Publication Ethics and Policies

 

Jurnal Bios Logos (JBL) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, academic integrity, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing. As a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal published by the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Indonesia, JBL upholds ethical principles throughout the manuscript submission, peer-review, editorial decision-making, and publication processes.

The journal adheres to the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. These principles guide the responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher in safeguarding the integrity, credibility, independence, and transparency of the scholarly record.

1. Allegations of Misconduct

JBL is committed to addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct fairly, objectively, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE guidelines. The journal has established procedures for receiving, assessing, and responding to allegations involving plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, authorship disputes, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, and other forms of unethical publishing practices.

All credible allegations, including those submitted by whistleblowers or anonymous complainants with verifiable supporting evidence, will be assessed appropriately. Where necessary, JBL will cooperate with relevant institutions or independent experts to investigate concerns and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

2. Authorship and Contributorship

JBL promotes transparency, fairness, and accountability in authorship and contributorship. All listed authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.

The journal requires accurate disclosure of author contributions and discourages inappropriate authorship practices, including gift, guest, and ghost authorship. Any disputes concerning authorship or changes to author lists will be addressed fairly and transparently in accordance with established journal policies and relevant COPE guidance.

3. Complaints and Appeals

JBL provides transparent procedures for handling complaints and appeals concerning editorial decisions, peer-review processes, publication ethics, and the conduct of editorial personnel.

All complaints and appeals will be considered fairly, impartially, and confidentially. Where appropriate, appeals may be reviewed by editors or independent advisors who were not involved in the original decision. The journal is committed to providing reasoned responses and resolving concerns in accordance with COPE guidelines.

4. Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

JBL requires authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members to disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could potentially influence the research, peer-review process, or editorial decisions.

The journal has established procedures for identifying, disclosing, and managing actual or potential conflicts of interest. Editors and reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest must withdraw from handling or evaluating the affected manuscripts to preserve editorial independence and impartiality.

5. Data and Reproducibility

JBL promotes transparency, data integrity, reproducibility, and responsible research practices across the biological sciences. Authors are encouraged to provide access to relevant research data, analytical methods, protocols, and supporting materials whenever ethically, legally, and practically permissible.

The journal encourages appropriate data-sharing practices, the use of recognized reporting guidelines, and the deposition of research data in suitable repositories. Where applicable, authors should provide information on ethical approvals, research permits, specimen collections, genetic sequence accessions, and other documentation relevant to the reproducibility and verification of their findings.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the data and methods presented in their manuscripts.

6. Ethical Oversight

JBL is committed to ensuring that all published research complies with applicable ethical standards and relevant national and international regulations.

Research involving human participants must comply with established principles of informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and ethical approval, where applicable. Studies involving animals must follow recognized standards for animal welfare and ethical research practices.

For biodiversity, ecological, and conservation research, authors must comply with relevant regulations concerning field research permits, biological specimen collection, protected species, access to genetic resources, and other applicable legal and ethical requirements.

JBL also promotes ethical conduct in handling confidential information, research involving vulnerable populations, and journal management and publishing activities.

7. Intellectual Property

JBL recognizes that authors retain copyright ownership of their scholarly works and supports responsible dissemination through transparent copyright and licensing policies.

Articles published under the journal's current licensing policy are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits sharing, redistribution, and adaptation for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given to the original authors and source, the license is linked, and modifications are indicated.

The journal maintains policies concerning plagiarism, redundant or overlapping publication, preprints, author self-archiving, and the appropriate use of copyrighted third-party materials.

8. Journal Management

JBL maintains a transparent, accountable, and professionally managed editorial and publishing system supported by clearly defined governance structures, editorial responsibilities, and independent decision-making procedures.

The journal utilizes Open Journal Systems (OJS) to manage manuscript submission, peer review, editorial evaluation, production, and online publication. Appropriate plagiarism-detection and editorial-support tools are employed to maintain research integrity and publication quality.

JBL is committed to transparency in its ownership, publisher identity, editorial board composition, publication fees, copyright policies, and publishing procedures. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, scientific validity, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope, without undue influence from financial or institutional interests.

9. Peer Review Processes

JBL implements a double-blind peer-review process designed to ensure objective, rigorous, and impartial manuscript evaluation.

Submitted manuscripts are evaluated by qualified reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject matter. The journal's review process generally involves at least two independent reviewers, with additional reviewers appointed when necessary.

Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, disclose potential conflicts of interest, and provide constructive, evidence-based evaluations. Final editorial decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or designated editors based on reviewer recommendations, scientific quality, ethical compliance, and the journal's editorial standards.

10. Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

JBL supports scholarly discussion, constructive criticism, and responsible post-publication evaluation to maintain the accuracy and integrity of published research.

The journal provides mechanisms for addressing errors, concerns, or disputes identified after publication, including the publication of corrections, expressions of concern, and retraction notices where appropriate.

Post-publication concerns will be assessed in accordance with relevant COPE guidelines. Any corrective actions will be documented transparently, clearly linked to the original article, and communicated to relevant parties as appropriate.

11. Archiving Policy

JBL is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, accessibility, and integrity of its published scholarly content.

The journal supports digital preservation through its publishing infrastructure and available institutional archiving arrangements. JBL may participate in recognized digital preservation services, including the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), LOCKSS, or other established systems, subject to their availability and implementation.

The journal also supports responsible author self-archiving of preprints, accepted manuscripts, and published articles in accordance with its Repository Policy and applicable copyright and licensing conditions.

12. Open Access Policy

JBL provides immediate and unrestricted open access to its published scholarly content, allowing readers worldwide to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and link to full-text articles without subscription or access fees.

Articles published under the journal's current licensing policy are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This license permits users to share, redistribute, remix, transform, and adapt published materials for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source, a link to the license is provided, and any modifications are indicated.

Authors retain copyright ownership of their published works in accordance with JBL's copyright and licensing policies.

Contact

For inquiries, complaints, appeals, or concerns related to publication ethics, please contact the Editorial Office of Jurnal Bios Logos (JBL) through the official contact information available on the journal's website.

All reported ethical concerns will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal's established policies and relevant COPE guidelines.