Ethics Policy
POLICY OF ETHICS AND MALPRACTICES
Background
Buitenzorg: Journal of Tropical Science has to ensure that all published works within the journal follow the ethical principles of academic publishing. Therefore, it is essential to set an ethical standard for all stakeholders to create a conducive environment and avoid problems that may arise due to a certain conflict of interest. This document presents the policy of Buitenzorg: Journal of Tropical Science on the respective publication ethics and malpractice statement as guidance for all stakeholders of the journal.
Authorship
To ensure fair and accurate representation, only individuals who have made significant contributions to the manuscript's conception, design, execution, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation should be listed as authors. Other individuals who have played an important role in the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate co-authors are included.
If any changes to the author list or order are necessary before publication, a letter signed by all authors must be submitted to the Chief Editor, along with an updated author statement form (Form A) from each author.
Responsibilities of authors
Authors have a number of responsibilities when submitting their work to the Buitenzorg: Journal of Tropical Science. Firstly, they must comply with the journal's peer review process. It is also their responsibility to ensure that the data they present is original, accurate, and not fraudulent, and to provide data when requested. Additionally, the manuscript submitted must not be under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere. If any part of the data has been published previously, the sources must be acknowledged appropriately. When using data from other sources, proper citation and permission are required. Authors should ensure that their animal studies are conducted in accordance with animal ethics and welfare standards. Furthermore, any potential conflict of interest, including financial, personal, or other relationships with organizations or individuals related to their work, must be disclosed. In the Acknowledgement, authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research project, study sponsors (if any), and their role in the research or study. Lastly, authors must be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when needed.
Responsibilities of reviewers
As a reviewer for Buitenzorg: Journal of Tropical Science, you play a critical role in improving the quality of the manuscripts through an objective and timely review process. Please contribute to the decision-making process by providing constructive feedback and recommendations. If you notice any previously published or submitted content that is similar to the manuscript under review, please inform the editor.
It's important to maintain impartiality and avoid any conflicts of interest regarding the research, authors, or research funders. Furthermore, you should respect the confidentiality of any information provided by the editor or authors.
Responsibilities of editors
Editors hold the ultimate responsibility and authority to accept or reject manuscripts. They must avoid any conflicts of interest when making these decisions. Editors are expected to act with objectivity and fairness and avoid any discrimination based on the authors' gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, or geographical origin. Manuscripts should be accepted solely based on their academic merit and should not be influenced by commercial interests. Editors must ensure the anonymity of reviewers is preserved.
Conflict of interest
It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to disclose any potential conflicts of interest regarding financial, personal, or other relationships with individuals or organizations related to the subject matter of the manuscript to the editor. Additionally, all sources of research funding must be clearly stated in the manuscript.
Human and animal ethics issues
If research involves the use of human or animal subjects, authors must comply with applicable laws and institutional guidelines and obtain approval from the appropriate institutional committee(s). In the manuscript, authors must clearly state that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects, and must consider the privacy rights of human subjects. For experiments involving humans, authors must adhere to The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki). Additionally, authors must ensure that animal studies are performed according to animal ethics and welfare guidelines. BJTS reserves the right to reject any manuscript that involves unethical or misconduct in animal studies.
Publication misconduct
Throughout the publication process, authors, reviewers, and editors should uphold the integrity of the academic record and avoid compromising ethical and intellectual standards for the sake of business interests. Any suspected cases of publication misconduct, such as duplicate publication, plagiarism, fraudulent or fabricated data, undisclosed conflict of interest, or ethical issues with a manuscript, will be addressed in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics flowcharts. The Editorial Board team will conduct a discussion and the Chief Editor will make the final decision. Violators of these rules will be subject to penalties.
