Publication Ethics

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal represents the integrity and quality of the work conducted by its authors and affiliated institutions. Therefore, FBR establishes ethical standards for all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher.

FBR follows the principles and guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editorial decisions must remain independent and must not be influenced by advertising, commercial income, sponsorship, reprint revenue, or other financial interests. When necessary, FBR may communicate and cooperate with other journals, institutions, or publishers in handling publication ethics matters.

Duties Of The Editors

The editors of FBR are responsible for determining which submitted manuscripts should proceed to peer review and which articles are suitable for publication. Editorial decisions must be based on the academic quality, originality, relevance, validity, and contribution of the manuscript to readers and the scientific community.

Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely based on their intellectual and academic content. Authors must not be discriminated against based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnic background, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political views.

Editors and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Information concerning a manuscript may only be shared with the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, prospective reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher when necessary.

Materials, data, information, or ideas contained in an unpublished manuscript must not be used by editors for personal research or other purposes without written permission from the author. Information obtained through the peer-review process must remain confidential and must not be used for personal benefit.

Editors must not handle manuscripts in which they have personal, professional, financial, or institutional conflicts of interest. In such cases, the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified editor.

Editors must require authors, reviewers, and other contributors to disclose any relevant conflicts of interest. When a conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, clarification, retraction, or other appropriate editorial notice.

FBR will investigate all credible allegations of unethical publication practices involving submitted or published articles. Such allegations must be addressed fairly and objectively, regardless of when the suspected misconduct is discovered.

Duties Of The Reviewers

Peer reviewers assist editors in evaluating manuscripts and making publication decisions. Their comments may also help authors improve the quality, clarity, and accuracy of their work.

A reviewer who does not have the appropriate expertise to assess a manuscript or cannot complete the review within the specified period must promptly notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not disclose, discuss, reproduce, or share the manuscript with other parties without permission from the editor.

Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally. Personal criticism, offensive remarks, and unsupported judgments regarding the authors are inappropriate. Reviewers should provide clear, constructive, and evidence-based comments.

Reviewers should identify relevant published studies that have not been cited by the authors. Any statement indicating that an argument, observation, method, or finding has previously been published should be supported by an appropriate reference.

Reviewers must inform the editor when they identify substantial similarities or overlap between the manuscript under review and another published or submitted work.

Unpublished information, data, or ideas obtained through the review process must not be used in a reviewer’s own work without the author’s written consent. Reviewers must also maintain the confidentiality of privileged information and must not use it for personal or professional advantage.

Reviewers must decline to evaluate manuscripts when they have financial, institutional, collaborative, personal, or other conflicts of interest involving the authors, institutions, or subject matter of the manuscript.

Duties Of The Authors

Authors must present an accurate, honest, and complete account of the research conducted. The manuscript should include sufficient information, data, references, and methodological details to allow other researchers to understand, evaluate, and, where appropriate, replicate the study.

Authors must ensure that all data and citations presented in the manuscript are accurate. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data, and deliberately misleading or inaccurate statements are considered unethical and are not acceptable.

Authors must submit original work. The use of another person’s words, ideas, data, images, findings, or other intellectual contributions without proper acknowledgment constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism, including copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, duplicate publication, and claiming another researcher’s work as one’s own, is strictly prohibited.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. Manuscripts describing substantially the same research should not be published in multiple journals or primary publications without appropriate justification, disclosure, and permission.

Information obtained through private communication, correspondence, discussion, or other confidential sources must not be used or reported without explicit written permission from the relevant source.

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the study. All listed authors must review and approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission to FBR.

Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately. Individuals who did not make a significant contribution must not be listed as authors.

Authors must disclose all financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could influence, or appear to influence, the research and publication process. Sources of financial support must also be clearly stated in the manuscript.

When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their submitted or published work, they must promptly inform the editor of FBR and cooperate in correcting, revising, or retracting the article when necessary.

Duties Of The Publisher

The publisher of FBR is responsible for supporting the editorial team in maintaining the integrity, independence, and quality of the publication process.

The publisher must ensure that commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, or other financial considerations do not influence editorial decisions.

The publisher will cooperate with the editors in investigating allegations of research or publication misconduct. Appropriate actions may include publishing corrections, expressions of concern, clarifications, retractions, or other notices in accordance with applicable ethical guidelines.

The publisher is committed to preserving the scholarly record and ensuring permanent access to published articles through appropriate electronic archiving and journal management practices.