Policy on Research Misconduct

MSU Press condemns all forms of research misconduct, such as plagiarism, the misrepresentation or fabrication of evidence, or evidence obtained unethically or illegally. As a department of Michigan State University, we abide by the university’s policy on research misconduct. We also strive to follow the best practices in publication identified by the Committee on Publication Ethics. We expect our series and journal editors, volume editors, and peer reviewers to vet manuscripts for evidence of research misconduct prior to publication.

If made aware of a credible allegation of such misconduct in any of our books or journals, MSU Press will refer the matter to MSU’s research integrity officer. If subsequent investigation substantiates the alleged misconduct, MSU Press will promptly take the appropriate steps to correct or remove the problematic content from its stock.

For minor misrepresentations, we will issue an errata sheet. For books, the corrections will be made promptly in the e-books and in any subsequent printings. For journals, the errata notice will appear in the next print issue, and a corrected digital version will be available in the Project MUSE and JSTOR databases along with a statement about what has been corrected.

For major misconduct such as plagiarism or fabrication, we will pulp print editions of the publications containing the offending material and reissue corrected print and digital versions. Journal articles available via Project MUSE will include redaction notices explaining what has happened. Journal articles available via JSTOR will be darkened or removed, depending on the judgment of JSTOR’s content management team. The costs of retracting, correcting, reissuing, and labeling the publications in question will be charged to the individual found to have committed the misconduct. Volume or journal editors who failed to identify the problem may also be billed.

If you believe that plagiarized, fraudulent, or unethical research has been published in one of our books or journals, please detail the reasons for your belief in an email to the press director, Gabriel Dotto.