Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Bio-QI is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics, based on the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of authors

• Submit only original work. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification and duplicate submission are not acceptable.
• Report the research accurately, with enough detail of the methods for others to repeat it.
• List as authors all those who qualify under the ICMJE recommendations.
• Disclose sources of funding and conflicts of interest.
• Report any significant error found after publication promptly.
• Document ethical approval for research involving people or animals.

Duties of editors

• Evaluate manuscripts on scientific merit alone, without bias.
• Keep manuscripts confidential.
• Step aside where they have a conflict of interest.
• Ensure that double-blind peer review is fair, rigorous and timely.

Duties of reviewers

• Give objective, constructive feedback.
• Keep manuscripts confidential and not use them for personal advantage.
• Disclose conflicts of interest and decline to review where they apply.

Handling of misconduct

Allegations of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication and undisclosed conflicts are investigated following COPE guidelines. The outcome may be a correction, an erratum, a corrigendum or a retraction. See Misconduct and Sanctions.

Editorial independence

Decisions rest only on scientific merit, originality and relevance to the journal's scope. They are independent of commercial and financial considerations, including publication charges.