POLICIES
Ethical Publishing Principles
Biophysics and Beyond is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical frameworks, including:
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices
All parties involved in the publication process - authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher - are expected to uphold these standards.
Research Integrity and Misconduct
The journal strictly prohibits scientific misconduct, including but not limited to:
- Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
- Data fabrication or falsification
- Image manipulation beyond acceptable standards
- Duplicate or redundant publication
- Misrepresentation of authorship or affiliations
Evaluation of misconduct are handled in accordance with COPE flowcharts. Investigations may involve requests for raw data, institutional notification, or formal retraction where warranted.
Plagiarism Detection and Originality Screening
All submissions are screened using plagiarism-detection software prior to peer review.
- Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity will be rejected.
- Legitimate reuse (e.g., methods) must be properly cited.
- Authors are fully responsible for originality.
Authorship and Contributorship Policy
Authorship must be based on substantial intellectual contribution, including:
- Study conception or design
- Data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
- Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
All authors must:
- Approve the final manuscript
- Agree to be accountable for the work
Changes to authorship after submission require written consent from all authors and editorial approval.
Author Affiliations and Identity Transparency
Authors must provide:
- Accurate institutional affiliations
- Valid contact information
- Unique researcher identifiers where available (e.g., ORCID)
Misrepresentation of affiliation or identity constitutes ethical misconduct.
Conflicts of Interest Policy
All participants in the publication process must disclose any financial, personal, academic, or institutional conflicts of interest that could influence judgment.
- Authors must include a Conflict of Interest statement.
- Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves when conflicts exist.
- Declared conflicts do not necessarily preclude publication but must be transparent.
Funding Disclosure
Authors must clearly identify:
- All sources of financial support
- Grant numbers (if applicable)
- The role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, or publication
If no funding was received, authors must explicitly state this.
Human and Animal Research Ethics
Research involving human participants or animals must comply with international ethical standards.
- Human studies require approval from an appropriate ethics committee and informed consent.
- Animal studies must follow recognized welfare guidelines and justify experimental design.
- Ethics approval details must be included in the manuscript.
Data Availability, Transparency, and Reproducibility
The journal supports open and reproducible science.
Authors are encouraged to:
- Deposit data in recognized public repositories
- Provide access to code, protocols, and materials where feasible
- Include a clear Data Availability Statement
Restrictions on data access must be justified.
Image Integrity and Manipulation
Images must accurately represent original data.
- Adjustments must be applied uniformly and disclosed.
- Selective enhancement or deletion is prohibited.
- Original images may be requested during review or post-publication.
Use of Artificial Intelligence and Automated Tools
The use of AI-assisted tools must be transparent and responsible.
- AI tools may assist with language editing or data processing.
- AI tools may not be listed as authors.
- Authors remain fully responsible for content accuracy and originality.
Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use may constitute misconduct.
Peer Review Ethics and Integrity
The journal is committed to ethical peer review.
- Reviewer identities are protected in double-blind review.
- Reviewers must maintain confidentiality.
- Coercive citation, bias, or misuse of confidential information is prohibited.
Editorial Independence and Governance
Editorial decisions are made independently and based solely on:
- Scientific merit
- Originality
- Methodological rigor
- Relevance to journal scope
The publisher, sponsors, or advertisers do not influence editorial decisions.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
The journal follows COPE guidelines to correct the scholarly record.
- Corrections address honest errors.
- Retractions address unreliable or unethical work.
- Expressions of Concern may be issued during investigations.
All notices are permanently linked to the original article.
Appeals and Complaints Procedure
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned request.
- Appeals are reviewed by senior editors not involved in the original decision.
- Complaints related to ethics, bias, or process are investigated transparently.
Post-Publication Discussion and Responsibility
Authors remain responsible for the accuracy of their work after publication.
- Legitimate scholarly debate is encouraged.
- Substantive concerns raised post-publication will be investigated.
Copyright, Licensing, and Access
Authors retain copyright of their published articles and grant Biophysics and Beyond the right of first publication.
All works are licensed under CC BY 4.0 allowing unrestricted reuse with proper attribution.
Authors may distribute their published articles elsewhere with acknowledgment of the original publication in Biophysics and Beyond.
Policy Updates
These policies are reviewed periodically and updated as needed to reflect evolving ethical standards and best practices. Significant changes will be announced on the journal website.