Ethics Violations and Misconduct

AIP Publishing (AIPP) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in scholarly publishing. We are a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and our editorial and research integrity teams refer to COPE’s Guidelines and Flowcharts when addressing potential misconduct or breaches of publishing ethics. We take all allegations seriously and recognize our responsibility to preserve the trustworthiness and transparency of the scholarly record.

Receiving and Assessing Concerns

We publish all material in good faith, and our relationships with authors, reviewers, and editors are grounded in trust. However, when a concern about a potential ethical violation is raised, an initial assessment is performed, and if warranted, a formal investigation is undertaken.

We follow COPE’s guidance for responding to ethics and integrity concerns that are raised to us, and we respect and protect the anonymity of all individuals involved.

Investigation Process

Once an allegation is deemed credible, AIPP coordinates the investigation, which may involve:

  • Consulting with journal editors or editorial board members;
  • Engaging internal stakeholders across AIPP, as appropriate;
  • Contacting authors to inform them of the concern and provide an opportunity to respond;
  • Reaching out to the author’s affiliated institution(s) or funding agency if institutional-level inquiry or information is required;
  • Seeking input from independent experts, if necessary, to ensure a fair and objective review.
  • AIPP takes a balanced and transparent approach and will not reach any conclusions or take action without offering the individuals involved the opportunity to respond. However, AIPP may choose not to share the specifics of an investigation and its findings in situations where this may pose a risk to the integrity of the scholarly record, such as suspected manipulation of the publishing process.

Corrective Actions

After a full and fair investigation, AIPP will determine the most appropriate next steps in accordance with COPE’s guidelines and the STM Guideline for the Preservation of the Objective Record of Science (2006). Potential outcomes include:

  • Erratum or Correction Notices – issued when errors do not affect the overall findings;
  • Retraction – when the integrity of the work is fundamentally compromised due to misconduct, error, or ethical breach;
  • Publisher Notes – where contextual clarification is required.

All corrective actions are communicated to the relevant parties and clearly linked to the original publication to ensure transparency and accuracy.

Additional Principles

  • Misconduct investigations are sensitive and can be complex. Because of this, we are unable to provide a specific timeline for resolution and appreciate your patience as we thoroughly review each matter.
  • AIPP does not share confidential information or findings until there is a final outcome.
  • AIPP reserves the right to:
    • Contact an author’s institution during an investigation;
    • Share manuscripts and related information with other publishers and editors when appropriate;
    • Request proof of identity in cases of suspected identity theft;
    • Request access to raw data associated with a manuscript at any stage;
    • Retract published papers that breach our license to publish or meet COPE’s criteria for retraction;
    • Reject or rescind acceptance of a manuscript where a breach is found prior to publication;
    • Decline to work with individuals who are abusive toward our staff, authors, editors, or reviewers.

How to Report Concerns

To report suspected misconduct, raise concerns about a manuscript, or raise concerns about editorial policies, please send an email here, which will generate a ticket in our system. The Research Integrity team will reach out after reviewing the information.

When reporting concerns, please refer to the following guidelines, adapted from the COSIG guidance on “Reporting publication integrity issues to publishers”:

  • Provide factual information about the issues that have been identified and how they affect the reliability of the article(s)
  • For issues of scientific soundness, include a detailed summary or explanation of the errors
  • Include the DOI of the article(s) involved and relevant PubPeer links, when applicable
  • Maintain a professional and collegial tone and refrain from personal criticisms toward the author(s)

Please note that the email address that creates the ticket is an unmonitored, automated inbox, and further responses and case communication will come directly from the Research Integrity team.