The journal's policy for managing allegations of research misconduct is based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), available at https://publicationethics.org/misconduct. Authors are required to read the journal's author instruction and ethical policies carefully and to adhere to the terms before submission.

Report of research misconduct may be related to a published article or a manuscript under peer-review process. The procedure for the application and management of complaints of author misconduct should proceed with sensitivity, tact, in confidence, and in the following manner:

1. The Editorial Office receives a complaint that an article submitted to or published in the journal is suspected of containing research misconduct.
2. The complainant needs to clearly indicate the specific manner and detail of misconduct; for example, in a case of plagiarism, the plagiarized paragraphin the suspected article should be clearly highlighted, with reference to the original source.
3. The Editorial Office will conduct an investigation, during which time the corresponding author(s) of the suspected article will be contacted.
4. The corresponding author(s) will be asked to provide an explanation with factual statements and any available evidence.
5. With explanations of the corresponding author(s) of the suspected article, upon verification, the Editorial Office will take the following actions depending on the situation:
   If the article has been published, either a correction via erratum or a retraction willbe initiated to remedy the situation.
   If the misconduct is reported during the review process, the review process may continue, with the author(s) making the relevant changes.
6. In the case of nonresponsefrom the corresponding author(s) of the suspected article in the stipulated time or an unsatisfactory explanation, the article may be permanently retracted (if published) or rejected (if under consideration). Before making a decision, confirmation will be sought from the experts of the relevant institutions or other authorities as required.
7. The complainant will be informed of the outcome once the issue is resolved.
8. The complaint case will thereupon be considered concluded.