Integrity and research misconduct

Integrity and allegations of misconduct

Cancer Biome and Targeted Therapy (CBTT) is committed to high standards of research integrity. Authors are expected to conduct and present their research with honesty, accuracy, and transparency. Any form of research misconduct, such as data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, or unethical research conduct, is strictly prohibited. All submitted work must be original, not under consideration elsewhere, and free from misconduct.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

Suspected cases of misconduct will be assessed following the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and appropriate editorial actions will be taken, which may include correction, retraction, or publication of an EEOC as described below. All decisions are guided by the principles outlined in the COPE Retraction Guidelines (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2019; https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4).

 

Procedure for the management of allegations of misconduct 

1- Preliminary Review

All allegations submitted to the journal office undergo an initial assessment by a Senior Editor. If justified, further investigation may involve plagiarism detection, image forensics, and requests for additional documentation.

2- Author Inquiry

Authors, primarily the corresponding author, will be formally notified of concerns and preliminary findings. They are required to respond promptly and may be asked to provide original raw data, ethical approval documents, or other materials.

3- Editorial Decision

After considering the evidence and author response, Senior Editors determine the appropriate action:

  • Correction: Issued if the main conclusions remain valid; corrections are permanently linked and indexed with the original article.

  • Retraction: Published when issues compromise the work’s integrity or remain unresolved. Retraction notices specify reasons, author agreement status, and are linked bidirectionally with the article. Institutions affiliated with authors will be informed.

  • Expression of Concern: Issued when investigations are inconclusive or delayed due to non-compliance by authors or unresolved issues.

Timeframe and Scope of Investigations

Investigations are conducted with fairness, transparency, and diligence, but may require significant time due to complexity and coordination with involved parties. Cooperation by authors is essential for timely resolution.

Research Misconduct, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern for old articles.

In alignment with the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (42 CFR § 93.104(a)), Cancer Biome and Targeted Therapy (CBTT) will consider allegations of research misconduct if they are raised within six (6) years of the article’s publication date. This time limitation is consistent with U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) policies on research integrity. However, CBTT will review allegations concerning publications older than six years if any of the following apply:

  1. Subsequent use exception – The misconduct is alleged to have had a continuing impact, such as being cited or relied upon in new research, policies, or clinical practice within the six years.

  2. Pattern of misconduct – Evidence indicates a pattern of unethical behavior by the author(s) that directly affects the conclusions of the publication in question.

  3. Prior ethical violations – The author(s) have been found to have committed research misconduct or other serious ethical violations in the past.

  4. Public health or safety – The alleged misconduct poses a substantial threat to public health or safety.

For reference, the applicable federal regulation can be accessed at: 42 CFR § 93.104 – Time Limitations.

Last updated: August 2025