ProHealth Journal is committed to maintaining research integrity and publication ethics. The journal does not tolerate any form of research misconduct by authors, editors, reviewers, or other parties involved in the publication process.

1. Forms of Research Misconduct

Research misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

- Fabrication, which refers to making up data or research results that were not actually obtained.
- Falsification, which refers to manipulating, altering, or omitting research data inappropriately.
- Plagiarism, which refers to using another person's ideas, data, methods, images, or text without appropriate attribution.
- Manipulation or misuse of research data, images, tables, or results.
- Duplicate or redundant publication.
- Inappropriate salami publication or fragmentation of research results.
- Violations of research ethics approval or the protection of research participants.
- Manipulation of the peer review process.
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
- Other practices that may compromise the integrity or reliability of the scholarly record.

2. Reporting Alleged Misconduct

Allegations of research misconduct may be reported to the Editor-in-Chief of ProHealth Journal.

Reports should include the identification of the article or manuscript, a description of the alleged misconduct, and any relevant evidence or supporting information.

ProHealth Journal will maintain the confidentiality of the complainant's identity where possible and will not take retaliatory action against individuals who report concerns in good faith.

3. Investigation Process

All allegations of research misconduct will be handled objectively, fairly, and confidentially.

The Editor-in-Chief may:

1. request clarification from the authors;
2. request relevant research data or supporting documents;
3. seek advice from appropriate experts when necessary;
4. contact the relevant research institution for further investigation; and
5. take appropriate editorial action based on the findings.

The individual(s) concerned will be given a reasonable opportunity to provide an explanation before an editorial decision is made.

4. Editorial Actions

Depending on the findings and severity of the misconduct, ProHealth Journal may:

- request corrections to the manuscript;
- suspend or discontinue the editorial process;
- reject the manuscript;
- publish a Correction or Expression of Concern; or
- issue a Retraction for a published article when the integrity or reliability of the article has been seriously compromised.

When necessary, the journal may refer the matter to the relevant research institution for formal investigation.

5. Misconduct Identified After Publication

If research misconduct is identified after publication, ProHealth Journal will assess the concern and take appropriate action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Any Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction will be recorded transparently through an appropriate editorial notice.

6. Publication Ethics Principles

ProHealth Journal follows the principles of objectivity, fairness, confidentiality, transparency, and due process when handling allegations of research misconduct.

The journal follows the relevant guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling allegations of research and publication misconduct.