EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING POLICY

Journal Profile

Biomedicinska istraživanja is a peer-reviewed, fully open-access scientific journal published by the Faculty of Medicine Foča, University of East Sarajevo. It provides a respected international platform for original research, systematic and narrative reviews, and other scholarly contributions spanning the full spectrum of biomedical and health sciences.

The journal is committed to the highest standards of scientific integrity, editorial transparency, rigorous publication ethics, and immediate, barrier-free dissemination of research findings.

Aims, Scope, and Editorial Vision

The mission of Biomedicinska istraživanja is to advance biomedical science and clinical practice by publishing methodologically sound, original research with international relevance.

Priority is given to submissions that:

• address clearly formulated, significant research questions
• employ transparent, appropriate and rigorously executed methods
• include robust and well-justified statistical analyses (when applicable)
• present findings with implications that extend beyond local or regional contexts

While deeply connected to its regional academic community, the journal actively pursues global visibility and impact through a selective editorial policy aimed at engaging an international readership of researchers and clinicians.

Editorial Independence

The journal maintains complete editorial independence. All decisions on acceptance, revision or rejection rest solely with the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board and are based exclusively on the intellectual and scholarly merit of the work — free from any influence by the publisher, commercial interests, funding bodies or institutional administration.

Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous double-blind peer review. The identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the process.

Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent external experts. Reviewers assess submissions according to the following criteria:

• originality and scientific significance
• methodological soundness, appropriateness and transparency
• adherence to ethical standards in research and reporting
• clarity, logical structure and quality of academic writing
• relevance and interest to an international audience

The Editor-in-Chief integrates reviewer reports to reach a final decision: accept, revise or reject.

Editorial Selectivity

A selective publication policy is applied. Even manuscripts within scope may be declined if they fail to meet our high standards of scientific quality, methodological rigour or publication ethics. The journal follows a clear “quality over quantity” approach, aiming to contribute lasting value to the scholarly record.

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

The journal adheres fully to the guidelines and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to upholding the highest standards of research and publication integrity.

Research Ethics

• Human participants: Studies must conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval by an appropriate institutional or national ethics committee and documented informed consent are mandatory.
• Animal research: Studies must comply with EU Directive 2010/63/EU and the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Ethical approval from a relevant committee is required.

Research Misconduct

A zero-tolerance policy applies to:

• plagiarism
• data fabrication or falsification
• duplicate / redundant publication (including self-plagiarism)
• unethical authorship practices (ghost, guest or gift authorship)

All submissions are screened for textual similarity using iThenticate. Suspected misconduct is investigated promptly following COPE procedures. Corrections, retractions or expressions of concern are issued when necessary to protect the scholarly record.

Authorship and Responsibility

Authorship is restricted to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution or interpretation of the work. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and accept public responsibility for its accuracy and integrity.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers and editors are required to disclose any financial, professional or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the work. Declarations of potential conflicts of interest are published with all accepted articles.

Corrections, Retractions and Appeals

The journal is committed to preserving an accurate and permanent scholarly record. Significant errors affecting data interpretation are corrected by means of a formal erratum. Proven serious ethical breaches or pervasive errors lead to retraction accompanied by a transparent notice.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a reasoned request to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals are reviewed carefully and impartially.

Open Access and Publishing Policies

Open Access Model

Biomedicinska istraživanja is a full open-access journal. All content is freely and immediately available online without subscription barriers or embargoes, in line with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI).

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

No fees are charged for submission, peer review, processing or publication. Publication is completely free of charge for authors.

Copyright and Licensing

• Authors retain full copyright of their published work.
• All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing unrestricted sharing, adaptation and commercial use with appropriate attribution.

Digital Preservation

Content is archived in institutional repositories and registered with long-term digital preservation services to ensure permanent accessibility.

Advertising and Commercial Policy

To protect editorial independence, the journal does not accept commercial advertising or sponsored content.

Policy Review

This Editorial and Publishing Policy is a living document and is periodically reviewed to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing and the requirements of international indexing databases.

Final Statement

Biomedicinska istraživanja is dedicated to ethical stewardship, scientific excellence and genuine open-access dissemination. The journal aspires to serve as a credible, rigorous and internationally respected venue for advancing biomedical knowledge.