Researchers should conduct their research from research proposal to publication in line with best practices and codes of conduct of relevant professional bodies and/or national and international regulatory bodies. In rare cases it is possible that ethical issues or misconduct could be encountered in your journal when research is submitted for publication.
Ethical responsibilities of authors
This journal is committed to upholding the integrity of the scientific record. As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics the journal will follow the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines on how to deal with potential acts of misconduct.
Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results which could damage the trust in the journal, the professionalism of scientific authorship, and ultimately the entire scientific endeavor. Maintaining integrity of the research and its presentation can be achieved by following the rules of good scientific practice, which include:
The manuscript has not been submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
- The manuscript has not been published previously (partly or in full), unless the new work concerns an expansion of previous work (please provide transparency on the re-use of material to avoid the hint of text-recycling (‘self-plagiarism’)).
- A single study is not split up into several parts to increase the quantity of submissions and submitted to various journals or to one journal over time.
- No data have been fabricated or manipulated (including images) to support your conclusions
- No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the author’s own (‘plagiarism’). Proper acknowledgements to other works must be given (this includes material that is closely copied (near verbatim), summarized and/or paraphrased), quotation marks are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions are secured for material that is copyrighted.
- Important note: the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
- Consent to submit has been received explicitly from all co-authors, as well as from the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before the work is submitted.
- Authors whose names appear on the submission have contributed sufficiently to the scientific work and therefore share collective responsibility and accountability for the results.
- Authors are strongly advised to ensure the correct author group, corresponding author, and order of authors at submission. Changes of authorship or in the order of authors are not accepted after acceptance of a manuscript.
- Adding and/or deleting authors at revision stagemay be justifiably warranted. A letter must accompany the revised manuscript to explain the role of the added and/or deleted author(s). Further documentation may be required to support your request.
- Requests for addition or removal of authors as a result of authorship disputes after acceptance are honored after formal notification by the institute or independent body and/or when there is agreement between all authors.
- Upon request authors should be prepared to send relevant documentation or data in order to verify the validity of the results. This could be in the form of raw data, samples, records, etc. Sensitive information in the form of confidential or proprietary data is excluded.
If there is a suspicion of misconduct, the journal will carry out an investigation following the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines. If, after investigation, the allegation seems to raise valid concerns, the accused author will be contacted and given an opportunity to address the issue. If misconduct has been established beyond reasonable doubt, this may result in the Editor-in-Chief’s implementation of the following measures, including, but not limited to:
- If the article is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
- If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction, either an erratum will be placed with the article or in severe cases retraction of the article will occur. The reason must be given in the published erratum or retraction note. Please note that retraction means that the paper is maintained on the platform, watermarked “retracted” and explanation for the retraction is provided in a note linked to the watermarked article.
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
It is not permitted for the chief or the members of the editorial board to use any information stated in the unpublished documents or papers for their own scientific researches except by having a written permission from the original author of the research
The corresponding author should be prepared to collect documentation of compliance with ethical standards and send if requested during peer review or after publication.
The Editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned guidelines. The author will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned guidelines.
Authors must disclose all relationships or interests that could have direct or potential influence or impart bias on the work. Although an author may not feel there is any conflict, disclosure of relationships and interests provides a more complete and transparent process, leading to an accurate and objective assessment of the work.
Awareness of real or perceived conflicts of interest is a perspective to which the readers are entitled. This is not meant to imply that a financial relationship with an organization that sponsored the research or compensation received for consultancy work is inappropriate.
Examples of potential conflicts of interests that are directly or indirectly related to the research may include but are not limited to the following:
- Research grants from funding agencies (please give the research funder and the grant number)
- Honoraria for speaking at symposia
- Financial support for attending symposia
- Financial support for educational programs
- Employment or consultation
- Support from a project sponsor
- Position on advisory board or board of directors or other type of management relationships
- Multiple affiliations
- Financial relationships, for example equity ownership or investment interest
- Intellectual property rights (e.g. patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights)
- Holdings of spouse and/or children that may have financial interest in the work
In addition, interests that go beyond financial interests and compensation (non-financial interests) that may be important to readers should be disclosed. These may include but are not limited to personal relationships or competing interests directly or indirectly tied to this research, or professional interests or personal beliefs that may influence your research.
The corresponding author collects the conflict of interest disclosure forms from all authors. In author collaborations where formal agreements for representation allow it, it is sufficient for the corresponding author to sign the disclosure form on behalf of all authors.
The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed Basrah researches journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is, therefore, important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the society.
Basrah University as publisher of Basrah researches journal takes responsibility to supervise and monitor all stages of publication, and we recognise our ethical and other responsibilities. All the publication decision is under responsibility of Editorial Board with fair and confidential.
The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editors may be guided by the policies of the journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editors may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.
Publication Decisions
The editorial board is the responsible body for approving the publication of the scientific researches submitted to the journal. Papers submitted to the journal are evaluated to ensure that they meet all the criteria of publication’s terms and conditions regardless of race, gender, religious backgrounds, ethnicity, nationality, and political philosophy. What is taken into consideration is the scientific value, ethical criteria of work, scientific research integrity, language, citation and plagiarism. The editorial board panel is committed to improve the scientific sobriety of the journal through the publication of researches according to their importance, clarity, originality and their accordance with the terms and conditions announced to the researchers.
Confidentiality
The editor and the members of the editorial board panel undertake not to disclose any information related to submitted documents or papers to the journal except those necessary information authorized by the authors, editors, consultants and publisher. It is required from the arbitrators to deal confidentially with the researches sent to them for reviewing. The documents and papers cannot be disclosed or discussed with others, except the editor of the journal
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
It is not permitted for the chief or the members of the editorial board to use any information stated in the unpublished documents or papers for their own scientific researches except by having a written permission from the original author of the research. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.
Standards of Objectivity
The objective criteria in arbitration are a must and the personal judgment concerning authors is not allowed and disregarded. The arbitration must be reinforced by clear opinions and scientific arguments and it must be in accordance with the regulations and approved criteria of “publication terms” of the journal.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Arbitrators must notify the editorial board panel by the non-compliance of the author with the standards of publication in the journal and to make sure of the aptness of the references with the sources and that the sources must match the ones listed in bibliography. It must be ensured that the views and arguments presented do not belong to other researches. Arbitrators must alert the editor of the existence of similarity or overlap between a manuscript submitted to the journal and other published researches.
Authorship of the Paper
Specific names of the authors must be given, those who have made significant contribution in the research including idea of the research, design, implementation, and writing. One of the authors must be appointed as a coordinator to be in contact with the journal. A final approval should be given for the final version of the manuscript submitted to publication (the pledge).
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
Researcher(s) should notify the editor or the publisher in case of misstatements in the material of their manuscripts in order to do the needed corrections in the misprinting forms. When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in the published research, they should inform and cooperate with the editor or the publisher of the journal in order to undo or correct their researches in the misprinted form.
