Publications Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Journal of Modern Techniques in Biology and Allied Sciences adheres to the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the COPE Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers. Additionally, the journal follows the recommendations of the ICMJE regarding the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work, expecting authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold these best-practice standards for ethical conduct.

Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for using their best judgment and skills to manage various tasks, including enhancing the quality and integrity of the journal, meeting the needs of authors and readers, and promoting academic debate. Other general duties include:

  • Continuously improving the journal's quality and integrity.
  • Ensuring the needs of authors and readers are met.
  • Encouraging academic debate and discourse.

Editorial Board

The Editorial Board consists of recognized experts in relevant fields. The journal’s website will list the full names, professional affiliations, and current contact details of the board members.

Publication Decisions

Editors are responsible for deciding which submitted papers are suitable for publication. These decisions should be based on the validity of the work and its relevance to scholars and readers. Decisions must also consider the journal’s policies, legal requirements, copyright issues, and potential plagiarism. Editors may consult other editors or reviewers if needed.

Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo peer review. Initially, editors assess the manuscripts to determine if they meet the journal’s scope and quality standards. Manuscripts that are deemed appropriate are then reviewed by two independent experts in the field. Reviewers categorize manuscripts as publishable with revisions, publishable as is, or not publishable. Reviewers’ evaluations typically include clear recommendations for action. Authors will receive the reviewers’ comments.

Editors should be prepared to justify any significant deviations from established procedures and should not change publication decisions unless there are substantial reasons.

Fair Play

Manuscripts should be evaluated based on intellectual merit alone, without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, citizenship, or political views. The criteria for acceptance should be the manuscript’s significance, originality, clarity, and alignment with the journal’s aims.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts and related information must be kept confidential. The editor and editorial staff should only share details of a submitted manuscript with the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished information from submitted manuscripts should not be used by the editor for personal research without the author's explicit written consent. Peer review knowledge should remain confidential and not be used for personal gain. Editors should avoid reviewing manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest related to any authors, institutions, or organizations associated with the paper. Any disclosed conflicts of interest should be published if discovered after the article's publication.

Procedures for Addressing Unethical Behavior

Any unethical behavior should be reported to the editor and publisher with sufficient details and evidence to allow for investigation. All allegations must be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly, even if discovered long after publication. The editor, in collaboration with the publisher, should take appropriate action based on the severity of the misconduct. This may include contacting the author, the relevant institutions, or other research bodies.

For serious misconduct, possible actions include:

  • Educating or informing the author or reviewer about the misunderstanding or misapplication of standards.
  • Publishing a formal notification of the offense.
  • Issuing a formal letter to the director of the involved organization.
  • Retraction of the publication and notifying the department head.
  • Imposing a formal embargo on contributions from the involved parties for a set period.

Authors' Obligations and Duties

Publication and Submission Fees

There are no charges for manuscript processing. Authors are only required to pay for any conference registration fees. All applicable costs should be transparent on the journal’s website before manuscript preparation.

Open Access Policy

All articles published by JMTBAS are available worldwide under an Open Access policy, as per the Budapest Open Access Initiative. Readers can access, download, copy, and distribute the full text of articles for non-commercial purposes without subscription or access fees. Journal of Modern Techniques in Biology and Allied Sciences supports open access and adheres to the policies of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), DOAJ, and the Budapest Open Access Initiative.

Reporting Standards

Authors should provide an accurate summary of their work and a balanced analysis of its significance. The paper must accurately represent the underlying data and provide sufficient information and citations for replication. False or misleading statements are considered unethical.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to submit raw data for editorial review and should retain data for a reasonable period after publication, making it accessible to the public if necessary.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure their work is original and properly cite or quote any sources used. All manuscripts are initially screened for plagiarism using Turnitin. Plagiarism is handled according to COPE guidelines, and the following steps should be taken if plagiarism is detected:

  1. Report the issue to the journal editor.
  2. Provide both the original and plagiarized articles with the plagiarized sections highlighted.
  3. If evidence of plagiarism is confirmed, the editor should arrange a disciplinary meeting.
  4. If the authors are found guilty, they should be asked to explain.
  5. If there is no satisfactory explanation or response, the article should be retracted.
  6. The author should be banned from submitting to the journal for at least six months.
  7. Notify the head of the author’s institution.

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications

Authors should not submit the same research to multiple journals simultaneously. Submitting a previously published manuscript to another journal is generally considered unethical. If a manuscript is republished, the original reference must be cited.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must give proper credit for any contributions or works used. Information obtained informally or through confidential services must not be used or reported without explicit written consent.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be attributed to individuals who have significantly contributed to the study’s conception, design, implementation, or interpretation. All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors, and those who contributed in other ways should be recognized appropriately. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors have seen, approved, and agreed to the manuscript.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, should be disclosed by all authors. Funding sources and any potential conflicts should be declared promptly. All contributors should disclose their conflicts of interest and any relevant disclosures should be published if discovered post-publication.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

Authors are responsible for contacting the publisher or journal editor to correct any significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work. If a third party identifies a serious error, the author must work with the editor to retract or correct the manuscript.

Reviewers' Obligations and Responsibilities

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review supports editorial decisions and helps refine manuscripts. It is a vital part of scholarly communication. Authors should conduct thorough reviews if they wish to contribute to academic journals.

Promptness

Reviewers who feel unqualified to evaluate a manuscript or cannot do so promptly should inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts must be handled confidentially and not discussed or shared without the editor’s permission.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be objective and free from personal comments about the author. Reviewers should provide clear and well-supported feedback.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should ensure that authors have cited all relevant work. Any overlap or similarity with other published papers should be noted and reported to the editor.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for their research without the author's written permission. Conflicts of interest should be declared, and reviewers should avoid reviewing manuscripts where they have potential conflicts related to any authors or institutions involved.

Human Rights and Animal Rights

Research involving human or animal subjects must have institutional review board or ethics committee approval. This information should be included in the manuscript, specifying the approving board/committee. Human research should adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki.

For Research Involving Human Subjects

Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and their privacy must be protected. The manuscript should state whether informed consent was obtained, and if not, provide a clear explanation approved by the ethics committee.

Links: