Electronic Journal of Biotechnology adheres to:
- The guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). For more information, visit: https://publicationethics.org.
- The publishing ethics policies of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso: https://publishing.pucv.cl. (Owner institution).
- The publishing ethics policies of Elsevier: https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/publishing-ethics. (Publisher).
Accordingly, these sources form part of the ethical standards of Electronic Journal of Biotechnology. Without prejudice to these, the following specific ethical guidelines are established:
Ethical Guidelines for Authors
Originality, intellectual property and data integrity
Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript reports original work, is not under consideration elsewhere, and has not been published in the same form. The use of any material from other sources, including text, data or images, must be clearly cited or referenced. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism or misrepresentation of data constitute unethical conduct. (See Elsevier duties of authors) (www.elsevier.com)
Authors commit to presenting data honestly, without fabrication or manipulation. All underlying data, including negative results, should be represented fully and fairly.
Data access, transparency and reproducibility
In keeping with open science practices, authors should be prepared to provide access to raw data, detailed methods and materials upon request. Where possible, data sets should be deposited in recognized repositories, with appropriate citation and metadata.
The reuse of previously published data ("datasets") is permitted provided the source is cited clearly and the reuse meets the journal's policy for data integrity.
Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication
Submitting or publishing substantially the same research in more than one journal, language or format without appropriate disclosure constitutes redundant publication and is considered unethical. Authors should disclose any prior dissemination of the work (e.g., preprints, conference proceedings).
Authorship and contribution criteria
Only persons who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the design, execution, analysis, or writing of the manuscript should be listed as authors. Contributions should be described, for example in line with the CRediT taxonomy. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and its submission.
Individuals who contributed only in supporting roles (e.g., administrative support, language editing) may be acknowledged rather than listed as authors.
Ethical oversight, consent and compliance
If the research involves human participants, human data or animal experiments, authors must include in the Methods section a statement that the research received approval from an appropriate ethics committee, and that informed consent (or equivalent) was obtained where relevant. Procedures must comply with applicable national or institutional guidelines.
Any images or data that may identify individuals must have appropriate consent and anonymization.
Hazardous materials, biohazardous agents, genetically modified organisms or other relevant safety aspects must be clearly described with compliance to relevant regulations.
Conflict of interest and funding disclosure
Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest (academic, financial, institutional or personal) that might influence the work or its interpretation. Disclosure of funding sources, sponsors' roles and affiliations is required. Failure to disclose may lead to withdrawal of the manuscript or post-publication correction.
Corrections, retractions and post-publication responsibilities
If authors discover an error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must notify the Editor-in-Chief immediately. The journal will decide whether a correction, retraction or note of concern is necessary.
Authors are expected to respond to critiques, allow post-publication commentary and cooperate in investigations of alleged misconduct.
Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers
Objective, constructive and timely review
Reviewers should provide fair, objective and constructive comments, aimed at improving the manuscript and aiding editorial decision-making. Reviews should focus on the scientific validity, originality, relevance and ethical aspects of the work.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts under review should be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, reproduce or discuss the manuscript with others except with the permission of the Editor. Any ideas, data or knowledge gleaned from the manuscript must not be used for personal advantage.
Recognition of sources and plagiarism detection
Reviewers should alert the Editor to any significant overlap or similarity between the manuscript and other published works, or omission of key references. They should disclose to the Editor any suspicion of plagiarism, data fabrication or unethical behaviour.
Conflict of interest
Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest (personal, financial or academic) that might bias their judgment. If a conflict exists, the reviewer should decline the assignment. Reviewers should not attempt to influence citation practices for personal gain.
Timeliness
Reviewers should complete their evaluations within the timeframe agreed or notify the Editor if unable to meet the deadline. Delays undermine the efficiency of the peer-review process.
Ethical Guidelines for Editors and the Editorial Board
Fairness, transparency and editorial independence
Editors will make decisions based on the scientific merit, originality and ethical integrity of manuscripts, without discrimination by authors' gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, institution or political orientation. Commercial interests (advertising, sponsorship) will not influence editorial decisions. (www.elsevier.com)
Editors will select reviewers with appropriate expertise, avoiding conflicts of interest, and ensuring fair peer review.
Confidentiality and integrity of the peer-review process
Editors must maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and protect the identities of blind reviewers (unless otherwise agreed). Unpublished material must not be used by editors or reviewers for personal research without author consent. (www.elsevier.com)
Correction of the scholarly record
Editors are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the published record. They must investigate allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication) in coordination with the publisher. When necessary, corrections, retractions or expressions of concern will be issued promptly. (www.elsevier.com)
Promoting ethical publishing practices
The journal commits to promoting best practice in publishing ethics and will adopt and support COPE flowcharts and other industry guidelines. The editorial team will also endeavour to keep up-to-date with evolving issues (e.g., generative AI, data sharing, preprints) in scholarly publishing.
Conflict of interest for editorial decisions
Editors and editorial board members must declare any conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, personal) and must recuse themselves from decisions where such conflict exists. Transparency in editorial affiliations and competing interests is required.