General Declaration

Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine strongly considers the "ethical standards for publication" to ensure "high-quality scientific publications", which grants the public trust for the scientific findings as to the proof-of-concept and the proof-of-transformative technology. Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine follows Helsinki Declaration.

Click to read the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.

Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine restrictedly adheres to the “Code of Conduct” and the “Best Practice Guidelines” and "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing".

Click to download the PDF file of the “Code of Conduct and the Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors” provided by COPE.

Click to download the PDF file of the “Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers (Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing)".

Ethics in Animal Research

To ensure rigorous adherence to ethical practices in animal research, the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine requires researchers to comply with the following guidelines when conducting studies and preparing manuscripts:

The 3 Rs stand for Replacement, Reduction and Refinement

• Reduction: Use the fewest number of animals necessary to maintain the scientific validity of the research.
• Refinement: Improve experimental methods to reduce pain, stress, and discomfort for animals.
• Replacement: Employ alternative approaches such as cell cultures or computer models when feasible to minimize the use of live animals.

Ethics Committee Approval

All animal research must be approved in advance by a recognized ethics committee, such as the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or an equivalent body.

Commitment to Ethical Conduct

Researchers must design and conduct studies that minimize potential harm and distress to animals.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could compromise the objectivity of their research.

Animal Welfare Considerations

Animals must be provided with appropriate care throughout the study, including suitable temperature control, lighting, ventilation, and access to food and water.

Comprehensive Reporting

Manuscripts must include thorough and transparent documentation of the research, specifying the number of animals used, experimental methodologies, and results to ensure reproducibility and accountability.

Termination of Experiments in Cases of Severe Pain

Experiments must be promptly stopped if an animal experiences severe and uncontrollable pain. Humane euthanasia should be performed according to established international guidelines.

Humane Euthanasia

When necessary, euthanasia must be carried out using humane procedures that comply with international standards to ensure a painless death.

Ethical Compliance Statement

Manuscripts must include a declaration that confirms adherence to ethical principles and the receipt of necessary ethics committee approvals.

Compliance with International Guidelines

Researchers must follow established guidelines, including ARRIVE and IACUC standards, to enhance the quality and transparency of animal research.

• ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments): Ensures comprehensive reporting of animal research, detailing methodologies, variables, and the number and type of animals used to promote reproducibility and reliability.
• IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee): Reviews and approves animal study protocols, ensuring compliance with welfare standards and minimizing animal harm.

Regular Monitoring

Independent ethics committees should regularly review adherence to these guidelines and recommend updates as needed.

These ethical standards are designed to safeguard animal welfare, uphold the integrity of research, and enhance the credibility of published findings. Adherence to these principles is essential for all authors submitting to the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine.

Ethics in Human Research

This study was conducted in full compliance with ethical standards and clinical trial guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki and local ethics committee regulations. The following measures were implemented to ensure participant safety and rights:

Ethics Committee Review and Approval

The research protocol was approved by an ethics committee prior to the study’s commencement. Any modifications during the research process were subject to further review and approval.

Informed Consent

Participants were fully informed about the study’s purpose, procedures, potential benefits, and risks. Written informed consent was obtained to confirm that participation was voluntary and well-informed.

Ensuring Participant Safety

The safety and well-being of participants were prioritized at all stages of the study. Continuous health monitoring was conducted, and any adverse effects were promptly managed. Protective measures were in place to safeguard participants in the event of potential risks.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Participants’ personal information was collected under strict confidentiality and analyzed in an anonymized format. Only authorized personnel had access to personal data, ensuring privacy and preventing identity disclosure.

Right to Withdraw

Participants had the right to withdraw from the study at any point without impacting their access to medical care or future treatment.

Conflict of Interest Management

Researchers were required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest to ensure the study’s objectivity and impartiality.

By following these comprehensive ethical practices, the study upheld the highest standards for protecting participant rights and maintaining ethical conduct throughout the research process.

Publication Ethics

Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine is considering the committee's guidelines in all aspects of publication ethics. You can find some of COPE's instructions below. Also, everyone could receive a complete set of 17 flowcharts (PDF, 476 kb).

Academic dishonesty

Suspected redundant (duplicate) publication of a submitted manuscript (PDF, 60 kb) and in a published article (PDF, 84 kb)

Suspected plagiarism in a submitted manuscript (PDF, 80 kb) and in a published article (PDF, 76 kb)
Suspect fabricated data in a submitted manuscript (PDF, 84 kb) and in a published article (PDF, 84 kb)

Authorship

Request for addition of extra author before (PDF, 52 kb) or after publication (PDF, 68 kb)
Request for removal of the author before publication (PDF, 52 kb)
Request for removal of author Suspected guest, ghost, or gift authorship (PDF, 76 kb)
Advice on how to spot authorship problems (PDF, 64 kb)

Conflict of Interest (CoI)

If a reviewer suspects an undisclosed conflict of interest in a submitted manuscript (PDF, 56 kb)
If a reader suspects an undisclosed conflict of interest in a published article (PDF, 56 kb)

Other considerations

If we suspect an ethical problem with a submitted manuscript (PDF, 68 kb)
If we suspect a reviewer has appropriated an author’s idea or data (PDF, 88 kb)
How COPE handles complaints against editors (PDF, 68 kb)

Plagiarism, Duplicated Publication, Data Fabrication, and Falsification

Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine is committed to publishing original studies and timely reviews that have neither been published nor are under review elsewhere. Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine is powered by CrossCheck™, iThenticate™, and CrossMark™, and all the submitted manuscripts (MSs) are subjected to the CrossCheck. Taken all, all plagiarized materials will incur the “Plagiarism Sanctions”.

Submitted MSs, which are found to be published or under review elsewhere, will be sustained and experience the “Duplicated Publication Sanctions”.

Submitted MSs, which are found to include either fabricated or falsified data including the manipulation of images, will confront the “Data Fabrication/Falsification Sanctions”.

Redundant Publications

All the redundant publications, which are involved in an inappropriate dividing of study outcomes into several articles, will face “Redundant Publication Sanctions”.

Citation Manipulation

All the submitted MSs found to have manipulated citations primarily for just increasing the number of citations to a given author(s) or article(s) will incur the “Citation Manipulation Sanctions”.

Image Manipulation

While we understand that authors may sometimes need to manipulate images for clarity, any manipulation intended to deceive or commit fraud is considered a severe breach of scientific ethics and will be dealt with accordingly.

Authors must adhere to the following guidelines regarding the manipulation of graphical images:

- No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced.

- Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are permissible only if they do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original image.

- Nonlinear adjustments, such as changes to gamma settings, must be disclosed in the figure legend.

- The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts is not permitted. Please refer to our policy on the use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in figures, images, and artwork.

To ensure compliance with these guidelines, the journal may send your images to a third-party service for screening for image irregularities. Our editors may request the original data or images if any concerns arise from the screening process. The final decision regarding the acceptability of images will be made by our editors.

Authors are strongly encouraged to carefully review all images before submission and ensure that all data in figures are connected to the original, unprocessed data.

Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

Authors are required to declare the use of generative AI in the scientific writing process upon submission of their paper. The following guidelines apply specifically to the writing process and do not cover the use of AI tools for data analysis or insights as part of the research:

- Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should be used solely to enhance the readability and language of the manuscript.

- The use of such technology must involve human oversight and control. Authors should carefully review and edit the AI-generated content, as AI can produce authoritative-sounding text that may be incorrect, incomplete, or biased. Authors remain fully responsible and accountable for the content of their work.

- AI and AI-assisted technologies must not be listed or cited as an author or co-author on the manuscript, as authorship entails responsibilities that can only be fulfilled by humans.

To declare the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in scientific writing, authors must include a statement at the end of the manuscript upon its initial submission. This statement will be published in the final work and should be placed in a new section before the references list. An example is provided below:

- Title of new section: Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process

- Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] to [REASON]. After utilizing this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

This declaration is not required for the use of basic tools, such as those for checking grammar, spelling, and references. If no generative AI was used, no statement is necessary.

Gift Authorship

All listed authors are required to have significant scientific contributions to the research of the submitted MS and also approved the claimed findings. Gift Authorship, an author without any significant scientific contribution, will meet with the “Gift Authorship Sanctions”.

According to the ICMJE, the authorship should be based on the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
• Final approval of the version published.
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Retraction

Based on the COPE guidelines on the retraction, the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine will consider retracting a publication if:

• It has clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g. data fabrication) or honest error (e.g. miscalculation or experimental error).
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper crossreferencing, permission, or justification (i.e. cases of redundant publication).
• It constitutes plagiarism.
• It reports unethical research.

Sanctions

In the case of the occurrence documented violations of the aforementioned policies of the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine, it is the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine’s right to apply the following sanctions:

• Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine keeps all the rights to retract the infringing published works at any time found based on the COPE guideline for retracting articles.
• A prohibition against all the authors for any new submissions to the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine for a minimum of 24 months.
• A prohibition against all the infringed authors from serving as a reviewer to acting as a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine for a minimum of 36 months.
• In cases of occurrence of violations found to be particularly ostensible, the Journal of Biochemicals and Phytomedicine reserves the right to apply additional sanctions beyond the aforementioned actions.

Policy for Addressing Complaints:

Upon receiving a complaint, an acknowledgment will be sent to the complainant, assuring them that appropriate action will be taken within seven working days, excluding the date of receipt. The journal’s handling team will begin the investigation process following the Editor-In-Chief's instructions. Once the investigation is complete, a meeting will be conducted to review the report and make a decision, which will then be communicated to the concerned scholar via their provided email address. We view complaints as opportunities to improve our Manuscript Processing System. All complaints are handled with courtesy and in a timely manner.