EDITORIAL POLICY

The editorial policy of Biomedicinska istraživanja is designed to ensure the highest standards in scientific publishing, adhering to global ethical guidelines and best practices. All stages of publication, from manuscript submission to final publication, must comply with internationally recognized principles of editorial ethics.

Our editorial policies follows the guidelines of:

   •           Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/) – global standards for ethical publishing;

   •           International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (https://www.icmje.org/) – guidelines for authorship and ethical norms in medical journals;

   •           World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) (https://wame.org/) – recommendations for editorial policies in medical journals.

This document outlines the journal’s core editorial policies.

1. Core Principles of the Editorial Policy

   •           Transparency - All information regarding manuscript processing, peer review, conflicts of interest, and financial management is clearly defined and accessible to all involved parties.

   •           Responsibility - Authors, reviewers, and editors are accountable for following editorial guidelines, and appropriate measures will be taken in the event of any irregularities.

   •           Impartiality - Editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript, regardless of financial or institutional affiliations.

The editorial policy ensures that all articles include abstracts and keywords in English.

2. Peer Review and Editorial Process

The journal implements a double-blind peer review system, engaging at least two independent reviewers for each submission. Authors may be required to revise their manuscripts based on reviewer feedback, and final publication decisions rest with the Editor-in-Chief.

The journal maintains a well-defined editorial structure, including:

   •           Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and an international editorial board.

   •           A diverse peer review panel, including international experts.

Stages of the Review Process:

      1.         Internal Editorial Review

         •           Upon submission, an editor evaluates whether the manuscript aligns with the journal’s scientific scope and meets the basic technical criteria.

         •           If the manuscript fails to meet these standards or does not fit the journal’s thematic focus, it may be rejected without review.

      2.         External Peer Review

         •           The manuscript is sent to at least two independent expert reviewers in the relevant scientific field.

         •           Reviewers assess the scientific value, methodological validity, data analysis quality, result interpretation, and adherence to ethical guidelines.

      3.         Author Feedback

         •           After receiving the reviewers’ comments, authors are provided with feedback and may be asked to make revisions.

         •           If major revisions are required, a specific deadline will be set for manuscript resubmission.

      4.         Final Decision

         •           Based on the reviews and the revised manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection.

By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors agree to comply with the peer review process and adhere to the editorial policy.

3. Authorship and Author Responsibilities

Authorship is based on significant intellectual contributions, following ICMJE standards (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html), including:

   •           Designing the research and methodology

   •           Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data

   •           Writing or critically revising the manuscript

   •           Providing final approval of the manuscript for publication

Individuals who contributed to the paper but do not meet the authorship criteria (e.g., technical support, data collection, or language revision) should be listed in the Acknowledgments section with their consent.

Any changes to authorship after submission, such as adding, removing, or reordering authors, require:

   •           Written consent from all co-authors

   •           Approval from the Editor-in-Chief

   •           Submission of the request by the corresponding author

Unacceptable Authorship Practices

   •           Ghost authorship and guest authorship are prohibited.

   •           Any violation of these rules constitutes a serious ethical breach.

4. Open Access, Copyright, and Digital Archiving

The journal operates under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license, ensuring free access and permissive content sharing.

The journal ensures long-term digital archiving through:

   •           Institutional repositories - Vaseljena (https://vaseljena.ues.rs.ba/home)

   •           Digital Object Identifier (DOI) assignment for each article, enhancing persistent citation tracking.

The journal also states its self-archiving policy, allowing authors to deposit accepted versions in public repositories.

5. Data Sharing and Reproducibility

   •           Authors are encouraged to share original data to support reproducibility.

   •           Methods must be detailed to allow for replication.

6. Financial Transparency and Publication Fees

   •           The journal does not charge article processing fees (APCs).

   •           The journal receives institutional funding, ensuring that authors do not bear financial burdens related to publication.

7. Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

   •           The journal follows COPE guidelines for handling corrections, retractions, and ethical oversight.

   •         A Retraction Notice will be issued if an article is found to have serious ethical or methodological flaws, with a clear statement of the title, author names, and reasons for retraction.

   •           Readers and researchers can submit post-publication comments if errors, methodological concerns, or new evidence affecting the conclusions are identified.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Ethical Research Compliance

   • Human research must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/), including documented informed consent.

   • Animal research must follow EU Directive 2010/63/EU (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010L0063) and adhere to the 3R principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement).

   • Ethics committee approval is required for all research involving human or animal subjects and must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.

2. Research Integrity and Misconduct

   • All manuscripts undergo plagiarism detection using iThenticate (https://www.ithenticate.com/).

   • Data fabrication and falsification are strictly prohibited.

   • Ghost authorship and guest authorship are considered serious ethical violations.

   • Any suspected misconduct is investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/), and appropriate measures, including retraction, will be taken if necessary.

3. Peer Review and Editorial Ethics

   • The journal follows a double-blind peer review system, ensuring anonymity for both authors and reviewers.

   • Reviewers assess manuscripts based on scientific merit, methodology, originality, and ethical compliance.

   • Editorial decisions are based solely on the quality of the research, free from financial or institutional bias.

4. Conflicts of Interest

   • Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest, whether financial, professional, or personal.

   • Any conflicts that could influence objectivity in the research process will be publicly disclosed.