Publication Ethics

Publication of articles in peer-reviewed JIESBI journals is an important foundation in the development of a coherent and respected knowledge network. This is a direct reflection of the quality of the author's work and the institutions that support it. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. Therefore, it is important to agree on standards of ethical behavior that are expected for all parties involved in the act of publishing: authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and the public. This statement is based on the COPE Best Practices Guidelines for Journal Editors.

JIESBI journal editors are responsible for deciding which articles submitted to the journal should be published. Validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers should always drive such decisions. Editors may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and limited by applicable legal requirements regarding defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editors can consult with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Fair play

An editor at all times evaluates manuscripts based on their intellectual content without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy.

Confidentiality

Editors and any editorial staff should not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript may not be used in the editor's own research without written permission from the author.

Reviewer Duties

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review helps editors in making editorial decisions and through editorial communication with authors can also help authors in improving papers.

Speed

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that prompt review is not possible should notify the editor and seek permission from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscript received for review must be treated as a confidential document. The document may not be shown or discussed with others except with the permission of the editor.

Objectivity Standards

The review must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. The referee must express his views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards

Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors are asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

Originality and Plagiarism

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

Multiple, Redundant or Consurrent Publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of the Paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and Confilcts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.