Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) is very sensitive to research misconduct and uses all means available to prevent publishing miscounted research. Though there is no standard definition of research misconduct, the Council of Editors defines research misconduct broadly in three categories: action and conduct. Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) uses this definition of misconduct in dealing with the issue and strictly follows the COPE chart in dealing with research misconduct.  In addition, for each component of the research misconduct, Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) has many assurance policies, as follows:

• Mistreatment of research subjects
• Falsification and Fabrication of data
• Piracy and Plagiarism

Protection of Animal rights

Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) does not publish manuscripts that do not declare a statement about the protection of animal rights. Normally, the journal requires that a statement be declared that an institutional review board has reviewed research either in the material method section of the manuscript or in the acknowledgment section. Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) encourages authors to report the registry number of the council certification.

Falsification and Fabrication of data

Fabrication is making up data without collecting or synthesizing scientific data. Falsification is the manipulation of research material to reach a favorable result. Fabrication and falsification could happen at any stage of research (in the field) up to the publication of a manuscript, where misuse of citation can happen (referencing a citation when the citation does not support the argument). Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) tries to identify any fabrication or falsification at all levels of manuscript processing, from initial screening to comprehensive evaluation of a revised manuscript, even after a manuscript has been published. Reporting any fabrication or falsification is an ethical duty of our authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. In any event of falsification or fabrication, Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) retains the right to retract or withdraw the fabricated or falsified article. Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) strictly follows the COPE chart in dealing with fabrication and falsification.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is appropriating another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit.  Another category of plagiarism is self-plagiarism when the author publishes his idea, data, and text in different journals when there is no need for such duplication. MJA uses all means to detect plagiarism. As a matter of quality assurance, a similarity of more than 20% in the text of a manuscript will be returned to the author to remove the similarities and reduce the chance of plagiarism.  Al-Rafidain Engineering Journal (AREJ) strictly follows the COPE chart in dealing with plagiarized articles.