For journals, the following publication policies are applied by Bentham Science.
PEER REVIEW
Bentham Science Publishers follows the double-blind peer review procedure for submissions
of all manuscripts to its journals.
All submitted articles are subjected to an extensive peer review in consultation with members of the
journal’s editorial board and independent external referees (usually three reviewers). All
manuscripts/chapters are assessed rapidly and the decision based on all the peer reviewers' comments, taken
by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, is then conveyed to the author(s).
Submissions from the Editor-in-Chief/Co-Editor/Editorial Board Members will undergo independent peer review
and will be submitted to another Editor for his decision on acceptance.
Copyediting and Proofs
Articles must be written in good English in a clear and correct style in order to maintain uniformity
throughout the text. Articles submitted are copyedited before they are published.
Reprints
High-quality, bound/unbound, print/e-prints can be purchased for all published articles.
Copyright Letter
Articles must be submitted by one of the authors of the manuscript, and should not be submitted by anyone on
their behalf. The principal/corresponding author will be required to submit a Copyright Letter along with
the manuscript, on behalf of all the co-authors (if any). The author(s) will confirm that the manuscript (or
any part of it) has not been published previously or is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Furthermore, any illustration, structure or table that has been published elsewhere must be reported, and
copyright permission for reproduction must be obtained.
APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS
Generally, the editorial decisions are not reverted. However, authors who think that their manuscript was
rejected due to a misunderstanding or mistake may seek an explanation for the decision. Appeals must give
sound reasoning and compelling evidence against the criticism raised in the rejection letter. A difference
of opinion as to the interest, novelty, or suitability of the manuscript for the journal will not be
considered as an appeal. The EIC and other relevant editors will consider the appeal and the decision
thereafter taken by the journal will be deemed final. Acceptance of the manuscript is not guaranteed even if
the journal agrees to reconsider the manuscript, and the reconsideration process may involve previous or new
reviewers or editors and substantive revision.
Authors who wish to make a complaint should refer them to the Editor-in-Chief of the journal concerned.
Complaints to the Publisher may be emailed to [email protected]
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Financial contributions and any potential conflict of interest must be clearly acknowledged under the heading
‘Conflict of Interest’. Authors must list the source(s) of funding for the study. This should be done for
each author.
PLAGIARISM PREVENTION
Plagiarism means copying or paraphrasing another writer's content, be it a text, a result or an observation,
and stating it as one's own, without citing a reference to the original source. Therefore, authors should
acknowledge and cite references to the work of other scientists in their manuscripts. The author should
ensure that all the sources are authentic and that there is no discrepancy in the content of the manuscript.
Bentham Science is vigilant in checking and identifying the primary sources of the data within the content by
using the iThenticate software to detect
instances of overlapping and similarity of text in submitted manuscripts. iThenticate software verifies the content
against a database of periodicals, materials on the Internet, and a comprehensive article database. The
software generates a similarity report in percentage that matches the article in process and the published
material. This similarity is further scrutinized for suspected plagiarism according to the publisher's
Editorial Policies. The generated report comprises the overall percentage of the content reused.
The Credibility of Sources- Acknowledgements
The study of an author has to be original. If there are credible sources of the content referred to in
the manuscript, the author needs to cite all of them. Authors are advised to use iThenticate before submitting a manuscript
to ensure that there are no instances of plagiarism. Authors are required to provide proper consent from
the individuals and contributions of other authors should be acknowledged.
Bentham Science has different editorial policies for authors who have more than one publication.
Following those policies, the authors need to specify the sources of the submission in their recent
work. For further details, please visit the following link of Editorial Policies for Concurrent
Publication/Simultaneous Submission at https://benthamscience.com/pages/editorial-policies-main
Bentham Science strictly follows COPE guidelines to detect plagiarism. For clearer insight, authors may
refer to the flowcharts provided by COPE by clicking here or visiting the COPE website.
FABRICATING AND STATING FALSE INFORMATION
To ensure the scholarly integrity of every article, Bentham Science will publish post-publication notices.
The authors of the published articles, or those who have submitted the manuscripts with false information,
or fabricated the supporting data or images, will be liable for sanctions, and their papers will be
retracted. For further details, please visit complete guidelines at: https://www.eurekaselect.com/fabricating-stating-false-information
Copyright and License
Open Access Plus (Gold Open Access) in Subscription Journals
Accepted articles can be published online for free open access. Open access publishing provides maximum
dissemination of the article to the largest audience. All authors will be asked to indicate whether or not
they wish to pay to have their paper made freely available on publication. If authors do not select the
'Open Access Plus (Gold Open Access)' option, then their article will be published with standard
subscription-based access.
Copyright (Subscription Journals)
Editors/Authors who contribute in a Bentham’s Journal will transfer copyright to their work to
Bentham Science Publishers. Submission of a manuscript to the respective journals implies that
all editors/authors have read and agreed to the content of the copyright letter.
PREPRINT POLICY
A preprint is an early version of an article that has not yet been accepted for publication in a journal.
Articles submitted to a journal which have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted
elsewhere for publication can be considered for publication. Preprints are usually deposited on the author's
own web page in an institutional repository, or on a preprint server. However, they are not considered as
ahead-of-print or early access publications.
Preprint archiving on any recognised, non-profit preprint server is entirely supported and encouraged by the
BSP. Preprints deposited in designated preprint repositories at the same time as, or before, submission to a
journal are not considered as prior, citable publications by the BSP Journals.
HUMAN AND ANIMAL RIGHTS
All clinical investigations should be conducted according to the Declaration
of Helsinki principles. For all manuscripts reporting data from studies involving human
participants, formal review and approval by an appropriate institutional review board or ethics
committee are required.
For research involving animals, the authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in
accordance with the standards set forth in the eighth edition of “Guide for the Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals” (grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/guide-for-the-care-and-use-of-laboratory-animals_prepub.pdf
published by the National Academy of Sciences, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.).
Research Involving Animals
For research involving animals, the authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in
accordance with the standards set forth in the eighth edition of “Guide for the Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals” (grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/guide-for-the-care-and-use-of-laboratory-animals_prepub.pdf
published by the National Academy of Sciences, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.).
Research work on animals should be carried out in accordance with the NC3Rs ARRIVE Guidelines. For In
Vivo Experiments, please visit https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/arrive-guidelines
Authors should clearly state the name of the approval committee, highlighting that legal and ethical
approvals were obtained prior to initiation of the research work carried out on animals, and that
the experiments were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations stated
below.
US authors should cite compliance with the US National Research Council's " Guide for
the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals"
The US Public Health Service's "Policy on
Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" and "Guide for the
Care and Use of Laboratory Animals"
UK authors should conform to UK legislation under the
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Amendment Regulations (SI
2012/3039).
European authors outside the UK should conform to Directive
2010/63/EU.
Research on animals should adhere to ethical guidelines of the International Council for
Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) ethical
guidelines.
The manuscript should clearly include a declaration of compliance with the relevant
guidelines (e.g. the revised Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in the UK and
Directive 2010/63/EU in Europe) and/or relevant permissions or licenses obtained by the IUCN
Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of
Extinction and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora.
Animal Ethics Guidelines for Studies Involving Animal Subjects
Ethics Approval Exemption:
If a study is exempted from ethics approval, authors must indicate the reasons for exemption in the ethical statement.
Following is an example of Ethical Statements:
"This study involving animal subjects is exempted from ethics approval for [specific reasons]. The exemption was evaluated and authorized by [Full name of ethics committee], ensuring adherence to ethical standards”.
Client-Owned Animals:
Client-owned animals (non-commercially available animals such as pets or livestock) should be studied exercising best practices in veterinary care. Authors must confirm that the owner(s) (or their legal representatives) have provided written consent for this purpose.
Following is an example of Ethical Statements:
"The animal study was evaluated and authorized by [Full name of the ethics committee]. The owners provided written informed consent for their animals' involvement in this study, ensuring ethical treatment and compliance with standards."
International Standards and 3Rs Principle:
Studies involving animals must comply with internationally accepted standards and adhere to the 3Rs principles (Replace, Reduce, Refine).
- Replace: Whenever possible, replace animals with alternatives.
- Reduce: Reducing the number of animals used and
- Refine: Refining experimental settings can reduce animal damage.
Authors are encouraged to follow the ARRIVE guidelines (Reporting in Vivo Experiments) for reporting experiments involving live animals.
An example of Ethical Statements:
"This study adheres to internationally accepted standards for animal research, following the 3Rs principle. The ARRIVE guidelines were employed for reporting experiments involving live animals, promoting ethical research practices."
Euthanasia Protocols:
Studies on euthanasia, including chloral hydrate, ether, and chloroform overdose, are severely discouraged. Authors should include an in-depth description of any anesthetic, surgical, or euthanasia procedures conducted throughout the study.
If the experimental details explained in the study violate the standard animal research procedure, editors may seek extra documentation, such as approval forms and relevant literature citations.
RESEARCH INVOLVING PLANTS
All experimental research on plants (either cultivated or wild), should comply with international
guidelines. The manuscript should include a declaration of compliance of field studies with relevant
guidelines and/or relevant permissions or licenses obtained by the IUCN Policy
Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction and the
Convention on the Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
HAZARD STUDY
Any unusual risks associated with the use of any chemicals, procedures, or equipment used in the work
must be explicitly stated by the author in the manuscript, preferably in both the materials and
methods section and the declaration section. For more information, visit The World Medical
Association (https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/public-health/chemicals)
SEX AND GENDER EQUITY IN RESEARCH (SAGER) GUIDELINES
We strive to promote gender and sex equity in research and adhere to the guidelines of Sex and Gender
Equity in Research (SAGER) to ensure inclusivity and rigor of the work. All authors submitting research
papers are required to follow the Sex
and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines. These guidelines are intended to encourage the
inclusion of sex and gender considerations in research in order to improve the rigor and relevance of
our publications.
The SAGER guidelines for reporting sex and gender information in methodology or study design, data
analysis, results, and interpretation of findings are strongly encouraged. Authors of review articles
are advised to address the methods used for selecting, locating, extracting, and synthesizing data;
systematic reviews are required to do so.
Patient Consent
Compliance with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors www.icmje.org) is recommended, in accordance with the patient’s consent
for research or participation in a study as per the applicable laws and regulations regarding the privacy
and/or security of personal information, including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") and other U.S. federal and state laws relating to confidentiality and
security of personally distinguishable evidence, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679
and member state implementing legislation, Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents
Act, India's Information Technology Act and related Privacy Rules, (together "Data Protection and Privacy
Laws").
It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that:
Patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers are not mentioned anywhere in the manuscript
(including figures).
Authors are responsible for obtaining the patient consent-to-disclose forms for all recognizable
patients in photographs, videos, or other information that may be published in the Journal, in
derivative works, or on the journal’s website and for providing the manuscript to the recognizable
patient for review before submission.
The consent-to-disclose form should indicate specific use (publication in the medical literature in
print and online, with the understanding that patients and the public will have access) of the
patient's information and any images in figures or videos, and must contain the patient's signature
or that of a legal guardian along with a statement that the patient or legal guardian has been
offered the opportunity to review the identifying materials and the accompanying manuscript.
If the manuscript has an individuals’ data, such as personal details, audio-video material,
etc., consent should be obtained from that individual. In case of children, consent
should be obtained from the parent or the legal guardian.
A specific declaration of such approval and consent-to-disclose form must be made in the copyright
letter and in a stand-alone paragraph at the end of the article especially in the case of human
studies where inclusion of a statement regarding obtaining the written informed consent from each
subject or subject's guardian is a must. The original should be retained by the guarantor or the
corresponding author. Editors may request to provide the original forms by fax or email.
All such case reports require by a proper consent being obtained prior to publishing.
Editors may request that authors provide documentation of the formal review and recommendation from the
institutional review board or ethics committee responsible for oversight of the study. The editors reserve
the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be
held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
Non-Identifiable Images
Anonymous images, that do not identify the individual directly or indirectly, such as through any identifying
marks or text, do not require formal consent, for example, X-rays, ultrasound images, pathology slides or
laparoscopic images.
In case consent is not obtained, concealing the identity through eye bars or blurring the face would not be
acceptable.
UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Unethical behavior and misconduct may be pointed out by anyone to the Editor and Publisher with sufficient
evidences. The Editor, in consultation with the Publisher, will initiate investigation against this
Unethical misconduct, complete the procedure till an unbiased decision is reached, and maintain
confidentiality throughout the process of the investigation. The Author should be given the opportunity to
reply to all minor or major accusations.
In case of serious breaches, the employer may be informed where appropriate, by the Editor/Publisher, after
reviewing all available information and evidences or after seeking help from experts in that field.
Conclusion
Author(s) and Reviewers must be informed in case of misinterpretation or mishandling of
International Acceptable Standards
A strict notice should be sent to the author and reviewer to avoid future unethical misconduct
An Editorial on the reported misconduct should be published or official notice of unethical
behavior should be posted on the website
Official letter about this misconduct should be issued to the Head of Departments, Funding
Agencies of the accused author and the reviewer, as well as Abstracting & Indexing
Agencies.
Where required, retraction and withdrawal of publication may be undertaken from the Publisher’s
journal in discussion with the Head of the Department of the author or reviewer, and other
higher authorities should be informed
The Publisher may impose restrictions for some period on future publications from the accused
author in the journals
ERRATA OR A CORRIGENDA AND CORRECTIONS IN PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Authors and readers are encouraged to notify the Editor-in-Chief if they find errors in published
content, authors’ names and affiliations or if they have reasons for concern over the legitimacy of a
publication. In such cases the journal will publish an ERRATUM or a CORRIGENDUM, in consultation with
Editor-in-Chief and authors of the article, and/or replace or retract the article.
ARTICLE WITHDRAWAL
Articles in Press (articles that have been accepted for publication or published as E-pub Ahead of
Schedule but which have not been formally published with volume/issue/page information) that include
errors, or are determined to violate the publishing ethics guidelines such as multiple submission, fake
claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data or the like, may be “Withdrawn” from the
journal. Withdrawal means that the article files are removed and replaced with a PDF stating that the
article has been withdrawn from the journal in accordance with BSP Editorial Policies.
ARTICLE RETRACTION
If any manuscripts are published, having certain assigned information of volume/issue/page number, and it
is found that there are infringements of professional ethical codes in their content, such as
plagiarism, excess similarity with some other article, fraudulent use of data, etc., then such
manuscripts are retracted.
A retraction note entitled “Retraction: [article title]” (for example Retraction: ABC experiment
involving XYZ species) is published in the paginated part of the next scheduled issue of the
journal and is also listed in the table of contents.
The retraction note is approved by the Editor-in-Chief of the concerned journal.
A link to the original article is displayed in the online (electronic) version.
A screen containing the note of retraction appears before the electronic version of the article
present on the website. On the screen, a link for the complete article is present, i.e. to
access the retracted article.
The link/webpage of the original article remains unchanged, however a watermark is shaded on its
downloadable PDF document, in order to explicitly give the message that the article was
retracted.
CONCURRENT PUBLICATION/SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSION
It is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to the Bentham journal have not been
published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. Plagiarism is strictly
forbidden, and by submitting the article for publication the authors agree that the publishers have the
legal right to take appropriate action against the authors, if plagiarism or fabricated information is
discovered.
Abstracts and posters of conferences, results presented at meetings (for example, to inform investigators
or participants about findings), results databases (data without interpretation, discussion, context or
conclusions in the form of tables and text to describe data/information where this is not easily
presented in tabular form) are not considered prior publication.
Authors who wish to publish translations of the articles that have been published elsewhere should ensure
that they have appropriate permission(s), indicate clearly that the material has been translated and
re-published, and indicate clearly the original source of the material. The Editor-in-Chief may request
copies of related publications if he/she is concerned about overlap and possible redundancy.
PERMISSION FOR REPRODUCTION
Bentham Science has collaborated with the Copyright Clearance Center to meet its
customer’s licensing, besides rights & permission needs.
The Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink® service makes it faster and easier to secure
permission from Bentham Science journal titles. Simply visit Journals by Title and locate the desired content. Then go to the
article’s abstract and click on “Rights and Permissions” to open the RightsLink’s page. If you are
unable to locate the content you wish to use or are unable to secure the rights you are seeking, please
e-mail us at [email protected]
Published/reproduced material should not be included unless written permission has been obtained from the
copyright holder, which should be forwarded to the Editorial Office in case of acceptance of the article
for publication.
Open Access Articles
Articles are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public
License (CC-BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode),
which permits unrestricted distribution and reproduction in any medium, as long as the work is properly
credited/attributed. For more details, please visit Open
Access Policy
DISCLAIMER
Responsibility for the content published by Bentham Science Publishers in any of its
journals, including any opinions expressed therein, rests exclusively with the author(s) of such
content. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, BSP (on its own behalf, and on behalf of its
staff and members of its editorial board) disclaims responsibility for any and all injury and/or damage
(whether financial or otherwise) to persons or property, resulting directly or indirectly from any
ideas, methods, instructions or products (including errors in the same) referred to in the content of
any of BSP’s journals. Any dispute arising, including any claim shall be governed exclusively by the
laws of the United Arab Emirates, as applied in the Emirate of Sharjah.