Editorial Policies

The Journal of Aquatic Biology and Ecology (JABE) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized principles to ensure fairness, rigor, and accountability throughout the editorial and peer review process. JABE adheres to the guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Our policies are regularly reviewed to reflect evolving global standards in academic publishing.

JABE operates as a fully open access journal. All articles are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication. This ensures unrestricted global access to scientific knowledge and supports the dissemination of research in aquatic biology, marine science, freshwater ecology, and environmental sustainability. Readers may access, download, share, and reuse published content without subscription barriers, provided appropriate attribution is given to the original authors.

Authors retain full copyright of their work. Upon acceptance, authors grant the journal the right of first publication and agree to publish their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License. This license permits others to copy, distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for any purpose, including commercial use, provided that proper credit is given, a link to the license is provided, and any modifications are clearly indicated. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that permission has been obtained for any copyrighted material reproduced in the manuscript.

The journal maintains full editorial independence. The Editor-in-Chief has complete authority over editorial decisions, including manuscript acceptance or rejection, based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Commercial considerations or external influences do not affect editorial judgment.

All research articles submitted to JABE undergo a rigorous single-blind peer review process, in which reviewers remain anonymous while authors’ identities are disclosed to reviewers. Following an initial screening for scope, formatting, and similarity checks, suitable manuscripts are assigned to an Academic Editor and evaluated by at least two independent experts in the field. Reviewers assess the scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, clarity of presentation, and contribution to aquatic science. Based on reviewer reports and editorial evaluation, manuscripts may be accepted, returned for minor or major revision, or rejected. The final decision rests with the Academic Editor or Editor-in-Chief.

JABE follows established authorship criteria to ensure appropriate attribution of scholarly contributions. All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, data acquisition or analysis, drafting or critically revising the manuscript, and approving the final version for publication. All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work. Any changes to authorship after submission require written consent from all authors and must be approved by the editorial office.

The journal requires full disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest. Authors, reviewers, and editors must declare financial, institutional, personal, or intellectual relationships that could influence their work. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state that no competing interests are declared. Transparency in disclosures supports trust in the scientific process.

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with recognized ethical standards. Studies involving human subjects must have received approval from an appropriate ethics committee and include confirmation of informed consent. Research involving animals must adhere to institutional and international guidelines for animal welfare. Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to participant enrollment, and the registration number should be provided in the manuscript.

 

JABE strongly encourages authors to promote research transparency by providing access to underlying data whenever possible. A Data Availability Statement is required in all manuscripts, indicating whether data are publicly accessible, available upon reasonable request, or included within the article. Open data practices enhance reproducibility and scientific reliability.

All submissions are screened for plagiarism and similarity using recognized detection tools. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, improper authorship attribution, citation manipulation, and undisclosed conflicts of interest constitute serious ethical violations. Allegations of misconduct are handled in accordance with COPE procedures to ensure fairness and due process.

In cases where errors are identified after publication, JABE will issue corrections or retractions following established ethical guidelines. Retracted articles remain part of the scholarly record but are clearly marked to ensure transparency. Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions, and complaints regarding editorial handling or ethical concerns are addressed carefully and confidentially.

Through these policies, the Journal of Aquatic Biology and Ecology reaffirms its commitment to integrity, scientific excellence, and responsible dissemination of knowledge in aquatic and ecological sciences.