Editorial Governance, Decision-Making, and Publication Oversight
Initial Editorial Assessment
Editors might also perform initial assessments on manuscripts to establish their suitability for submission to the IJBADM.
Action Plan for Editors
Our Editors will be required to:
- Perform an assessment prior to submitting manuscripts for peer review.
- Conduct plagiarism checks.
- Check for similarity.
- Eliminate unethical or otherwise inappropriate submissions.
Management of Peer Review
It is the editors’ role to choose qualified reviewers and oversee the process of peer reviewing.
Action Plan for Editors
Our Editors need to:
- Choose reviewers based on their subject matter knowledge.
- Maintain confidentiality of reviewers and authors as needed.
- Evaluate quality and timeliness of reviews.
- Ensure constructive behaviour by reviewers.
- Avoid conflicts of interest when choosing reviewers.
Ethical Misconduct and Investigations
Publication misconduct is taken seriously by the IJBADM and may lead to an investigation as per the guidelines provided by COPE. The Editor of IJBADM will conduct an investigation on any case of alleged publication misconduct following recognized ethical and integrity processes.
Relevant Ethical Standards and Guidance:
- COPE Flowcharts for Ethical Misconduct Cases: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
- COPE Retraction Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines
Action Plan for Editors
Editorial actions include but are not limited to:
- Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or misconduct in research.
- The need for more information from authors.
- The institution’s involvement when severe misconduct is alleged.
- Correction, expressions of concern, retraction, or withdrawal if required.
Retraction, Correction, and Withdrawal Policy
Accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the academic record are fundamental priorities for IJBADM. When such issues as errors, ethical problems, or misconduct in publishing are recognized, corrections, expressions of concerns, retraction, or withdrawal of articles can be taken in accordance with international publication ethics principles. The following are some conditions under which retraction can take place: plagiarism, duplicated publication, fabrication and falsification of data or images, unethical research, undisclosed conflict of interest, copyright violation, or other forms of misconduct. Corrections, on the other hand, may be issued when unintentional errors that compromise the scientific integrity and credibility of an article are found.
In case of article withdrawal, it may be possible if the authors find any substantial errors before publication or submit duplicated papers, or there may be valid academic reasons to withdraw an accepted or published paper. The editorial office will carry out its investigation process in a fair, confidential, and open manner. In case of necessity, authors may be required to give clarifications, documentations, data, ethical approval, and institutional clarifications. In cases of extreme circumstances, the IJBADM reserves the right to contact affiliated institutions, sponsors, and relevant authorities. In the event that it becomes necessary, any notices of retraction, correction, or concerns will still be available for the public. In an effort to ensure ethical publishing practices, IJBADM endeavours to ensure that its editorial process is always proportionate and evidence based.
Relevant Ethical Standards and Guidance
- COPE Retraction Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines
- COPE Flowcharts for Handling Publication Misconduct: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
- ICMJE Corrections, Retractions, and Version Control Recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
Action Plan for Editors and Authors
The action plan for editors and contributors shall be to:
- Notify those concerned in case of any important errors or violations.
- Collaborate in any editorial inquiry process.
- Offer documentation or explanation where needed.
- Behave in an honest manner throughout the process of correction/retraction.
- Make sure that there is no element of concealment regarding any kind of academic/publishing misconduct.
- Help preserve the integrity of the academic literature.
Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Transparency
Conflicts of interest must be disclosed by editors and managed properly.
Action Plan for Editors
Our editors must:
- Remove themselves when there are conflicts on papers.
- Conduct their editorial processes with transparency.
- Ensure no citation manipulation takes place.
- Keep proper records of the editorial process.
Appeals, Complaints, and Author Communication
IJBADM is committed to professionalism and complaint/ appeal process.
Action Plan for Editors
The Editors of IJBADM will be required to:
- Convey decisions politely and professionally.
- Guide the authors constructively during revisions.
- Conduct appeals in a fair manner.
- Take appropriate action against any ethics complaint/ dispute.