Publication Ethics

Medical Laboratory Science Journal (MedLab) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity throughout the editorial and publishing process. The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing. All parties involved in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, fairness, accountability, and academic integrity.

1. Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, transparent, and ethical editorial process. Their responsibilities include:

  • Making publication decisions based on scholarly merit, originality, scientific rigor, relevance to the journal's scope, and ethical compliance.
  • Evaluating manuscripts objectively without discrimination based on nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial communications.
  • Managing the peer-review process objectively, fairly, and efficiently.
  • Declaring and avoiding conflicts of interest by withdrawing from editorial decisions when appropriate.
  • Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of research or publication misconduct arise.

2. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research. They are expected to:

  • Conduct reviews objectively, fairly, and constructively.
  • Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents.
  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or promptly notify the editor if unable to do so.
  • Identify relevant published work that has not been cited.
  • Report suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, or other ethical concerns.
  • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest and decline the review when impartiality cannot be maintained.

3. Duties of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to MedLab are expected to:

  • Submit original work that has not been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
  • Present research findings honestly, accurately, and transparently.
  • Properly acknowledge and cite the work of others.
  • Ensure that authorship accurately reflects individual contributions to the research.
  • Obtain approval from all co-authors before manuscript submission.
  • Disclose all sources of research funding and any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Ensure that studies involving human participants, biological specimens, laboratory-derived clinical data, or other sensitive materials comply with internationally accepted ethical standards and, where required, include the name of the ethics committee and approval number.
  • Conduct laboratory research in accordance with applicable biosafety, biosecurity, and ethical regulations.
  • Protect patient privacy, confidentiality, and the integrity of laboratory and clinical data.
  • Promptly notify the editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication.

4. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently by the editorial team based solely on academic merit, scientific quality, and ethical considerations.

Kadewa Bakti Cendekia, as the publisher, fully respects the editorial independence of the journal and does not interfere with editorial decisions.

5. Conflict of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the evaluation or publication of a manuscript.

If no conflicts exist, authors are encouraged to include the following statement:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

6. Research Misconduct

MedLab does not tolerate any form of research or publication misconduct, including but not limited to:

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication
  • Data falsification
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Citation manipulation
  • Inappropriate authorship
  • Image manipulation
  • Manipulation or misrepresentation of laboratory or diagnostic data.
  • Ethical violations involving human participants or biological specimens.

Allegations of misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE recommendations. Appropriate editorial actions may include manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, expressions of concern, or article retraction.

7. Plagiarism Policy

All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin, before entering the peer-review process.

The editorial team will evaluate suspected plagiarism or unethical text overlap.

Manuscripts found to contain unacceptable levels of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct may be returned for revision, rejected, or withdrawn from the publication process.

8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

MedLab recognizes that generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grammarly, or similar technologies) may assist authors during manuscript preparation. However:

  • AI tools must not be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and validity of all manuscript content.
  • Any substantial use of AI tools for writing, editing, language improvement, code generation, image analysis, or data analysis should be transparently disclosed within the manuscript where appropriate.
  • AI-generated content must not replace critical scientific judgment, laboratory interpretation, or original scholarly contribution.

9. Self-Citation Policy

Reasonable self-citation is acceptable when directly relevant to the research. However, excessive or inappropriate self-citation intended to manipulate citation metrics is discouraged.

Authors are expected to cite relevant literature objectively and maintain a balanced representation of existing scholarship.

10. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

When significant errors, ethical concerns, or scientific inaccuracies are identified after publication, MedLab will take appropriate editorial action in accordance with the COPE guidelines.

Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, this may include:

  • Publishing a correction (erratum or corrigendum).
  • Issuing an expression of concern.
  • Retracting the published article.

Retractions will be clearly identified and remain permanently linked to the original publication to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

11. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may submit appeals regarding editorial decisions or raise complaints concerning the editorial process.

Appeals and complaints will be reviewed fairly, transparently, and independently by the Editor-in-Chief or an appointed editorial representative who was not involved in the original decision.

The decision reached following the appeal review shall be considered final.

Reference

This Publication Ethics statement has been developed in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing.