1. Ethical Framework & Standards

• COPE Core Practices for editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers
• ICMJE Recommendations on authorship, conflicts of interest, and transparency
• Human research: ethics approval and informed consent (Declaration of Helsinki principles)
• Animal research: compliance with recognized welfare and reporting standards

2. Duties of Authors

• Originality: submissions must be original and properly cited.
• Data integrity: data must be accurately reported and retained when requested.
• Redundant publication: duplicate or parallel submissions are prohibited.
• Authorship: authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution.
• Funding & conflicts: all financial and non-financial conflicts must be disclosed.
• Ethics approval: mandatory for human and animal studies.
• AI use: any use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed.

3. Duties of Editors

• Ensure fair, unbiased, and timely editorial decisions.
• Maintain editorial independence and confidentiality.
• Manage conflicts of interest transparently.
• Investigate ethical concerns following COPE procedures.

4. Duties of Reviewers

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely peer reviews.
• Maintain confidentiality of all reviewed material.
• Declare conflicts of interest and decline reviews when appropriate.
• Report suspected misconduct to the editorial office.

5. Misconduct, Corrections & Retractions

Allegations of misconduct are handled seriously and in accordance with COPE guidance.

• Plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, image manipulation, and unethical research.
• Possible actions include rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction.
• Authors may be requested to provide clarification or supporting documentation.

Ethics Alignment Statement

BJTB aligns its editorial and peer-review practices with internationally recognized publication ethics standards, including COPE guidance.