Publication Ethics

1. Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and not previously published elsewhere. Proper citation must be used for any material that is quoted or referenced.
• Authorship and Acknowledgement: Only those who made significant contributions to the research should be listed as authors. Contributions from other individuals or organizations must be appropriately acknowledged.
• Data Integrity: Authors must accurately represent their data and avoid any form of data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All potential conflicts of interest and sources of financial support must be disclosed by authors in their submissions.
• Timely and Ethical Reporting: Authors must report findings in a truthful manner, including any negative results. If an error or inaccuracy is found post-publication, the authors should promptly notify the editor.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents and should not be disclosed to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.
• Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with clear and constructive feedback to assist authors in improving their work.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest may exist with the authors, institutions, or the content itself.
• Timeliness: Reviewers are expected to complete their reviews within the agreed timeframe to ensure timely processing of submissions.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

• Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for making the final decision on whether an article should be accepted, rejected, or revised. This decision should be based on the manuscript's significance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope.
• Fair Play: Manuscripts will be evaluated solely on their intellectual merit without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
• Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must ensure that all submitted manuscripts are treated with confidentiality during and after the review process.
• Integrity and Misconduct Handling: Editors should take appropriate action if ethical complaints arise regarding a submitted or published manuscript. This includes prompt investigations and, if necessary, issuing corrections, retractions, or apologies.

4. Publication and Research Integrity

• Human and Animal Rights: If the research involves experiments on humans or animals, authors must provide evidence that all experiments were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines.
• Informed Consent: Appropriate consents and permissions must be obtained if research involves human participants, and these should be clearly mentioned in the manuscript.
• Retraction Policy: If ethical violations or errors are discovered in published works, the journal reserves the right to retract or correct the paper as necessary.

5. General Ethical Standards

• Ethical Oversight: JFSBS upholds high ethical standards to promote transparency, integrity, and accountability in scientific publishing.
• Compliance with Guidelines: Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to all ethical guidelines outlined by JFSBS and by external bodies, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

By adopting these guidelines, JFSBS aims to foster a culture of ethical publication practices and ensure trust in the scientific community. Please let me know if you would like any customization or additions.