Publication Ethics

The Burapha Science Journal (BSJ) is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. To ensure the quality and transparency of our scientific record, BSJ follows the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved—editors, authors, and reviewers—are expected to adhere to the following ethical standards.

        Duties of Editors

  • Maintaining High Standards: Editors are responsible for upholding the scientific integrity of BSJ. They must ensure that the peer-review and publication processes remain fair, transparent, and aligned with academic excellence.
  • Evaluation Based on Merit: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scientific importance, originality, validity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Decisions are made without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
  • Handling Misconduct and Plagiarism: Editors must take active steps to identify and prevent research misconduct. If plagiarism (verified via detection tools) or data fabrication is suspected, the review process will be suspended immediately, and the editor will follow COPE flowcharts for investigation.
  • Transparency in Editor-authored Articles: To ensure objectivity, any manuscript submitted by an editor or editorial board member must undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as any other submission. The involved editor must recuse themselves from all parts of the decision-making process for their own work.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must protect the confidentiality of the peer-review process and the contents of submitted manuscripts. Unpublished information must not be used for personal gain.
  • Ethical Oversight: Editors are responsible for monitoring and taking corrective actions when necessary, including publishing retractions, corrections, or clarifications promptly after an issue is identified.
    Duties of Authors
  • Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. Plagiarism, in any form, is a violation of publication ethics and will result in immediate rejection or retraction.
  • Authorship and Accountability: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the research. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.
  • Exclusion of AI as Authors: Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) cannot be listed as authors. AI may only be used for language enhancement, and such use must be explicitly disclosed in the manuscript.
  • Data Integrity: Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their research data. Manipulation, falsification, or fabrication of data is strictly prohibited. Raw data must be made available for editorial review upon request.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest (financial, personal, or professional) that could influence the interpretation of their results at the time of submission.
  • Human and Animal Rights: Research involving human subjects or animals must include a statement confirming approval from an appropriate Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB).
  • Concurrent Publication: Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is unethical and prohibited.

    Duties of Reviewers
  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and associated materials as confidential documents. They must not share or discuss the content with unauthorized parties.
  • Objectivity and Professionalism: Reviews must be conducted objectively and free from personal bias. Reviewers should provide constructive, clear, and professional feedback supported by arguments to help authors improve their work.
  • Promptness: Invited reviewers who feel unqualified or are unable to meet the deadline must notify the Editor immediately and decline the invitation.
  • Disclosure of Competing Interests: Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors. If a reviewer suspects they know the author's identity (despite the single-blind process), they must notify the editor.
  • Respect for Intellectual Property: Reviewers must not use any unpublished data, ideas, or information from the manuscript for their own personal gain or research.
  • Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should point out relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and alert the editor to any significant similarities with previously published papers.

    Research Ethics: Human and Animal Rights

           For research involving biological subjects, authors must ensure the study was conducted within a recognized ethical framework.

  • Human Subjects: Research involving human participants, human material, or human data must be performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. A statement must be included in the manuscript identifying the Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB) that approved the study, including the approval number. Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants.
  • Animal Subjects: Research involving animals must comply with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Manuscripts must include a statement identifying the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics body that approved the work, along with the approval number.

Generative AI Policy

The Burapha Science Journal values innovation but prioritizes human intellectual integrity. We allow the use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) under the following strict conditions:

1. Permitted Use (Language Enhancement Only): AI may be used strictly for language editing, such as correcting grammar, improving sentence structure, or enhancing readability. Every piece of AI-assisted content must be thoroughly reviewed, edited, and approved by the human authors.

2. Prohibited Use (Content Generation): AI is strictly prohibited for writing major manuscript sections (e.g., Introduction, Discussion, Literature Review) or for interpreting research results. AI must not replace the authors' original intellectual contributions.

3. Required Disclosure: Authors must transparently disclose the use of AI. A clear statement should be included, such as: “An AI-assisted tool was used for language enhancement. The final content was reviewed and approved by the authors.”

4. Ethical Compliance: Failure to disclose AI usage or the inappropriate use of AI tools is considered a violation of publication ethics, which may lead to manuscript rejection or post-publication retraction.

Allegation of Research Misconduct

Burapha Science Journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward research misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, and authorship malpractice. We follow COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines to handle allegations. If misconduct is confirmed, the journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript, issue a formal retraction for published work, and notify the authors' home institutions.