Publishing Ethics

The International Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences (IJPBCS) e-ISSN: 2278-5191 is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing practices in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. The journal strictly adheres to ethical policies to ensure the credibility and reliability of published research.

  1. Responsibilities of Authors

1.1. Originality and Plagiarism

  • Authors must ensure that their submissions are original and free from plagiarism, duplication, fabrication, or falsification of data.
  • The journal employs plagiarism detection software to screen all manuscripts.
  • If plagiarism is detected, the manuscript may be rejected, retracted, or corrected, following COPE guidelines.

1.2. Authorship and Contribution

  • Authorship should be limited to individuals who have significantly contributed to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study.
  • All authors must:
    • Approve the final version of the manuscript.
    • Agree to be accountable for the research content.
    • Provide clear disclosures regarding funding and institutional affiliations.
  • Ghostwriting, guest authorship, and honorary authorship are strictly prohibited.

1.3. Data Integrity and Reproducibility

  • Authors must present accurate, complete, and reproducible research findings.
  • Data should not be manipulated, falsified, or misrepresented.
  • Authors may be required to submit raw data for verification upon request.

1.4. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

  • Research involving human participants must have been approved by an Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) and comply with the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Animal studies must follow international ethical guidelines such as those set by the ARRIVE or NIH guidelines.
  • Authors must obtain written informed consent from participants for studies involving human subjects.

1.5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure

  • Authors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional conflicts of interest that may affect the integrity of their work.
  1. Responsibilities of Editors

2.1. Editorial Independence and Objectivity

  • The editorial team makes decisions based solely on scientific merit, free from institutional, financial, or personal bias.
  • Editors must handle manuscripts fairly, confidentially, and transparently.

2.2. Handling of Ethical Concerns

  • The Editor-in-Chief has the authority to reject, retract, or correct manuscripts if ethical misconduct is identified.
  • COPE guidelines will be followed in cases of:
    • Plagiarism, duplicate submission, or data fabrication.
    • Undeclared conflicts of interest.
    • Ethical violations in research involving human or animal subjects.

2.3. Peer Review Oversight

  • Editors must ensure that the double-blind peer review process is fair, confidential, and unbiased.
  • Editors must not disclose any manuscript-related information to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or editorial staff involved in the process.
  1. Responsibilities of Reviewers

3.1. Confidentiality and Objectivity

  • Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and not share manuscript details with unauthorized individuals.
  • Reviews should be constructive, objective, and free from personal bias.

3.2. Ethical Reporting

  • If reviewers suspect plagiarism, data falsification, ethical violations, or conflicts of interest, they must report it to the editor.
  • If a reviewer has a conflict of interest, they must decline the review.
  1. Ethical Issues and Misconduct Handling

4.1. Retraction and Corrections

  • If ethical violations are discovered post-publication, the journal follows COPE Retraction Guidelines, which include:
    • Corrections for minor errors that do not affect the study’s conclusions.
    • Retractions for serious ethical breaches, data fabrication, or plagiarism.
    • Expressions of Concern if an investigation is ongoing.

4.2. Complaints and Appeals

  • Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing a detailed justification.
  • Ethical concerns should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief, and if unresolved, referred to COPE for independent guidance.
  1. Copyright and Open Access Policy
  • The journal follows an open-access policy, ensuring that all published content is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) License.
  • Authors retain copyright while granting the journal the right to publish, distribute, and archive the manuscript.

By submitting to IJPBCS, authors, reviewers, and editors agree to abide by these ethical standards to ensure the integrity and reliability of scientific publishing.