Ethical Standards and Integrity BITUMEN is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical integrity in academic publishing. The publication process must adhere to principles of honesty, transparency, and fairness, ensuring that all submitted manuscripts contribute to scientific advancements in bitumen research. The journal strictly prohibits unethical behaviors such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and conflicts of interest.
Editorial Responsibilities
- Confidentiality: The editorial team must ensure that all submitted manuscripts remain confidential until publication.
- Fair Review: Editors must evaluate manuscripts based on their scientific merit, without bias related to the author’s institution, nationality, or personal background.
- Integrity in Decision-Making: Editorial decisions should be based on expert review and objective analysis of research quality.
- Avoidance of Conflicts of Interest: Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and abstain from handling manuscripts where bias may arise.
- Plagiarism and Misconduct Detection: The editorial team will screen manuscripts for plagiarism and ethical violations before and during the peer-review process.
Reviewer Responsibilities
- Objective and Constructive Criticism: Peer reviewers must provide an unbiased, well-supported critique of submitted manuscripts.
- Confidentiality: Reviewers must not disclose any details of the manuscripts they review.
- No Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
- Recognition of Ethical Violations: Reviewers should report concerns about plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical misconduct.
- Timely Review Process: Reviewers must submit their evaluations within the journal’s stipulated timeframe to maintain the efficiency of the publication process.
Author Responsibilities
- Originality and Authenticity: Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and has not been published elsewhere.
- Proper Citation and Acknowledgment: All sources of information and inspiration must be properly credited.
- Avoidance of Plagiarism: Authors must not engage in any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism.
- Data Transparency: Authors must provide accurate and complete data, ensuring reproducibility where applicable.
- Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Any financial or personal relationships that may influence the research findings should be clearly disclosed.
- Authorship Criteria: Only individuals who have significantly contributed to the research should be listed as authors.
- Corrections and Retractions: Authors must promptly inform the editorial team of any errors or inaccuracies in their published work.
Research Ethics
- Environmental and Safety Compliance: Research involving bitumen must comply with environmental, health, and safety regulations.
- Ethical Experimentation: Research should adhere to ethical standards in experimental design, particularly in cases involving human or environmental impact.
- Data Integrity: All research data must be recorded, stored, and reported accurately to ensure transparency and reproducibility.
Conflict of Interest Policy Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any relationships or affiliations that could affect the objectivity of the research, review, or publication process. Undisclosed conflicts of interest will result in the rejection or retraction of the manuscript.
Plagiarism and Misconduct Handling BITUMEN employs reliable plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. If misconduct such as plagiarism, data falsification, or unethical authorship is discovered, BITUMEN reserves the right to take corrective action, including retraction of the published article and notifying relevant institutions.
Correction and Retraction Policy BITUMEN is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. If errors or misconduct are identified in a published article, the editorial board will issue corrections, retractions, or notices of concern as necessary.
Open Access and Data Sharing BITUMEN supports open access publishing to promote knowledge dissemination. Authors are encouraged to share their data where applicable, ensuring reproducibility and fostering collaboration in the field of bitumen research.
By submitting to BITUMEN, authors, reviewers, and editors agree to adhere to these ethical guidelines, ensuring the credibility and scientific value of the journal.