Ethics & Policies

Preprints

The Bioscience Journal does not evaluate or accept manuscripts previously deposited in preprint servers, conference proceedings, theses, or dissertations. All submissions must be entirely original and exclusive to the journal.

Peer Review Process

The Bioscience Journal adopts a rigorous Double-Blind Peer Review model, ensuring the confidentiality of both authors' and reviewers' identities.

  1. Initial Verification (Desk Review): The Editorial Secretariat conducts an initial check to ensure compliance with the journal's guidelines and performs a similarity/plagiarism check using free analysis software.
  2. Editorial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the manuscript's scope. If suitable, it is assigned to an Associate Editor.
  3. Peer Review: The Associate Editor invites at least two independent ad hoc reviewers with recognized expertise. If necessary, multiple rounds of review may occur. Authors must submit revised versions alongside a detailed, point-by-point response letter.
  4. Final Decision: To be approved, an article must receive favorable reports from at least two reviewers and the Associate Editor. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief. Submissions by members of the Editorial Board undergo a fully independent review process to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Open Data (Data Availability)

The Bioscience Journal adheres to the ICMJE recommendations. For studies reporting results of clinical trials or other prospective research, a Data Availability statement is mandatory. Authors must declare during submission if anonymized data will be shared, what specific data will be available, and the access criteria.

Ethics and Misconduct, Correction and Retraction Policy

The journal follows the guidelines and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any allegations of misconduct — such as data fabrication, ghost authorship, salami slicing, or non-ethical research practices — are taken seriously. The journal will take appropriate measures to correct the scientific record, which may include publishing Corrections (for factual errors), Expressions of Concern, or formal Retractions (for severe ethical issues). Whistleblowers' identities are protected to the extent permitted by law.

Policy on Conflicts of Interest

Transparency is fundamental. The Bioscience Journal requires all participants — authors, reviewers, and editors — to transparently declare any relationships (financial, institutional, personal, or academic) that could influence or be perceived as influencing their judgment. Authors must submit this declaration during the initial submission, and it will be published with the accepted article. Reviewers and Editors must decline to handle manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.

Adoption of Similarity Software (Plagiarism)

Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) and duplicate publication are strictly prohibited. The journal uses similarity detection software during the initial Desk Review. If significant similarity or misconduct is identified, the manuscript may be summarily rejected, or authors may be asked for justification.

Adoption of software using Artificial Intelligence resources

The Bioscience Journal aligns with ICMJE, WAME, and COPE regarding AI use. AI tools do not qualify for authorship.

  • Authors must disclose all uses of AI tools (e.g., data collection, drafting, image generation).
  • If used for analytical work or data processing, it must be detailed in the Methods section (including prompts, name, and version).
  • If used for drafting or language review, it must be declared in an "AI use statement" at the end of the manuscript. Reviewers and Editors must also transparently declare if they use AI tools to assist in evaluation, ensuring that uploaded content is not used for the tool's machine learning.

Ethics Committee and Research Involving Humans and Animals

All research must comply with internationally recognized ethical principles, such as the Declaration of Helsinki.

  • Human/Animal Subjects: Research involving humans or animals must be approved by the appropriate institutional Ethics Committee (e.g., CEP/CEUA in Brazil). The approval number must be stated in the manuscript, and the approval certificate must be submitted as a supplementary file.
  • Informed Consent: When recognizable photographs or identifiable patient material are used, authors must obtain a signed Informed Consent Form and explicitly state this in the article.

Reporting Guidelines and Clinical Trials

  • Reporting Guidelines: Submissions reporting health research must follow specific guidelines (e.g., CONSORT for clinical trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews). Authors must submit the completed checklist as a supplementary file.
  • Clinical Trials: Clinical trials and systematic reviews/scoping reviews must be registered in recognized public databases (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, PROSPERO, OSF) before the first participant is included. Submissions without a registration number will be rejected without peer review.

Copyright, Intellectual Property and Terms of Use

Authors retain full copyright of their work without restrictions. Upon acceptance, authors must sign a Publishing Agreement and License Term, guaranteeing compliance with the journal's authorship, ethics, and licensing policies. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).