Ethics

Publication ethics statement

This ethics statement is designed to provide a set of minimum standards to which authors, reviewers and editors of BUT adhere.

In order to promote integrity in research publication, our journals adhere to all the standards promoted by COPE COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION ETHICS (http://publicationethics.org). 

 

Standards for authors

The COPE International Standards for Authors recommend:

Publication is the final stage of research and therefore a responsibility for all researchers. Scholarly publications are expected to provide a detailed and permanent record of research. Because publications form the basis for both new research and the application of findings, they can affect not only the research community but also, indirectly, the society at large. Researchers therefore have a responsibility to ensure that their publications are honest, clear, accurate, complete and balanced, and should avoid misleading, selective or ambiguous reporting.

 

The following is a summary of COPE’s international standards for authors of scholarly research publications and describes responsible research reporting practice:

  • Researchers should adhere to publication requirements that submitted work is original, is not plagiarized, and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The research being reported should have been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner and should comply with all relevant legislation.
  • Researchers should present their results clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation.
  • Researchers should strive to describe their methods clearly and unambiguously so that their findings can be confirmed by others.
  • Authors should take collective responsibility for submitted and published work.
  • The authorship of research publications should accurately reflect individuals’ contributions to the work and its reporting.
  • Funding sources and relevant conflicts of interest should be disclosed.
  • The corresponding-author will permanently correspond with the editor concerning the recommendations of the reviewers and any other issues related to the authenticity of the paper.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is not tolerated in this journal. All materials that we receive are checked using appropriate plagiarism checking tools and immediate action is taken upon finding unattributed use of ideas, texts or results. In case of plagiarism, authors are informed that their article was rejected and they are informed about the reason for the action. In case of previously published works that belong to the authors and which are used in the article(s) submitted for review, we encourage authors to provide proper acknowledgement and citation of the original source after obtaining clearance from the original publisher. Post-publication corrections (see below) are enforced when plagiarism is discovered after publication.

 

Post-publication corrections

Authors are entitled to post-publication corrections. When authors initiate the action, they should provide evidence why corrections are needed (e.g., reliability of data, incorrect labelling of a figure/table, omissions, typographical amendments, incorrect spelling of name, etc.). The editor will analyse the request and decide if it is allowed. The editor will inform the author(s): corrections are allowed, corrections need further investigation, no corrections are allowed.

 

Restrictions

The editor and/or the editorial board can retract articles and inform readers about this decision as well as about the reason for the action. Retraction is issued if the work is plagiarized, if the editor and/or the editorial board identifies errors in the research, the author(s) used falsified or fabricated data or results, in case of copyright infringement, failure to disclose conflict of interest, or if there is no institutional review board approval for research on human subjects or animals.

Retracted papers should be retained online, and they should be prominently marked as a retraction in all online versions, including the PDF, for the benefit of future readers.

For further guidance on specific allegations and suggested actions, such as retractions, see the COPE flowcharts and retraction guidelines. 

Standards for editors

Journal editors also have responsibilities for ensuring the integrity of the research literature and these are set out in companion guidelines.

 

Standards for reviewers

Basic principles to which peer reviewers should adhere:

  • Only agree to review manuscripts for which they have the subject expertise required to carry out a proper assessment and which they can assess in a timely manner.
  • Respect the confidentiality of peer review and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer-review process, beyond those that are released by the journal.
  • Not use information obtained during the peer-review process for their own or any other person’s or organization’s advantage, or to disadvantage or discredit others.
  • Declare all potential conflicting interests, seeking advice from the journal if they are unsure whether something constitutes a relevant interest.
  • Not allow their reviews to be influenced by the origins of a manuscript, by the nationality, religious or political beliefs, gender or other characteristics of the authors, or by commercial considerations.
  • Be objective and constructive in their reviews, refraining from being hostile or inflammatory and from making libellous or derogatory personal comments.
  • Acknowledge that peer review is largely a reciprocal endeavour and undertake to carry out their fair share of reviewing and in a timely manner.
  • Provide journals with personal and professional information that is accurate and a true representation of their expertise.
  • Recognize that impersonation of another individual during the review process is considered serious misconduct.

CONTACT

Please address your concerns about the publication process in Bulletin of Transilvania University to editor.but@unitbv.ro