Publication Ethics Statement

1. Core Principles

ABSE’s ethical framework is built on the following principles:

• Integrity: All research must be conducted and presented honestly and transparently.
• Transparency: Publication processes, review criteria, and conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
• Accountability: Authors, editors, and reviewers are responsible for maintaining ethical standards.
• Independence: Editorial decisions are free from external influence or bias.
• Respect: Confidentiality and intellectual property rights are upheld at every stage.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

• Submit only original work that has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
• Acknowledge all sources, data, and prior research appropriately.
• Disclose all financial or personal conflicts of interest.
• Ensure ethical approval and informed consent for studies involving humans or animals.
• Cooperate fully with editorial investigations in cases of ethical concern.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are accountable for ensuring fair, impartial, and timely decisions. Their ethical duties include:

• Maintaining confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest.
• Selecting reviewers solely on the basis of expertise and impartiality.
• Following COPE’s flowcharts for ethical issue resolution.
• Issuing corrections or retractions when ethical breaches are confirmed.

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to uphold the integrity of the peer-review process by:

• Providing objective, constructive, and unbiased assessments.
• Maintaining confidentiality of manuscript content.
• Declaring conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment.
• Not using unpublished information for personal benefit.

“ABSE values peer review as a cornerstone of quality assurance in scholarly publishing and expects reviewers to act with honesty, professionalism, and respect.”

5. Publisher Responsibilities

Heighten Science Publications Inc., the publisher of ABSE, ensures that editorial independence is maintained and that the journal’s policies align with global best practices. The publisher supports the editorial board in handling ethical concerns and ensures transparent correction or retraction procedures when necessary.

6. Conflicts of Interest

All parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and editors—must disclose any relationships that could influence judgment. Conflicts may include financial interests, academic rivalries, or personal associations. Declared conflicts are published within articles where appropriate.

7. Data Integrity and Availability

Authors must ensure the accuracy and integrity of all data presented. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting constitutes misconduct. Data underlying the findings should be available for verification upon reasonable request or deposited in open repositories following FAIR data principles.

8. Misconduct Handling Procedures

When allegations of misconduct arise, ABSE follows COPE guidelines to ensure transparent and fair investigation. Depending on severity, corrective measures include:

• Requesting clarification or raw data from the authors.
• Notifying the authors’ institution or funder if misconduct is confirmed.
• Publishing a correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

9. Plagiarism and Redundancy

ABSE screens all manuscripts for plagiarism using iThenticate and rejects works with significant overlap. Duplicate submissions, self-plagiarism, or redundant publication without disclosure are considered ethical violations and may lead to sanctions or retraction.

10. Research Ethics for Human and Animal Studies

All research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Studies involving animals must follow ethical guidelines such as the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Documentation of ethical approval must be included in the manuscript.

11. Correction and Retraction Policy

Corrections are issued for minor errors that do not alter the scientific conclusions. Retractions are published when significant ethical or methodological issues are discovered. ABSE retains retracted content online with clear identification to preserve the scholarly record.

12. Confidentiality and Privacy

ABSE ensures confidentiality for all submitted materials and communications. Author and reviewer data are protected under the journal’s Privacy Statement and in compliance with GDPR regulations.

13. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or raise ethical concerns via a formal written request to the Editor-in-Chief. Complaints are handled confidentially and reviewed according to COPE and ICMJE procedures. The decision of the editorial board is final.

14. Open Access and Ethical Publishing

As an open-access journal, ABSE ensures that ethical publishing principles extend to the dissemination of knowledge. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal permission to publish under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0).

15. Compliance and Continuous Improvement

The journal’s editorial and ethical policies are reviewed annually to reflect current international standards. Feedback from the academic community is encouraged to strengthen transparency and best practices in scholarly communication.

16. Contact Information

For questions or reports related to publication ethics, please contact:

• Email: [email protected]
• Editorial Office: Annals of Biomedical Science and Engineering (ABSE), USA