The Journal of Biological and Medical Innovations (JBMI) is committed to promoting the highest ethical standards in research, publication, and peer review. This Ethical Considerations Policy outlines the key principles and practices to ensure that the research published in the journal is conducted, evaluated, and disseminated in a manner that upholds integrity, transparency, and accountability. This policy applies to all authors, reviewers, and editors involved with JBMI.

1. Research Integrity:

• Honesty and Accuracy: Authors must ensure that their research is conducted with the highest level of honesty and integrity. This includes the accurate representation of research methods, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Any form of data fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of results will not be tolerated and will result in immediate rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

• Reproducibility: Authors should ensure that their research is reproducible and that others can verify the results. Detailed methods, data, and analysis techniques must be provided, allowing others to replicate the work where applicable.

• Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the objectivity or integrity of their research. This includes financial relationships, personal relationships, and any other situation that could influence the research. If a conflict of interest is identified, it must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

2. Ethical Approval for Human and Animal Studies:

• Human Research: For research involving human participants, authors must obtain approval from an institutional ethics review board (IRB) or ethical review committee before beginning the study. The study must be conducted in compliance with ethical principles, including those set out in the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and this should be clearly documented in the manuscript.

• Animal Research: For studies involving animals, authors must adhere to ethical guidelines for the care and use of animals in research. This includes obtaining approval from the relevant animal ethics committee and ensuring that the research minimizes harm to animals, following the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines or equivalent. Authors should justify the use of animals and provide details about the care and handling procedures used.

3. Plagiarism and Copyright:

• Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is original and free from plagiarism. Any use of previous work, whether by the author or others, must be properly cited and acknowledged. Self-plagiarism, or the reuse of one’s own previously published work without proper citation, is also considered unethical and will result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

• Copyright and Licensing: Authors must ensure that they have obtained proper permission to use copyrighted material, such as figures, tables, or data from other sources. The journal follows an open-access publishing model, and authors retain copyright of their work. However, the journal may request that the work is published under a specific Creative Commons license that allows for free use and distribution with proper attribution.

4. Ethical Conduct in Peer Review:

• Confidentiality: All reviewers and editors must maintain confidentiality during the peer review process. They should not share or discuss the manuscript with anyone outside the review process and should not use the manuscript for personal or professional gain.

• Impartiality: Reviewers and editors should provide impartial and objective evaluations of manuscripts, free from any bias related to the authors’ identities, affiliations, or personal opinions. If a reviewer has a conflict of interest, they must recuse themselves from evaluating the manuscript.

• Timeliness: Reviewers should provide feedback within a reasonable timeframe. Delays in the review process should be communicated to the editorial office, and alternative reviewers should be identified if necessary.

5. Publication Ethics:

• Authorship: All individuals who have made significant contributions to the research must be listed as authors. This includes contributions to the study’s conception, design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript writing. Authors should ensure that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript before submission and agree with the authorship order.

• Acknowledgments: Authors should acknowledge all sources of funding, support, and any contributions made by individuals or organizations that do not qualify for authorship but were involved in the research. Conflicts of interest, including funding sources, should be disclosed in the manuscript.

• Retractions and Corrections: If any errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action, including issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions as needed. The decision to retract an article will be made by the editorial team based on a thorough investigation of the issue, in line with COPE guidelines for retraction.

6. Ethical Considerations for Special Issues:

For special issues, guest editors and contributors are expected to follow the same ethical guidelines as outlined in this policy. Special issues will be subject to the same rigorous peer review and editorial standards, and any conflicts of interest associated with guest editors or contributors must be disclosed.

7. Transparency in Research and Publishing:

• Open Access: JBMI supports open access publishing to ensure that research is freely available to all readers, promoting the wide dissemination of scientific knowledge. Authors are encouraged to make their data, methods, and supplementary materials available to support the reproducibility and transparency of their research.

• Data Sharing: Authors are encouraged to deposit their research data in public repositories or make it available on request, where applicable, to facilitate transparency and further research. A data availability statement should be included in the manuscript.

8. Ethical Responsibility of the Editorial Team:

• Fair and Transparent Decision-Making: Editors are responsible for making fair and transparent decisions based on the quality and scientific merit of submitted manuscripts. They must handle all manuscripts impartially and ensure that no bias influences the decision-making process. The editorial team will follow COPE guidelines for managing ethical issues that arise during the publication process.

• Handling Allegations of Misconduct: If an ethical issue or allegation of misconduct arises, the editorial team will handle it promptly, following the appropriate steps outlined by COPE. This may involve investigating allegations of plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical violations. If necessary, the manuscript may be retracted or corrected.