PUBLICATION MISCONDUCT POLICY

Scope and Editorial Oversight

JBPT adheres to COPE guidelines to prevent and address scientific misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are first evaluated internally by the Editorial Team. If concerns arise regarding research or publication ethics, the handling editor discusses the case with the Editorial Board and the Ethical Committee. Authors are contacted for explanation, and if concerns are not resolved satisfactorily, the manuscript may be rejected.

Reviewer Responsibility

Reviewers who detect data fabrication, duplicate publication, ethical issues, or concerns regarding ethical approval or patient consent must notify the handling editor. The editor investigates the claim, and manuscripts with confirmed misconduct may be rejected immediately.

Data Fabrication, Falsification, and Retraction

Scientific misconduct includes data fabrication, falsification, image manipulation, and plagiarism. When integrity concerns arise, JBPT follows COPE procedures, including author investigation. Proven misconduct leads to retraction, with clear labeling in all formats (abstract, full text, PDF). Retracted articles remain publicly accessible, and the validity of other work by authors of fraudulent papers cannot be assumed.

Citation Manipulation

Inflating citations for personal gain, excessive self-citation, or coercive citation of articles from a specific journal is considered manipulative and is investigated according to COPE guidelines. Manuscripts found to include such citations may incur penalties.

Authorship and Attribution

The corresponding author must list all contributors appropriately and ensure correct authorship sequence. All co-authors should approve the final manuscript to avoid errors in attribution or contribution.

Redundant Publication

Submitting fragmented results to multiple papers to inflate publication counts is discouraged. Only studies with complex, extensive data that cannot be summarized in one paper may justify multiple publications, with full disclosure to the journal. Redundant publications are not acceptable.

Penalties and Actions

For confirmed cases of misconduct, JBPT may reject or retract the article. Authors may also be subject to further action in accordance with institutional or regulatory bodies.

Complaints and Appeals

While JBPT does not prioritize appeals, valid complaints regarding editorial decisions, review conduct, or journal processes may be submitted via editor@jbptjournal.org. All complaints are reviewed by the Editorial Board following COPE guidelines.