Policy on Handling Misconduct

Letters on Applied and Pure Mathematics is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Allegations of research or publication misconduct are taken seriously and will be handled in a fair, confidential, and timely manner. Misconduct may include (but is not limited to) plagiarism, duplicate submission, authorship disputes, data fabrication or falsification, unethical citation practices, and other breaches of publication ethics.

Reporting Concerns

Suspected misconduct may be reported to the Editorial Office or Editor-in-Chief. Reports should include sufficient detail and, where possible, supporting evidence (e.g., links, documents, or similarity reports) to enable assessment.

Initial Assessment

• The editorial team will conduct an initial review to determine whether the allegation is credible and within the journal’s scope.
• During this stage, the manuscript or article may be placed on hold while the matter is assessed.
• All parties will be treated fairly, and information will be handled confidentially as far as practicable.

Investigation Procedure

• The Editor-in-Chief (or a designated editor) will lead the investigation, and may consult the Editorial Board when necessary.
• Authors may be contacted and asked to provide explanations, original data, permissions, or related documentation within a specified timeframe.
• When relevant, reviewers or editors involved may be consulted, and independent experts may be requested to advise.
• If appropriate, the journal may contact the authors’ institutions, funders, or other responsible bodies for further inquiry.

Possible Editorial Actions

Depending on the severity and the stage of the publication process, the journal may take one or more of the following actions:

• Before publication: rejection of the manuscript; request for revision and proper attribution; withdrawal of the submission; referral to the authors’ institutions.
• After publication: publication of a correction; publication of an expression of concern; retraction of the article; replacement of files where appropriate (with clear notice); notification to indexing services and relevant parties.

Sanctions

In cases of confirmed misconduct, the journal may impose sanctions such as temporary restrictions on new submissions by the author(s), or removal from editorial or reviewer roles where applicable. The duration and scope of sanctions will be determined by the editorial team based on the seriousness of the case.

Appeals

Authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision related to misconduct by submitting a written appeal with supporting evidence. Appeals will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or an independent editor or committee where appropriate.

Confidentiality and Record Keeping

The journal will keep records of misconduct allegations and investigations. Details will be shared only with those who need to know in order to investigate and resolve the matter, and in accordance with applicable laws and ethical standards.

This policy may be updated as needed to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing and publication ethics.