Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement (PEMS)

Journal of Phytomedicine and Botany is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal considers the integrity of the scholarly record to be a shared responsibility of authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher.

The journal follows recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and takes guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME.

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, manipulation of the peer-review process, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, unethical research practices, or other forms of publication misconduct.

Where a credible concern is raised, the journal will assess the matter carefully and take appropriate action to protect the integrity of the published record.

Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for maintaining the academic and ethical standards of the journal.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring that:

• manuscripts are handled fairly and objectively;
• editorial decisions are based on scholarly and ethical considerations;
• appropriate peer review is obtained;
• submitted manuscripts and associated information are treated confidentially;
• potential conflicts of interest are appropriately managed;
• allegations of publication or research misconduct are taken seriously;
• appropriate action is taken when ethical concerns are identified; and
• the integrity of the published scholarly record is maintained.

The Editor-in-Chief may seek advice from members of the editorial board, independent experts, institutions, or other appropriate authorities when a matter requires further investigation.

Editorial decisions should not be influenced by an author's nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, political views, personal characteristics, or commercial considerations.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are expected to conduct the editorial process fairly, independently, and professionally.

Editors should:

• assess manuscripts according to their scientific quality, relevance, originality, and ethical compliance;
• select reviewers with appropriate subject expertise;
• protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts;
• disclose and appropriately manage conflicts of interest;
• avoid using unpublished information obtained during editorial handling for personal or professional advantage;
• respond appropriately to suspected ethical or research-integrity concerns; and
• maintain appropriate records of editorial decisions and communications.

Editors should not participate in the editorial handling of manuscripts where they have a significant personal, professional, financial, or institutional conflict of interest.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research.

Reviewers are expected to:

• evaluate manuscripts objectively and constructively;
• provide comments that are relevant to the scientific content of the manuscript;
• maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts under review;
• identify potential ethical, methodological, or research-integrity concerns;
• disclose any conflict of interest before accepting or completing a review;
• complete reviews within the agreed timeframe whenever possible; and
• avoid using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional benefit.

Reviewers should not contact authors directly regarding the manuscript unless authorized by the journal.

A reviewer should decline an invitation when they have a conflict of interest or do not possess sufficient expertise to provide an appropriate assessment.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical conduct of their research.

Authors should ensure that:

• the submitted manuscript is original;
• the work has not been published elsewhere in substantially the same form;
• the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal at the same time;
• the reported data and results are genuine and accurately presented;
• appropriate sources are properly acknowledged;
• all individuals listed as authors have made appropriate contributions;
• relevant ethical approvals have been obtained where required;
• conflicts of interest are disclosed;
• funding sources are accurately reported;
• appropriate permissions have been obtained for copyrighted material; and
• significant errors discovered after publication are promptly reported to the editorial office.

Authors should cooperate with the journal if questions arise concerning the integrity, authorship, ethics, or accuracy of their published work.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should accurately reflect substantial contributions to the research and preparation of the manuscript.

All listed authors should have made a meaningful contribution to the work, approved the final version of the manuscript, and accepted responsibility for their contribution.

The journal requires an Author Contributions Statement where applicable.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged rather than listed as authors.

Authors should carefully confirm the author list and order before submission. Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be supported by an appropriate explanation and agreement from all affected authors.

Where an authorship dispute cannot be resolved between the authors, the journal may request clarification from the relevant institution or research organization.

Plagiarism and Unoriginal Material

The journal considers plagiarism to be a serious violation of publication ethics.

Plagiarism includes presenting another person's words, ideas, data, images, figures, methods, or other intellectual contributions as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.

The journal may use plagiarism or text-similarity detection tools during the editorial process.

Manuscripts containing substantial plagiarism may be rejected. The action taken will depend on the nature, extent, and circumstances of the suspected misconduct.

If plagiarism is identified after publication, the journal will assess the matter and may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction as appropriate.

Fabrication and Falsification

The journal considers fabrication and falsification serious forms of research misconduct.

Fabrication refers to making up research data, results, experiments, observations, participants, or other research information that did not actually exist.

Falsification includes manipulating research materials, data, images, methods, results, or reporting in a way that misrepresents the research.

When credible concerns are raised, the journal may request supporting information or original research material and may contact the relevant institution or research organization where appropriate.

Where misconduct is established and the reliability of a published article is substantially affected, the journal may take corrective action, including retraction.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

The journal does not normally consider manuscripts that have already been published in substantially the same form elsewhere.

Duplicate or redundant publication includes substantial reuse of previously published material without appropriate disclosure, justification, attribution, or cross-reference.

If duplicate publication is identified before publication, the journal may reject or withdraw the manuscript from consideration.

If duplicate publication is identified after publication, the journal will assess the circumstances and may issue an appropriate correction or retraction.

Data and Image Integrity

Authors are expected to maintain accurate research records and retain appropriate supporting data and materials.

Data should not be fabricated, selectively manipulated, or presented in a misleading manner.

Images and figures should accurately represent the underlying research. Any permitted image processing should not alter or obscure information relevant to scientific interpretation.

The journal may request original data, image files, laboratory records, or other supporting information when there is a legitimate concern regarding the reliability or integrity of published findings.

Failure to provide reasonable supporting information when required may be considered when determining appropriate editorial action.

Citation and Reference Misconduct

References should be included because they are relevant to the scholarly content of the manuscript.

The journal does not permit deliberate citation manipulation intended to artificially increase citations or influence bibliometric indicators.

Authors, reviewers, and editors should avoid:

• unnecessary self-citation;
• coordinated or reciprocal citation arrangements;
• irrelevant citation recommendations;
• excessive citation of a particular journal or author without scholarly justification; or
• adding references solely to influence citation metrics.

Editors and reviewers should recommend additional references only when they are relevant and scientifically justified.

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest may arise when personal, financial, professional, institutional, academic, or other interests could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or editorial process.

Authors should disclose relevant conflicts of interest during submission.

Reviewers should inform the editorial office of any conflict that could affect their impartiality.

Editors should not handle manuscripts where a significant conflict of interest exists.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent publication or participation in the review process. Appropriate disclosure and management are the primary considerations.

Where a previously undisclosed conflict is identified after publication, the journal will assess its significance and determine whether a correction, editorial notice, or other action is appropriate.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, human biological materials, identifiable personal information, or animals must comply with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.

Where applicable, authors should provide details of the relevant ethics committee or institutional review board and the approval or reference number.

For research involving human participants, appropriate informed consent should be obtained where required.

Research involving animals should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international requirements concerning animal welfare and ethical treatment.

The journal may request evidence of ethical approval or other relevant documentation when necessary.

Manuscripts that do not meet applicable ethical requirements may be rejected or subjected to further investigation if concerns arise after publication.

Allegations of Research or Publication Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, whether they are raised before or after publication.

Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, readers, editors, institutions, research organizations, funders, or other individuals with relevant information.

Examples of concerns that may require investigation include:

• plagiarism;
• fabrication or falsification of data;
• inappropriate image manipulation;
• duplicate or redundant publication;
• inappropriate authorship;
• undisclosed conflicts of interest;
• citation manipulation;
• unethical research;
• peer-review manipulation;
• fraudulent reviewer identities; and
• other actions that may compromise the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will first assess the information available and determine whether further investigation is warranted.

Depending on the circumstances, the journal may request explanations or supporting documentation from the authors, consult independent experts, or contact the relevant institution or research organization.

The journal will follow appropriate COPE guidance when handling allegations of publication or research misconduct. COPE's core practices recommend that journals have clear procedures for allegations of misconduct and take such allegations seriously both before and after publication.

Investigation of Misconduct

The journal's role is to assess publication-related concerns and protect the integrity of the scholarly record. Where an investigation requires institutional authority, the journal may request that the authors' institution or relevant research organization conduct or complete an appropriate investigation.

The journal may take interim measures where necessary to protect the integrity of the editorial or published record.

Possible actions include:

• requesting clarification from the authors;
• requesting supporting research material;
• obtaining independent expert advice;
• contacting the relevant institution or research organization;
• suspending editorial processing;
• rejecting a manuscript;
• issuing a correction;
• publishing an Expression of Concern; or
• retracting a published article.

The action taken will depend on the nature, seriousness, and available evidence concerning the matter.

Peer-Review Manipulation

The journal considers manipulation of the peer-review process to be serious misconduct.

Examples may include:

• providing false or fabricated reviewer identities;
• providing reviewer contact information that is controlled by or improperly connected to the authors;
• submitting or influencing reviewer reports improperly;
• concealing relevant conflicts of interest;
• attempting to interfere with the independent assessment of a manuscript; or
• using fraudulent methods to obtain a favorable editorial decision.

Where peer-review manipulation is suspected, the journal may suspend the review or publication process while the matter is assessed.

If manipulation is confirmed after publication, the journal will evaluate whether the integrity of the peer-review process or published article has been compromised and take appropriate action.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides authors with an opportunity to raise legitimate concerns regarding editorial procedures and decisions.

An appeal should provide a clear explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and, where possible, identify specific factual or procedural issues that may have affected the decision.

An appeal does not automatically result in reversal of an editorial decision. The journal will assess the information provided and may seek an independent editorial assessment when appropriate.

Complaints concerning editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, or journal procedures should be submitted to:

Email: editor@phytomedbotany.com

The journal will consider legitimate complaints and appeals fairly and confidentially.

Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter may be referred to an appropriate independent representative of the editorial team or publisher.

Post-Publication Concerns

The journal recognizes that questions about published research may arise after publication.

Readers, authors, reviewers, and researchers may contact the editorial office when they identify a potentially significant error, ethical concern, or research-integrity issue in a published article.

The journal will assess credible post-publication concerns and determine whether further investigation or editorial action is required.

Where appropriate, the journal may publish a correction, clarification, Expression of Concern, or retraction.

The objective of post-publication action is to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record rather than to punish authors.

Corrections

When a published article contains an error that affects the accuracy or interpretation of the scholarly record but does not invalidate the work as a whole, the journal may publish a correction.

Corrections should clearly identify the article concerned and describe the relevant change.

Minor typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the scientific meaning of an article may be corrected at the journal's discretion without issuing a formal correction notice.

The journal aims to ensure that corrections remain linked to the original article and are clearly identifiable to readers.

Expression of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published when serious questions have been raised about a published article but the available evidence is not yet sufficient to reach a final editorial decision.

This may occur, for example, when:

• an institutional investigation is pending;
• an investigation has been substantially delayed;
• conflicting information requires further assessment; or
• the journal has credible concerns that require additional clarification.

An Expression of Concern does not itself establish that misconduct has occurred.

When sufficient information becomes available, the journal may subsequently publish a correction, retraction, or other appropriate notice.

Retraction

Retraction is used to correct the scholarly record when an article is no longer considered reliable because of serious errors, misconduct, or other circumstances that substantially affect the validity or integrity of the publication.

Possible grounds for retraction include:

• major errors that invalidate the findings or conclusions;
• fabrication or falsification;
• substantial plagiarism;
• duplicate publication;
• serious ethical violations;
• significant manipulation of data or images;
• fraudulent authorship;
• compromised peer review;
• serious undisclosed conflicts of interest; or
• other circumstances that substantially undermine confidence in the published work.

The purpose of retraction is to correct the scholarly record and protect readers and future researchers. COPE's current retraction guidance emphasizes that retraction is intended to correct the literature rather than punish authors.

A retraction notice should clearly identify the affected article and explain the reason for the retraction.

Where technically possible, the original article will remain accessible with a clear retraction status so that the publication history remains transparent.

Post-Publication Discussion

The journal welcomes responsible scholarly discussion concerning published research.

Authors and readers may contact the editorial office regarding substantive questions, corrections, or concerns about published articles.

Where appropriate, the journal may facilitate publication of a response, clarification, correction, or other scholarly communication related to a published article.

Post-publication discussion should remain evidence-based, professional, and respectful.

Artificial Intelligence and Publication Ethics

The journal recognizes that artificial intelligence and automated tools may be used in scholarly research and manuscript preparation.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submissions.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors should disclose substantial use of generative AI in manuscript preparation where required by the journal's submission guidelines.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate or manipulate research data, results, references, images, or other research content.

Editors and reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and should not upload confidential manuscript material into unauthorized external AI systems.

The use of AI-assisted tools does not transfer responsibility for the manuscript from the authors to the technology provider.

Funding and Financial Disclosure

Authors should disclose sources of financial support for the research reported in their manuscript.

Funding information should accurately identify relevant funding organizations and, where applicable, grant or project details.

Financial support does not influence editorial decisions.

Where funding arrangements create a potential conflict of interest, the authors should provide an appropriate disclosure.

Intellectual Property and Ethical Use of Published Material

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted material does not infringe the intellectual-property rights of others.

Permission should be obtained when copyrighted material is reproduced where such permission is required.

The journal's copyright and licensing arrangements are described separately in the Copyright Policy.

Publication-ethics concerns relating to unauthorized use of text, figures, images, data, or other intellectual property may be investigated under this policy.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts submitted to the journal are treated as confidential during the editorial and peer-review process.

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff should not disclose unpublished manuscript information to unauthorized individuals.

Confidential information obtained during editorial or peer-review activities must not be used for personal, professional, or commercial advantage.

Good-Faith Reporting

The journal encourages the responsible reporting of genuine concerns relating to research or publication ethics.

Individuals raising concerns should provide sufficient information or evidence to enable the journal to assess the matter appropriately.

The journal will treat legitimate concerns seriously and will make reasonable efforts to handle them fairly and confidentially.

Cooperation with Institutions

Where an allegation concerns research conduct that requires institutional investigation, the journal may contact the author's institution, employer, funder, ethics committee, or other appropriate organization.

The journal may consider information provided by such organizations when determining appropriate editorial action.

The journal recognizes that institutions and research organizations may have responsibility for investigating allegations of research misconduct involving their researchers.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

Journal of Phytomedicine and Botany is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, and ethical publication process and to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record.

The journal will review and update its publication-ethics procedures when necessary to reflect developments in research integrity and scholarly publishing.

For information on the journal's broader publishing policies, readers and authors may also consult:

• Best Practices
• Peer Review Policy
• Submission Guidelines
• Open Access Policy
• Copyright Policy
• Repository Policy
• Withdrawal Policy
• Article Publication Charges

The journal will handle publication-ethics matters in accordance with the circumstances of each case and with relevant scholarly publishing guidance. The journal may consult COPE resources and other appropriate expert guidance when dealing with complex ethical cases.