Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Bionatura Journal
Bionatura is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and actively combats publication malpractice. We adhere to the guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
Ethical Guidelines for All Participants
Authors
- Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure their submitted work is original and does not infringe upon any copyright or intellectual property rights. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. The journal employs plagiarism detection tools to identify any potential misconduct.
- Data Integrity: Authors are expected to present accurate and reliable research data. Fabrication or falsification of data is unacceptable and constitutes serious research misconduct.
- Multiple Submissions: Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is unethical.
- Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the research. All authors must agree to the submission and take responsibility for the content of the manuscript. A clear description of each author's contribution should be provided.
- Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that might influence the research or its interpretation, including financial, personal, or professional relationships.
- Ethical Considerations: Research involving human subjects, animals, or the environment must adhere to all relevant ethical guidelines and obtain necessary approvals from appropriate institutional review boards or ethics committees. This should be clearly stated in the manuscript.
- Image Manipulation: Any manipulation of images, tables, or other material that alters the results or conclusions of the manuscript is prohibited.
The tutors' lack of inclusion as co-authors seriously breaches ethical publication standards, specifically violating Bionatura journal's guidelines. This omission misrepresents the collaborative nature of the research conducted within a supervised laboratory setting.
Bionatura Journal acknowledges all contributors who have significantly participated in the research process. Tutors, by providing guidance, resources, and expertise, play a crucial role in shaping the research project and ensuring its quality. Failing to include them as co-authors undermines their contributions and raises concerns about the publication's integrity.
Furthermore, this omission suggests a potential disconnect between the student's submitted work and the research environment where it was conducted. It raises questions about the extent of the student's independent contribution and the level of oversight the tutors provide.
To ensure ethical and transparent publication practices, Bionatura Journal requires all individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research to be included. This includes tutors who have supervised the student's work, provided feedback, and contributed to developing the research project.
By submitting the article with only the student's name, there is a misrepresentation of the research's origins and a failure to acknowledge the collaborative effort involved. This not only violates ethical guidelines but also undermines the credibility of the research itself.
Editors
- Impartiality and Confidentiality: Editors will evaluate manuscripts solely based on their scientific merit, without bias. All submitted manuscripts will be treated with strict confidentiality.
- Conflicts of Interest: Editors must avoid conflicts of interest that might influence their editorial decisions.
- Publication Decisions: Fair and unbiased publication decisions will be made based on peer reviewer recommendations.
- Corrections and Retractions: Errors or misconduct discovered after publication will be addressed promptly, including publishing errata or retractions if necessary.
Reviewers
- Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of assigned manuscripts.
- Objectivity and Impartiality: Constructive and unbiased feedback should be provided based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript.
- Promptness: Reviews should be completed in a timely manner.
- Conflicts of Interest: Any potential conflicts of interest that might affect their ability to provide an objective review must be disclosed.
Review Process
Submitted manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process, where authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other. Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on a set of questions tailored to the specific title and can also provide individual comments. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision based on reviewer recommendations.
Focus and Scope
Bionaturra is a specialized, inter-institutional, and interdisciplinary quarterly journal dedicated to disseminating scientific and technical advancements in the biotechnology sector, both in Ecuador and internationally. It publishes original research and other scientific articles in English and Spanish, following a peer-review process.
Open Access and Author Rights
Bionaturra is a non-profit, open-access journal. Authors retain copyright to their articles without restrictions.
Addressing Malpractice
Bionaturra takes all allegations of publication malpractice seriously. Concerns about potential misconduct will be investigated thoroughly, and appropriate action will be taken, which may include contacting authors or institutions, conducting formal investigations, and publishing corrections or retractions.
By adhering to these ethical guidelines, Bionaturra strives to maintain the highest standards of scientific publishing and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of biotechnology.
ETHICS POLICIES
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
Authors must reveal any possible conflicts of interest in their manuscript. This statement should cover any factor (financial or otherwise) that could potentially affect the study's results or conclusions. If there is no conflict, it should also be explicitly stated, typically with a phrase like: "The Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest."
AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS It is advisable to clarify each author's role in preparing the work.
All written material, images, or any other previously published format must be properly cited in the text and reference section by the authors. Unless specifically justified, it cannot include verbatim or parts of text from other publications. The publication will reject the manuscript and take appropriate action if this type of behavior is discovered using modern technological devices. Authors are required to obtain the necessary authorizations to reuse or modify portions of other publications, typically images, and accurately identify their authorship. The manipulation of images, tables, or other material to alter the manuscripts results or conclusions is prohibited. The journal may take further action if this type of manipulation is detected.
EXPERIMENTATION WITH HUMANS AND ANIMALS All works involving experimentation with humans or animals must adhere to the ethical standards of the relevant national and international institutions, which must be stated in the work. For studies involving human participants, the ethics committee that approved the study must state that the participants' informed consent was obtained where applicable.
Bioethical agreement: If the paper includes any material based on experiments performed on humans or animals, a declaration is required stating that an appropriate Commission has been notified and approved these experiments.
Review process: Submitted manuscripts that comply with the authors' instructions are subject to review by reviewers. The editors select reviewers based on the topics presented in the submitted article. Independent reviewers evaluate each paper in a double-masked review process, where authors and reviewers do not know each other's identities. Reviewers assess the work using an electronic system based on questions prepared for a specific title.
Reviewers may also provide individual comments on the article. The paper is approved for publication after the Editor-in-Chief receives a resounding endorsement from respected individuals.
Bionatura is committed to following ethical rules at all stages of publishing. In the medical industry, there are groups called COPE, ICMJE, and WAME. These groups have rules and guidelines for how to follow these rules.
Duties and responsibilities of authors: The author must prepare and submit the article following the requirements set out by the journal Editor. Furthermore, the author is required to submit an editorial, which will include a statement about the originality of the article's content, the integrity of others' copyright, and no conflict of interest or its application. Authors are responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships that might bias or be seen to bias their work.
Ethical Standards and Procedures Bionatura is dedicated to maintaining and promoting ethical standards at all stages of the publication process. We follow the rules set by groups like COPE, ICMJE, and WAME.
Duties and responsibilities of authors: Authors must prepare and submit their articles per the journal Editor's guidelines. Additionally, authors are required to submit an editorial accompanied by a statement that outlines the article's originality (it has not been previously published), adherence to the copyright of others, disclosure of any conflicts of interest, and authorization to publish the article in the journal. Authors must disclose all financial and personal relationships that could potentially bias their work.
Duties and responsibilities of reviewers: Articles are chosen for publication through a double-anonymized selection system and are published in an open-access system. Reviewers are tasked with reviewing the electronic system based on questions tailored for a specific title. Reviewers can also provide individual comments to be included in the article content.
Editors' responsibilities include selecting articles for publication. They do their jobs in a fair, balanced, and balanced way, without discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, or the authors' ethnic or geographic origin.
FOCUS AND REACH The Bionatura Journal serves as a specialized, inter-institutional, and interdisciplinary platform for disseminating scientific and technical advancements, technological innovations, and various topics related to the biotechnology sectors, both in Ecuador and internationally. The journal also acts as an effective communication channel among different biotechnology professionals.
It is a non-profit publication. Any income generated from advertising or services provided will be used for its operation and to improve its editing quality.
It is a quarterly journal specializing in biotechnology's theoretical, applied, and market development issues.
It publishes original research and other scientific articles, which are considered by its editorial board following a peer review process without considering the country of origin.
The publication languages are English and Spanish
Authors retain their rights to the articles without restrictions.