Misconduct and Sanctions
Research and publication misconduct is handled in line with the COPE flowcharts.
What counts as misconduct
Includes, but is not limited to: fabrication; falsification; plagiarism; image manipulation that misrepresents results; undisclosed conflicts of interest; duplicate or redundant publication; citation manipulation; authorship for sale; peer-review manipulation (including fake reviewer identities); and research on humans or animals without appropriate approval.
Citation manipulation
Editors and reviewers must not require authors to cite the journal or their own work as a condition of acceptance. Authors must not add irrelevant citations to inflate the citation count of any person or journal.
How allegations are handled
Concerns may be raised by anyone, in confidence, to editor@somatopub.com. The journal follows COPE guidance:
- The Editor-in-Chief acknowledges receipt and makes an initial assessment.
- The authors are given an opportunity to respond.
- Where necessary, the authors' institution or funder is asked to investigate.
- Outcomes may include: no action; a correction; an expression of concern; retraction; a ban on future submissions for a defined period; notification of the authors' institution.
Investigations are conducted fairly, confidentially, and without prejudgement. Anonymous allegations are considered if they are specific and verifiable.
Sanctions
Depending on how serious the misconduct is, the journal may:
- Reject the manuscript, or publish a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction;
- Inform the authors' institution, funder or employer;
- Bar the authors from submitting to the journal for a set period;
- Remove a reviewer or editor from the journal's reviewer database or Editorial Board.
Sanctions are decided by the Editor-in-Chief after the authors have had the chance to respond.
Last updated: 29 September 2026
