Publishing Ethics

In all Vandana Publications journals, publication ethics refers to the moral principles, standards, and guidelines established to guarantee the authenticity, integrity, and quality of published scientific research. Authors, editors, and reviewers are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Duties of Editors

  • Publication Decisions: The Editors of the Applied Science and Biotechnology Journal for Advanced Research (ABJAR) are responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts should be published, guided by the journal's policies and peer-review outcomes.

  • Fair Play & Impartiality: Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on their academic and scientific merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

  • Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the explicit written consent of the author.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with authors, assists authors in improving their manuscripts.

  • Promptness: Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the assigned manuscript or knows that an immediate review will be impossible should promptly notify the editor and decline the invitation.

  • Confidentiality: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others without authorization from the editor.

  • Standards of Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which the reviewer has personal knowledge must be reported to the editor.

  • Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers must decline reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors or institutions.

Duties of Authors

  • Reporting Standards & Data Retention: Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying raw data should be represented accurately and retained for a reasonable time, to be provided upon editorial request.

  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if authors have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

  • Multiple or Concurrent Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is unethical and strictly prohibited. Authors should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one primary journal.

  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

  • Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included, that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper, and that they have agreed to its submission for publication in ABJAR.

  • Disclosure & Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.

  • Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.