer who uses unpublished material for their own benefit is reported to their institution.
Citation manipulation
Authors, reviewers and editors must not add or demand citations in order to raise the count of an author, a journal or a group. References that do not contribute to the article are removed. Cases follow the COPE discussion document on citation manipulation. This includes pressure to cite a journal as a condition of acceptance, which is incompatible with the Scopus content policy as well as with COPE.
Research ethics and paper mills
Missing consent, missing animal approval, and work produced by a paper mill are ethical breaches. The standards for people, animals and plants are on the Editorial Policies page. Undisclosed use of generative AI, and AI-fabricated content, are handled under Generative AI and may amount to fabrication.
Peninsula Publishing Press · Peninsula Publishing L.L.C., Dubai · support@peninsula-press.ae · In force 30 October 2026 · COPE Core Practices
