Research and Publication Ethics Statement

The Bioscience Journal is committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity in research and scientific publication. Our policies and procedures are aligned with the guidelines and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), aiming to ensure the reliability of published content and promote an ethical environment for authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. Our goal is to prevent misconduct, identify and correct errors or problems when they arise, and ensure transparency in all stages of the publication process.

Defining Misconduct

Misconduct in research or during evaluation and publication is a serious violation of ethics and academic integrity. The main practices considered as misconduct are:

Plagiarism: Defined as the use of another person's work, ideas, words, figures, or data (including self-plagiarism, which is the substantial reuse of one's own previously published work without proper citation) without clear and adequate attribution of the original source. All content based on third-party works or authors' previous works must be properly cited and referenced.
Data Fabrication or Manipulation: Creating or altering data to distort or falsify research results.
Duplicate Publication: Refers to the submission or publication of a manuscript that substantially overlaps with a work already published in another peer-reviewed journal, or that is under simultaneous consideration for publication in another journal, without proper communication to the editors and, where applicable, mutual permission. This practice distorts the scientific record, wastes resources, and violates copyright agreements.
Ghost Authorship: Omission of individuals who made substantial contributions to the research or manuscript, often involving professional writers or researchers hired by sponsors, while the work is presented as entirely authored by those listed.
Token Authorship: Inclusion of individuals in the author list who made little or no significant contribution to the research or manuscript, often as a courtesy or due to their position of authority.
Image Manipulation: Misleading alteration of images or figures to support research results.
Undeclared Use of AI Technologies: Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in research or manuscript preparation without proper acknowledgement or declaration.
Unethical Research Practices: Conducting research without proper ethical approvals or in violation of established ethical standards.
Improper Citation Practices: Distortion of reference relevance, abuse of self-citation, or omission of critical references.
Salami Slicing: Fragmentation of a single study into multiple publications to inflate the number of articles.
Misuse of the Peer Review Process: Violation of confidentiality or exploitation of the review process for personal benefit.
Parachute/Helicopter Research: Conducting research in a community or region without significant engagement with local researchers, stakeholders, or the community, and without ensuring that research benefits are shared locally.

Correcting Our Scientific Records

The Bioscience Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. When errors or ethical issues are confirmed in published articles, the journal will take appropriate measures to correct the literature, which may include:

Corrections¹: Published to communicate and correct factual errors that do not affect the study's conclusion.
Retractions: Used to formally withdraw an article from publication due to serious ethical issues or substantial errors that invalidate the study's results or conclusions.
Expressions of Concern: Published to alert readers to potential ethical issues or serious errors under investigation, especially in cases that may impact public health and when author collaboration is unsatisfactory.

Additionally, as described in processing suspected misconduct, depending on the severity of identified misconduct, authors' institutions and funders may be notified, and authors may face restrictions on new submissions.

¹ Authors are responsible for extra costs arising from the publication of corrections.

Reporting Suspected Misconduct and Problems

The Bioscience Journal encourages readers, authors, reviewers, and editors to report any suspicions of misconduct, errors, or signs of ethical problems in submitted or published articles. Such concerns should be communicated to the Editorial Office, providing all available information and evidence clearly and in detail.

Protecting Informants

The Bioscience Journal commits to protecting the identity of individuals who, in good faith, report suspected misconduct, to the extent permitted by law and investigation circumstances. Confidentiality will be maintained throughout all process stages, except when disclosure is essential for conducting the investigation or required by law.

Processing Suspected Misconduct

All reports of suspected misconduct or ethical problems are taken seriously and investigated impartially and confidentially by the editorial team, with assistance from Editorial Board members or external experts as needed. The investigation process follows COPE flowcharts and guidelines, available at https://publicationethics.org/guidance.

When a report is considered plausible, the journal will contact authors and/or other relevant parties for clarification. If explanations are unsatisfactory or if there is evidence of misconduct, the journal may contact authors' institutions or other competent authorities to request a formal investigation.

Actions resulting from an investigation may vary depending on misconduct severity and include, among others:

Publication of corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, as described in the Correcting our scientific records section above; and/or
Notification of authors' institutions and funders, and application of restrictions on authors for new submissions.

Responsibilities of Editors

During Evaluation: Editors (including Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and other Editorial Board members) must treat all submitted manuscripts fairly and impartially, evaluating them solely based on scientific merit, relevance to the journal's scope, and originality. They must ensure the peer-review process is fair, confidential, and impartial, designating reviewers with relevant expertise and avoiding conflicts of interest. Editors must manage manuscripts and revisions promptly, deciding on final acceptance or rejection based on reviewer reports and editorial policies, without commercial, ideological, religious, or personal influences.
During and After Publication: Editors must maintain the integrity of the published record, ensuring any errors or misconduct identified after publication are investigated and corrected promptly, following journal policies and processes.

Responsibilities of Authors

During Research: Authors are responsible for conducting research ethically, obtaining proper ethical approvals (such as from Research Ethics Committees or Ethics Commissions on Animal Use) and informed consent from participants, as applicable. They must ensure the accuracy and integrity of collected and analyzed data. Research involving patients or volunteers, including organ and tissue donors, may only be conducted after obtaining informed consent, mention of which must be included in the manuscript. Inclusion of personal information, clinical case reports, or images of patients and other individuals in journal publications requires submission of corresponding authorizations, permissions, and consents. Authors are responsible for keeping supporting documents; sending copies to the journal is not required except in exceptional situations.
Including or Removing Collaborators: Authors must ensure all individuals listed as authors meet the journal's authorship criteria and that no collaborator meeting these criteria is omitted. Any changes to the author list before or after submission must be justified and agreed upon by all involved, as detailed in our authorship and responsibility policies.
Before Submission: Authors must ensure the submitted manuscript is original, has not been previously published in another journal, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. They must strictly follow these editorial policies, instructions for authors, and specific reporting guidelines for their study type.
During Evaluation: Authors must collaborate fully with the evaluation process, responding honestly and in detail to editor and reviewer comments and requests. They must provide access to raw research data if requested and cooperate with any investigations into suspected misconduct.
After Publication: Authors have the responsibility to respond to any questions or criticisms regarding their work and collaborate with the journal if corrections, retractions, or investigations into suspected misconduct are necessary.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Before Evaluation: Reviewers should only accept invitations to review manuscripts for which they possess necessary expertise and have no conflicts of interest that could compromise evaluation impartiality.
During Evaluation: Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts objectively, critically, and constructively, focusing on scientific quality, originality, and relevance, basing evaluation on editorial policies, and without commercial, ideological, religious, or personal influences. They must maintain manuscript confidentiality and not use information obtained during review for personal benefit. Reviewers must alert editors to any suspicions of plagiarism, misconduct, or ethical issues. Use of AI tools to assist in review must be declared.