Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics, Research Integrity, and Malpractice Policy
Drug Discovery and Development is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, scientific integrity, transparency, and responsible research conduct. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical publishing principles to ensure the quality, credibility, reproducibility, and integrity of published scholarly work. The journal expects authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, publishers, and all individuals involved in the publication process to adhere to ethical standards consistent with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the World Association of Medical Editors, and applicable institutional, national, and international research regulations.
This policy applies to all manuscript submissions, editorial decisions, peer review activities, and published content in the journal.
Principles of Ethical Publishing
The journal upholds the fundamental principles of responsible scientific publishing, including honesty in all aspects of research and reporting, accuracy in data collection, analysis, and presentation, transparency in methodology and disclosure, reproducibility and scientific rigor, accountability for published work, fairness and objectivity in peer review, respect for human participants and animal welfare, protection of intellectual property rights, and avoidance of scientific misconduct, bias, and conflicts of interest.
Author Responsibilities
Originality and Scientific Integrity
Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that their work is original, scientifically accurate, and ethically conducted. Manuscripts must not have been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere, except where permitted for conference abstracts, theses, or recognized preprints.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all data are honestly generated, analyzed, and reported without fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or inappropriate manipulation. Conclusions presented in manuscripts must be fully supported by the evidence provided.
Plagiarism and Redundant Publication
The journal maintains a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Plagiarism in any form, including direct copying, paraphrasing without acknowledgment, mosaic plagiarism, self-plagiarism, redundant or duplicate publication, and uncredited use of data, figures, images, or ideas, is considered unethical and unacceptable.
All manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software during editorial assessment and peer review. If plagiarism or unethical overlap is identified, the journal reserves the right to reject the manuscript, request corrections, notify relevant institutions or funding agencies, or retract published articles when necessary.
Data Availability and Reproducibility
Authors are expected to maintain accurate records of research data and provide raw data, protocols, software code, or supporting materials upon editorial request. To promote reproducibility and transparency, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized repositories, provide accession numbers where applicable, share analytical workflows and computational methods, and describe methodologies in sufficient detail for replication.
Manipulation of images, spectra, gels, or graphical data in a misleading manner is strictly prohibited.
Authorship and Contributor Responsibilities
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the conception or design of the study, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation, drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approval of the final version, and acceptance of responsibility for the integrity of the work.
Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged. The journal does not permit guest authorship, gift authorship, or ghost authorship. Any changes in authorship after manuscript submission require written consent from all authors and approval from the editorial office.
Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose all financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that could influence or appear to influence the research. Potential conflicts of interest may include employment or consultancy, patents or intellectual property interests, funding support, honoraria, stock ownership, and advisory or board memberships.
Where no conflicts exist, authors should clearly state that no conflict of interest is declared. All sources of financial support, including grant numbers, institutional support, and commercial sponsorship, must also be disclosed. Authors should describe the role of funding agencies in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions.
Human Research Ethics
Research involving human participants must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Authors must provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board, relevant approval numbers where applicable, and a statement confirming informed consent from participants.
Patient privacy and confidentiality must be strictly protected. Identifiable information or images must not be published without explicit written consent.
Clinical Trial Registration and Reporting Standards
Clinical trials should be registered in a recognized public trial registry prior to participant enrollment whenever applicable. Authors must include clinical trial registration numbers and registry information within the manuscript.
The journal encourages compliance with recognized reporting guidelines such as CONSORT, SPIRIT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE, and recommendations of the EQUATOR Network.
Animal Research Ethics
Studies involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international regulations governing animal welfare and ethical treatment. Authors must provide details of ethical approval, humane care procedures, and measures taken to minimize animal suffering.
The journal encourages adherence to the ARRIVE Guidelines for reporting animal research.
Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Hazardous Materials
Research involving hazardous materials, pathogens, genetically modified organisms, toxins, or dual-use technologies must comply with applicable biosafety and biosecurity regulations. The journal reserves the right to reject research that may pose unacceptable public health, environmental, ethical, or security risks.
Artificial Intelligence and Generative Technologies
The journal recognizes the growing use of artificial intelligence and generative technologies in research and publishing. Authors must disclose any use of AI tools in manuscript preparation, data analysis, image generation, language editing, or content development.
Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors and cannot assume responsibility for scientific content. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, ethical compliance, and integrity of all submitted work.
The use of AI tools to generate fabricated data, manipulated images, false references, or misleading scientific content is strictly prohibited. Undisclosed or deceptive use of AI-generated content may constitute scientific misconduct.
Peer Review Responsibilities
Peer reviewers play a vital role in maintaining scientific quality and publication integrity. Reviewers are expected to provide objective and constructive evaluations, fair and timely assessments, and scientifically reasoned recommendations.
Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, avoid personal criticism of authors, identify relevant uncited literature, report suspected plagiarism or misconduct, and disclose conflicts of interest affecting impartiality.
Unpublished information obtained during peer review must not be used for personal or professional advantage.
Editorial Responsibilities and Independence
Editors and editorial board members are responsible for ensuring fair, transparent, and unbiased editorial decisions. Manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of scientific merit, originality, relevance, and ethical compliance without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs.
Editors must maintain confidentiality throughout the review process, manage conflicts of interest appropriately, protect the integrity of peer review, and investigate allegations of misconduct thoroughly and fairly. Editorial decisions remain independent of commercial or financial influence.
Confidentiality
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are treated as confidential documents. Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must not share manuscripts with unauthorized individuals, disclose reviewer identities without permission, or use unpublished material for personal benefit.
Confidentiality obligations continue even after completion of the peer review process.
Research Misconduct and Ethical Violations
Research and publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, image manipulation, authorship abuse, peer review manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and misrepresentation of ethical approval.
The journal will investigate suspected misconduct in accordance with established ethical procedures and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication correction, retraction, notification of institutions or funding agencies, editorial sanctions, or other corrective measures.
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
To maintain the integrity and accuracy of the scientific record, the journal may publish corrections, corrigenda, errata, retractions, expressions of concern, and editorial notes.
Retractions may occur in cases involving major scientific errors, fabricated or falsified data, ethical violations, plagiarism, or unreliable findings. Retraction notices will remain permanently linked to the original article to ensure transparency and preservation of the scholarly record.
Appeals and Complaints
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed written explanation to the editorial office. Appeals should address scientific or procedural concerns respectfully and provide supporting evidence where relevant.
The journal may seek additional independent review before reaching a final decision. Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer review, or ethical concerns will be handled confidentially, impartially, and fairly.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted materials do not infringe copyright, trademark, patent, or other intellectual property rights. Authors must obtain permission for reproduction of copyrighted material where required and ensure that all prior work is properly acknowledged and cited.
Archiving and Preservation of Scholarly Content
The journal maintains records of submissions, editorial communications, peer review activities, and published articles in accordance with publishing best practices and applicable regulations.
Published content may be archived in indexing systems, institutional repositories, digital preservation services, and long-term scholarly archives to ensure accessibility, discoverability, and preservation of the scholarly record.
Policy Updates and Revisions
The journal reserves the right to revise or update this Publication Ethics, Research Integrity, and Malpractice Policy at any time to reflect evolving ethical standards, regulatory requirements, technological developments, and publishing best practices.
Updated policies become effective immediately upon publication on the journal website.
Contact and Ethical Inquiries
Questions regarding publication ethics, research integrity, ethical concerns, or allegations of misconduct should be directed to the Editorial Office through the journal’s official communication channels.
