The Annals of Biomedical Science and Engineering (ABSE) follows the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. This statement defines the responsibilities and expected conduct of authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

1. Duties of Authors

Authors must ensure that their submissions represent original, accurate, and reproducible work. Key ethical expectations include:

Manuscripts must be original and not simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
Data should be reported honestly without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
All sources and prior research must be properly cited and acknowledged.
Conflicts of interest and funding sources must be clearly declared in the manuscript.
Human or animal studies must include evidence of ethical approval and informed consent.

Authors must cooperate with editorial investigations and provide raw data or documentation upon request.

2. Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

ABSE employs plagiarism-detection tools such as iThenticate to verify originality. Submissions with significant text overlap or redundant publication will be rejected. Duplicate or piecemeal publication (salami slicing) is considered malpractice.

3. Authorship Criteria

Each listed author must have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, data analysis, or interpretation of results. Individuals who contributed to language editing or technical support should be acknowledged but not listed as authors. Changes in authorship after submission require written approval from all contributors.

4. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring fair, unbiased, and timely review of manuscripts. Their ethical obligations include:

Making decisions based solely on scientific merit and relevance.
Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities.
Disclosing any conflicts of interest and recusing themselves when necessary.
Acting promptly on ethical concerns, misconduct allegations, or correction requests.

Editorial decisions are independent of any commercial or political influence.

5. Duties of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining publication quality. They must:

Treat manuscripts as confidential documents.
Provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback.
Refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage.
Notify editors of any potential conflicts of interest or suspicion of misconduct.

“The peer-review process at ABSE is conducted with transparency, fairness, and respect for the intellectual contributions of all authors.”

6. Publisher Responsibilities

Heighten Science Publications Inc., as the publisher, ensures that editorial independence is respected and that the journal adheres to best publishing practices. The publisher supports COPE’s Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers and assists editors in investigating ethical issues, issuing corrections, or retracting articles when required.

7. Handling of Misconduct and Complaints

When potential misconduct is reported, ABSE follows COPE flowcharts to conduct a transparent investigation. Possible actions include:

Requesting explanations or data from authors.
Issuing corrections or retractions for verified errors or unethical behavior.
Informing affected institutions or funding bodies if necessary.

Anonymous whistleblowing is permitted when supported by credible evidence.

8. Conflict-of-Interest Management

Authors, reviewers, and editors must declare all relationships—financial, academic, or personal—that might influence objectivity. These declarations appear in the published article where relevant. Failure to disclose conflicts may result in retraction.

9. Research Ethics

All research involving humans, animals, or sensitive data must follow recognized ethical standards:

Studies involving humans require approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee.
Animal studies must comply with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
Informed consent must be documented for human participants or patient images.

10. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to deposit raw data, code, and supplementary files in publicly accessible repositories. Data availability statements should specify repository names and accession numbers. This transparency enhances reproducibility and trust.

11. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

ABSE publishes corrections for minor errors and retractions for serious ethical or scientific violations. All corrections are linked to the original article. Retractions follow COPE guidelines, ensuring transparency and preservation of the scholarly record.

12. Confidentiality

Editors and staff maintain confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, and author communications. Personal data are processed according to the Privacy Statement and GDPR requirements.

13. Advertising and Commercial Policy

ABSE does not accept advertising or commercial influence that compromises editorial independence. Sponsored content, if any, is clearly identified and undergoes the same peer-review procedures as standard articles.

14. Compliance with International Standards

The journal aligns its ethical policies with international frameworks including:

COPE Core Practices for ethical publication conduct.
ICMJE Recommendations on authorship and conflict-of-interest disclosure.
DOAJ Principles of Transparency for open-access journals.
GDPR and CAN-SPAM for data and communication privacy.

15. Policy Review and Updates

This Ethics and Malpractice Statement is reviewed annually by the editorial board. Updates reflecting new COPE or ICMJE revisions are published on the journal website and apply to all subsequent submissions.