Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

  1. Purpose and Scope 

The World Journal of Experimental Biosciences (World J Exp Biosci) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, accountability, and quality in scholarly publishing. This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement establishes the ethical principles, responsibilities, and standards governing all parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher.

This policy applies to all content published by the Journal, including original research articles, review articles, short communications, case reports, methodological papers, editorials, special issues, and any associated conference proceedings.

The Journal's publication ethics framework is based on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and follows internationally recognized standards for responsible scholarly publishing, including the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other widely accepted international publishing guidelines.

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal must represent original work, present accurate and reliable scientific findings, and appropriately acknowledge and cite the work of others. Submitted manuscripts must not have been published previously, in whole or in part, nor be under consideration by another journal or publication at the time of submission. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the work is original, has not been submitted elsewhere, and will not be submitted to another publication until the editorial process has been completed.

2. Governance and Editorial Independence 

The World Journal of Experimental Biosciences is published by Unicorn Scientific Publisher LLC (USP), which is committed to promoting responsible scholarly communication through transparent editorial policies, rigorous peer review, and adherence to internationally accepted ethical standards.

Although USP is not currently a formal member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Journal fully follows COPE's Core Practices and applies internationally recognized principles of ethical publishing throughout its editorial and publication processes.

Publication ethics at the publisher level is supported by the Advisory Board on Publication Ethics and Quality of Unicorn Scientific Publisher LLC (USP). The Board serves as an advisory and supervisory body responsible for developing, reviewing, and monitoring publication ethics policies, evaluating publisher-level quality assurance processes, promoting transparency, and recommending continuous improvements to ethical publishing practices across all USP journals.

The Advisory Board does not participate in editorial decision-making for individual manuscripts. Full responsibility for manuscript evaluation, peer-review management, editorial decisions, acceptance, or rejection remains exclusively with the Journal's editorial team, led by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors, thereby ensuring complete editorial independence.

To safeguard impartiality, any member serving simultaneously on the Advisory Board and the Editorial Board must recuse themselves from discussions or decisions involving manuscripts or ethical matters in which they have a direct or indirect conflict of interest, including situations where they serve as an author, reviewer, handling editor, collaborator, or have another significant professional relationship with any party involved. Such cases are handled exclusively by editors or advisors without relevant conflicts of interest. When appropriate, independent external ethical guidance may be sought to ensure fairness, objectivity, and transparency.

Editorial conflicts of interest: Manuscripts submitted by editors or Editorial Board members are handled independently to avoid conflicts of interest. The submitting editor is excluded from all editorial assessment and decision-making, and the manuscript undergoes the journal's standard external peer-review process. Detailed procedures are described in the Editorial Independence Policy (point 4).

Through these governance and oversight mechanisms, USP and the Journal ensure that every published article adheres to the highest standards of scientific integrity, ethical conduct, accountability, transparency, and academic rigor while preserving the independence of editorial decision-making.

3.  Journal Transparency Information 

The Journal (World Journal of Experimental Biosciences) maintains the following information in a clearly visible location on its website:

●        A unique journal name that cannot reasonably be confused with another journal and does not mislead readers or authors about the Journal's origin, scope, or affiliations.

●        A secure (HTTPS) website that accurately states the aims and scope, target readership, accepted manuscript types, authorship criteria, and separate print/electronic ISSNs.

●        The Journal's publishing frequency, which is adhered to except in exceptional, disclosed circumstances.

●        A digital preservation and archiving plan (Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy) to safeguard continued access to content in the event the Journal or publisher ceases operation.

●        Clearly stated copyright terms, named on the full text of every published article, distinct from the copyright of the website itself.

●        Clearly stated licensing terms on every published article (Creative Commons Attribution. International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) (CC BY 4.0).

      ●    All the articles are open access, and this is clearly indicated.  

4. Journal Practices- Peer review 

The Journal discloses on its website whether published content is peer reviewed, who conducts the review (external experts and/or Editorial Board members), the type of peer-review model used, policies regarding author-suggested reviewers, identity masking, the review of supplementary materials, whether reviews are signed, anonymous, or published, how final decisions are reached and by whom, and which manuscript types are exempt from peer review. The Journal does not guarantee acceptance of any submission, provides realistic review timelines based on actual accepted-paper data, and informs authors of the reasons for any significant delays, offering them the option to withdraw their manuscripts. Submission, acceptance, and publication dates are recorded for every article. For more details the author invites to visit the review Policy and Peer Review Guidelines.

4. Organization 

Ownership and management information is published on the Journal’s website, and organizational names are not used in a manner that could mislead prospective authors, editors, or readers. The Journal maintains an Editorial Board composed of recognized subject-matter experts whose full names and affiliations are publicly available, regularly updated, and periodically reviewed to ensure accuracy and active participation. Full names, affiliations, and editorial office contact details, including a mailing address, are provided for the editorial team.

5. Financial Transparency 

The World Journal of Experimental Biosciences maintains a transparent policy regarding all publishing-related financial matters. Detailed information about article processing charges (APCs), publication fees, and any other applicable charges is clearly provided in the Article Processing Charges (APCs) and Other Fees section of the Journal’s website. Authors are encouraged to review this information before submitting their manuscripts.

6. Duties of Editors

  • The Editors of the journal have the full authority to reject/accept a manuscript.
  • The Editors of the journal maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts under review until they are published.
  • The Editor-in-Chief decide on submitted manuscripts, whether to be published or not with other editors and reviewers.
  • The editors of the journal preserve the anonymity of reviewers.
  • The editors of the journal disclose and try to avoid any conflict of interests.
  • The Editors comment on ethical questions and possible misconduct raised by submissions (e.g. unethical research design, and inappropriate data manipulation), and be alert to redundant publication and plagiarism. Editors' comments should be sent to authors in their entirety unless they contain offensive or libelous remarks.
  • The Editors of the journal must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
  • Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted paper will not be used by the editor or the members of the editorial board for their own research purposes without the author's explicit written consent.
  • Editors strive to ensure that peer review at (World J Exp Biosci) is fair, unbiased, and timely. The journal has established policies for handling submissions from editorial board members to ensure unbiased review.
  • Editors should take all reasonable steps to ensure the quality of the material they publish, recognizing that different sections have different aims and standards.
  • Editors should seek assurances that the research they publish has been approved by an appropriate body (e.g. research ethics committee, institutional review board) where one exists. Editors should be alert to intellectual property issues and work with their publishers to handle potential breaches of laws and conventions. Errors, inaccurate, or misleading statements must be corrected promptly and with due prominence.

7. Duties of Reviewers

  • Reviewers assist the editorial board in making editorial decisions. Reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments so that authors can use them to improve the paper. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.
  • Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the institutions connected to the papers.
  • Reporting possible research misconduct.
  • Suggest alternative reviewers in case they cannot review the manuscript for any reason.
  • Treating the manuscript as a confidential document.
  • Not making any use of the work described in the manuscript.
  • Reviewers must not attempt to identify authors and should not communicate directly with authors during the peer-review process. If authors’ identities become known unintentionally, reviewers must maintain confidentiality and avoid any direct contact with the authors.
  • Ensuring that the manuscript is of high quality and original research.
  • Informing the editor if he/she finds the assigned manuscript is under consideration in any other publication to his/her knowledge.
  • Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.
  • Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. References to the ideas of others should be accompanied by the relevant citation.
  • A reviewer should call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
  • The reviewer should not enforce Authors to cite the reviewer's published articles.
  • Inform the editor if the reviewer believes the manuscript is under consideration elsewhere.

8. Duties of Authors

  • The submitted manuscript should not be submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
  • The submitted work should be original and should not have been published elsewhere in any form or language (partially or in full), unless the new work concerns an expansion of previous work. (Please provide transparency on the re-use of material to avoid concerns about text-recycling (self-plagiarism).
  • Results should be presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation (including image-based manipulation). Authors should adhere to discipline-specific rules for acquiring, selecting, and processing data.
  • No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the author’s own (‘plagiarism’). Proper acknowledgments to other works must be given (this includes material that is closely copied (near verbatim), summarized, and/or paraphrased), quotation marks (to indicate words taken from another source) are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions secured for material that is copyrighted.
  • The submitting corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the manuscript article's publication has been approved by all the other coauthors.
  • All authors have agreed to allow the corresponding author to serve as the correspondent with the editorial office, to review the edited manuscript and proof.
  • All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the manuscript and approved all its claims.
  • Acknowledge the sources of data used in the development of the manuscript.

9. Contribution Details

Contributors should describe contributions made by each of them toward the manuscript. Authors must have:

  • made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work,; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
  • contributed to drafting the paper, or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
  • provided final approval of the version to be published;
  • agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved;
  • agreed to be named on the author list; and approved the full author list.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors qualify for authorship and have agreed to be listed on the submission. He is also responsible for informing all co-authors of relevant editorial information during the review process.

10. Studies in Humans, Animals, and Plants

All original research involving humans, animals, plants, biological materials, protected or non-public datasets, collections, or research sites must include a written Ethics Approval statement identifying the ethics committee or institutional review board, the approval number or ID, and, for human participants, confirmation that informed consent was obtained before the research began. The author(s) submitting an article involving animals or human clinical trials must submit the completed  Animal Welfare Statement and Ethical animal & human statement

10.1. Research involving humans

Human-subjects research must follow the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki and be consistent with the ICMJE Recommendations, including appropriate consideration of representative populations by sex, age, and ethnicity, and the correct use of the terms sex and gender. Prospective IRB/ethics-committee approval is required before research begins; retrospective approval is generally not acceptable and may preclude publication. Authors must state that informed consent was obtained, and the privacy rights of participants must always be observed.

10.2. Research involving animals 

Animal research must comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and be conducted under the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, EU Directive 2010/63/EU, or the NRC Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, as applicable, with the sex of animals and, where relevant, its potential influence on study outcomes indicated, ethical approval or licence numbers stated, and measures taken to minimise suffering (including anaesthesia/euthanasia method) described.

10.3. Research involving Plants 

Studies on plants must comply with institutional and national/international regulation, including the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), with relevant permissions or licences stated.

11. Consent for Publication

For all manuscripts that include details or images relating to an individual person, written informed consent for the publication of these details must be obtained from that person (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 18). The consent must be for publication of their details under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) (such that they will be freely available on the internet). If the person has died, consent for publication must be obtained from their next of kin. The manuscript must include a statement that written informed consent for publication was obtained.

Authors can use the consent form to obtain consent for publication, or a consent form from their own institution or region if appropriate. The consent form states that the details/images will be freely available on the internet and may be seen by the general public. The consent form must be made available to the Editor if requested and will be treated confidentially.

12. Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in the published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and work with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

13. Plagiarism (Using Turnitin software)

Plagiarism in any form constitutes a serious violation of publication ethics and is not acceptable. The journal has a strict policy against plagiarism and misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are checked for plagiarism using professional plagiarism-checking software. Submitted manuscripts with an unacceptable similarity index resulting from plagiarism or misconduct research behavior are rejected immediately. Examples of plagiarism and misconduct include:

  • Word-for-word copying of portions of another's writing without enclosing the copied passage in quotation marks and acknowledging the source in the appropriate scholarly convention.
  • The paraphrasing or abbreviated restatement of someone else's ideas without acknowledging that another person's text has been the basis for the paraphrasing.
  • False citation: material should not be attributed to a source from which it has not been obtained.
  • False data: data that has been fabricated or altered in a laboratory or experiment; although not factually plagiarism, this is a form of academic fraud.
  • Self-plagiarism or double submission: the submission of the same or a very similar paper to two or more publications.

Suspected misconduct is investigated according to COPE guidance, consistent with the frameworks referenced by DOAJ, Scopus, and NLM.

14. AI tools:

The use of generative AI tools by authors, reviewers, and editors should be disclosed and is subject to editorial oversight. For more details please see the following link (AI Policy)

15. Complaints/Appeals

All complaints, concerns, or appeals regarding authorship issues or the peer-review process, including concerns raised post-publication, should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, who shall investigate the claims by first, requesting information from all parties involved and second, proposing a course of action in line with academic ethical principles as outlined by the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE; https://publicationethics.org/). Submissions can be halted in the review or publication process until the issues are resolved. In situations, when Editor-in-Chief is involved in the complaint, the Editorial Board members, led by the most senior member, investigate the claims and propose a course of action.

16. Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

All authors of articles must disclose any conflicts of interest they may have with the publication of the manuscript or an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also disclose conflicts of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript.

17. Confidentiality

A submitted manuscript is confidential material. The journal will not disclose submitted manuscripts to anyone except individuals who partake in the processing and preparation of the manuscript for publication (if accepted). These individuals include editorial staff, corresponding authors, reviewers, and editors. However, in suspected cases of misconduct, a manuscript may be revealed to members of the journal ethics committees and institutions/organizations that may require it for the resolution of the misconduct.

18. Misconduct

Misconduct constitutes a violation of this editorial policy, journal policies, publication ethics, or any applicable guidelines/policies specified by COPE, WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), and ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors). Any other activities that threaten/compromise the integrity of the research/publication process are potential misconduct. Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

`9. Correction and Retraction of Articles

The World Journal of Experimental Biosciences is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions are handled in accordance with internationally recognized publication ethics principles and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Corrections require editorial approval, and the Editor determines the nature and extent of the correction. Minor errors that do not affect the scientific integrity or conclusions of an article may be corrected within the published version. Major errors that affect the accuracy, interpretation, or reliability of the published work are addressed through a formal correction notice or a revised version that is permanently linked to the original article, together with a clear explanation of the changes made.

When retraction is necessary, the Journal follows COPE's Retraction Guidelines. Retracted articles remain part of the permanent scholarly record, are clearly identified as retracted, and are linked to the corresponding retraction notice to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scientific literature. Where applicable, the Journal promptly notifies relevant indexing and abstracting services of corrections and retractions.

20. Acknowledgment

Individuals who participated in the development of a manuscript but do not qualify as an author should be acknowledged. Organizations that provide support in terms of funding and/or other resources should also be acknowledged. Information concerning funding organizations (including the grant numbers) for the reported research should be provided. The names of funding organizations should be written in full.

21. Basis and version 

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is based on the fourth edition (September 2022) of the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). The Journal also follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and other internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing. This statement is reviewed periodically and updated whenever necessary to reflect developments in publication ethics, editorial best practices, and internationally accepted publishing standards. The date of the most recent review or revision is published on the Journal’s website.