Publication Ethics Statement | Insights in Biology and Medicine

Insights in Biology and Medicine is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity in all aspects of our publishing activities. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of all parties involved in the publication process and our commitment to addressing ethical concerns promptly and fairly.

Guiding Principles and Compliance

Ethical Framework

Our publication ethics are guided by international standards and best practices:

Primary Reference Guidelines

COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics): Core practices and flowcharts
ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors): Recommendations for medical journals
WAME (World Association of Medical Editors): Editorial policies and best practices
DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals): Standards for open access publishing
Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research

Editorial Responsibilities

Editorial Integrity and Independence

Editors maintain the highest standards of editorial integrity:

Decision Making

Make independent decisions based solely on academic merit
Maintain transparency in editorial processes and criteria
Provide clear communication to authors throughout the process
Ensure timely and fair evaluation of all submissions

Confidentiality and Privacy

Protect the confidentiality of authors' work and identities
Maintain reviewer anonymity throughout the process
Safeguard personal information of all parties
Prevent unauthorized access to manuscript data

Conflict of Interest Management

Editors must declare and manage potential conflicts:

Conflict Type	Examples	Required Action
Personal Relationships	Family members, close personal friends	Immediate recusal from handling
Professional Collaborations	Current research collaborators, recent co-authors	Declaration and potential reassignment
Financial Interests	Stock ownership, consulting relationships	Mandatory disclosure and recusal
Academic Competition	Direct competitors in same research area	Assessment of objectivity needed

Author Responsibilities

Originality and Attribution

Authors must ensure the integrity of their submissions:

Submit only original work not published elsewhere

Properly cite and acknowledge all sources

Avoid plagiarism in all forms

Disclose any overlap with previous publications

Obtain permission for reproduced content

Ethical Violation: Submitting the same research to multiple journals simultaneously, republishing previously published work without new analysis, or failing to cite relevant prior work by the authors or others.

Authorship Criteria

We adhere to ICMJE authorship criteria. All authors must meet all four conditions:

Substantial contributions to conception, design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
Drafting or critical revision of the article for important intellectual content
Final approval of the version to be published
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Best Practice: Include an author contributions statement using CRediT taxonomy to clearly describe each author's specific contributions.

Data Integrity and Reproducibility

Authors are responsible for research integrity:

Data Standards

Present accurate and objective interpretation of research findings
Provide sufficient detail to permit replication
Retain raw data for reasonable period post-publication
Make data available upon reasonable request
Deposit data in appropriate repositories when possible

Reviewer Responsibilities

Constructive and Ethical Review

Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining publication quality:

Review Standards

Provide objective, constructive, and unbiased assessments
Complete reviews within agreed timeframe
Maintain confidentiality of review process
Declare conflicts of interest immediately
Identify relevant published work not cited

Unethical Behavior: Using confidential information from unpublished manuscripts for personal advantage, delaying review to benefit competing research, or making derogatory personal comments about authors.

Research Integrity Standards

Human Subjects Research

Research involving human participants must comply with ethical standards:

Institutional review board approval

Informed consent from all participants

Protection of participant privacy and confidentiality

Clinical trial registration where applicable

Adherence to Declaration of Helsinki principles

Animal Research

Studies involving animals must demonstrate ethical compliance:

Requirement	Documentation Needed	Standards
Ethical Approval	Institutional animal care committee approval	AAALAC, national guidelines
Welfare Standards	Adherence to the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine)	ARRIVE guidelines
Housing and Care	Description of housing conditions and veterinary care	Species-specific guidelines
Euthanasia	Humane methods description	AVMA euthanasia guidelines

Conflicts of Interest

Comprehensive Disclosure

All parties must disclose potential conflicts:

Financial Conflicts

Employment or consulting relationships
Stock ownership or options
Patent applications or registrations
Research funding from commercial entities
Travel grants or honoraria

Non-Financial Conflicts

Personal relationships
Academic competition
Intellectual passion
Political or religious beliefs
Institutional affiliations

Ethical Violations and Sanctions

Investigation Process

1 Complaint Receipt

All ethical concerns are documented and acknowledged within 5 working days. Concerns can be submitted via email to [email protected].

2 Initial Assessment

The Editor-in-Chief conducts preliminary assessment to determine validity and severity of concerns.

3 Investigation Committee

For serious allegations, an ad-hoc ethics committee is formed with relevant expertise and no conflicts.

4 Evidence Collection

All relevant documentation is collected, including communications, original data, and expert opinions.

5 Decision and Action

The committee makes recommendations for appropriate actions, which may include corrections, retractions, or sanctions.

6 Communication

All parties are informed of outcomes, and public notices are issued when appropriate.

Sanctions Framework

Minor Violations

Examples: Minor citation errors, unintentional duplicate publication, inadequate data description

Actions: Correction notice, author education, warning letter

Moderate Violations

Examples: Inappropriate authorship, undeclared conflicts of interest, data manipulation

Actions: Expression of concern, retraction, temporary publishing ban (1-2 years)

Severe Violations

Examples: Data fabrication, plagiarism, ethical violations in research conduct

Actions: Immediate retraction, permanent publishing ban, notification of institutions

Corrections and Retractions

Correction Policy

We publish corrections when errors affect interpretation:

Correction Type	When Used	Process
Erratum	Publisher-introduced errors	Published by journal, linked to original article
Corrigendum	Author-introduced errors	Initiated by authors, approved by editors
Addendum	Additional information or clarification	Author-initiated, editor-approved

Retraction Policy

Articles are retracted for serious ethical breaches or invalid results:

Clear retraction statement indicating reason

Identification of retracted article

Transparency about who is retracting

Maintenance of original article with retraction watermark

Notification to indexing services

Data and Image Integrity

Image Manipulation Standards

We maintain strict standards for image presentation:

Permitted Adjustments

Minor brightness/contrast adjustments applied equally
Cropping to remove irrelevant areas
Color space conversions
Size adjustments maintaining resolution

Prohibited Manipulations

Selective enhancement or obscuring of features
Removal or addition of elements
Cloning or duplication without indication
Misrepresentation of composite images

Appeals and Complaints

Appeal Procedure

1 Appeal Submission

Authors may appeal editorial decisions within 30 days by submitting formal appeal with detailed justification.

2 Appeal Review

The Editor-in-Chief or designated senior editor reviews the appeal, original decision, and any new information.

3 Independent Assessment

For complex cases, independent experts may be consulted to provide additional perspective.

4 Final Decision

The appeal committee makes a final decision, which is communicated to the authors with detailed explanation.

Whistleblower Protection

Reporting Protection

We protect individuals who report ethical concerns in good faith:

Confidentiality for whistleblowers
Protection against retaliation
Independent investigation of concerns
Transparent process while protecting identities

Reporting Channels: Concerns can be reported anonymously through our secure reporting system or directly to the ethics committee.

Education and Training

Capacity Building

We provide resources to support ethical publishing practices:

Educational Resources

Author guidelines and tutorials
Reviewer training materials
Ethics case studies and examples
Regular updates on policy changes

Partnerships: We collaborate with research integrity offices and provide workshops on publication ethics.

Monitoring and Compliance

Ongoing Compliance

We maintain several systems to ensure ethical compliance:

System	Purpose	Frequency
Plagiarism Detection	Identify textual similarity and potential plagiarism	All submissions
Image Screening	Detect inappropriate image manipulation	Selected manuscripts
Data Verification	Validate statistical analyses and data integrity	High-impact studies
Author Verification	Confirm author identities and contributions	Random sampling

Ethics Committee Contact

For questions, concerns, or reports regarding publication ethics:

Ethics Committee Chair:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (555) 123-4571

Secure Reporting:
Online Form: https://www.biologymedjournal.com/ethics-report

COPE Membership:
We are members of the Committee on Publication Ethics and follow their guidelines.

Response Time: We acknowledge all ethics inquiries within 3 working days and provide initial assessment within 15 working days.

Policy Review: This Publication Ethics Statement is reviewed annually and updated as needed to reflect evolving best practices in publication ethics. Last comprehensive review: October 2023.

Applicability: This policy applies to all content published in Insights in Biology and Medicine and all individuals involved in the publication process.

Related Policies: This statement should be read in conjunction with our Plagiarism Policy, Peer Review Policy, and other ethical guidelines available on our website.