Submitting an article
To submit an article to our journal, first read the information in the author's guide section. Use the sample article template for the article. If you have questions, you can contact us.
Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement
The Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation (SBC) journal upholds the highest standards of publication ethics. We are committed to preventing publication misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and duplicate publication. All authors submitting to SBC must agree to adhere to these ethical standards, which align with internationally recognized guidelines.
Authorship and Contributorship
Authors must ensure that all listed contributors have made substantial intellectual contributions, approved the final version, and agree to be accountable for the work’s integrity. Specifically, authors should confirm they:
- Contributed significantly to the conception, design, or interpretation of the study.
- Critically revised and approved the manuscript.
- Accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.
Animal Rights and Ethical Considerations
Ethical Approval for Animal and Human Research
Authors submitting work involving animals must obtain ethical approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or an equivalent body, and they must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards. SBC strictly adheres to the Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). We are also committed to the WMA Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. In case of link problems, please refer to the Author Guidelines menu and scroll down to the templates and forms.
Authors must provide:
- The approval number or code of the relevant ethics committee.
- Information on how the research conforms to both local and international regulations.
- Written consent from local or national wildlife authorities if applicable. SBC reserves the right to reject manuscripts that lack ethical approval or documentation.
Editorial Independence and Responsibility
Editors at SBC make publication decisions solely based on scientific merit, free from external influence, conflicts of interest, or bias. Confidentiality and integrity are maintained throughout the review process. Editors will recuse themselves if conflicts of interest arise.
- Editorial Confidentiality: Information about submitted manuscripts is confidential and shared only with those involved in the editorial process.
- Independence: Publication decisions are based on the manuscript’s relevance, originality, and the strength of the scientific content.
- Conflict of Interest Management: Editors will excuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist, asking other members of the editorial board to manage the manuscript.
COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors can be found here.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
All authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could potentially influence the results or interpretation of their work. This includes:
- Financial support from institutions or corporations.
- Relevant relationships with entities that may gain or lose financially from the publication. Editors and reviewers are also required to disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts where a potential conflict exists.
Peer Review Process
SBC employs a double-blind peer review system, involving at least two independent reviewers to evaluate scientific quality and relevance. Reviewers are expected to provide constructive, respectful feedback and maintain confidentiality.
Plagiarism, Data Fabrication, and Falsification
Originality is mandatory. Proper citation of all sources, including self-citations, is required. SBC takes plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification very seriously. Authors must submit original work, and any overlap with previously published work must be clearly cited. SBC uses plagiarism detection software such as Crossref Similarity Check and iThenticate Plagiarism Detection Software to screen submissions for plagiarism. Plagiarism includes:
- Verbatim copying without appropriate citation.
- Substantial paraphrasing of another's work.
- Self-plagiarism, where authors reuse their own previously published work without proper attribution.
Data Accessibility and Retention
Authors should ensure that all data generated during the research is available for validation and replication. Upon request, authors must provide the raw data, and the data should be retained for at least 10 years following publication. The sharing of data through publicly accessible repositories is encouraged to facilitate transparency and reproducibility.
Duplicate and Redundant Publication
Manuscripts submitted to SBC must be original and not under consideration or previously published elsewhere. Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is considered unethical and unacceptable. However, secondary publication may be allowed if:
- The original publication is cited.
- There is prior agreement between the authors and editors of both journals.
- The work is in a different language or format (e.g., review, translation).
Ethical Conduct in Human and Animal Research
All research involving humans or animals must follow relevant ethical standards, including informed consent for humans and welfare guidelines for animals. Authors must clearly state compliance and approval details. Please see the Animal Rights and Ethical Considerations section mentioned above!
Corrections and Retractions
Authors must notify the journal of any significant errors. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will follow COPE guidelines to maintain scientific integrity.
Copyright and Open Access
SBC operates as an open-access journal under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, permitting free access and reuse with proper citation. Authors are encouraged to share their work openly to promote dissemination. More about the CC BY license can be found at Creative Commons.
By adhering to these rigorous publication ethics, SBC aims to maintain the highest integrity in scientific publishing. Ethical concerns or misconduct cases will be investigated thoroughly, and necessary actions, such as corrections or retractions, will be taken to uphold the journal’s standards.
