Research Ethics and Ethical Oversight
Research Ethics and Ethical Oversight
Bio Palembanica is committed to maintaining high standards of research ethics and integrity in biological, ecological, biodiversity, taxonomic, and conservation research. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all applicable institutional, national, and international laws, regulations, ethical standards, permits, and conservation requirements.
The journal expects authors to conduct research responsibly and to provide sufficient information regarding ethical approval, research permits, specimen collection, animal welfare, protected species, protected areas, genetic resources, and interactions with local or indigenous communities, where applicable.
The editors may request evidence of ethical approval, research permits, collecting permits, specimen documentation, or other relevant authorizations at any stage of the editorial process.
1. Animal Ethics and Welfare
Research involving live animals must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international standards for animal welfare.
Authors must ensure that animals are handled responsibly and that unnecessary pain, suffering, injury, stress, or mortality is avoided. Where applicable, manuscripts should state:
* the ethical approval obtained;
* the name of the approving institution or ethics committee;
* the approval or protocol number;
* the species and number of animals involved;
* procedures performed on the animals;
* methods used to minimize pain, stress, or suffering; and
* the fate of animals following the study, including release, rehabilitation, captivity, or euthanasia, where applicable.
Where formal ethical approval is not required, authors should state this clearly and explain why.
Research that involves unnecessary harm, cruelty, or inappropriate treatment of animals may be rejected.
The journal recognizes that ethical and regulatory requirements may differ among countries and species. Authors are therefore expected to comply with the requirements applicable in the country where the research was conducted. COPE guidance similarly emphasizes compliance with relevant local, national, ethical, and regulatory requirements for animal research. ([publicationethics.org.uk][2])
2. Collection of Biological Specimens
Research involving the collection, capture, handling, transport, or preservation of biological specimens must comply with applicable laws and regulations.
Authors must ensure that specimens were obtained legally and ethically.
Where applicable, manuscripts should provide information regarding:
* collecting permits;
* research permits;
* collection locations;
* dates of collection;
* institutions responsible for the permits;
* permit or authorization numbers;
* number and type of specimens collected;
* methods of collection; and
* deposition of voucher specimens.
Authors are encouraged to deposit representative voucher specimens in recognized museums, herbaria, zoological collections, or other appropriate scientific repositories.
The journal does not support the publication of research based on illegally collected, traded, or exported biological specimens.
3. Collecting and Research Permits
Authors conducting field research must obtain all permits and permissions required by the relevant authorities before conducting research.
Depending on the nature and location of the research, this may include:
* research permits;
* collecting permits;
* wildlife handling permits;
* export/import permits;
* protected-area permits;
* institutional permissions;
* animal ethics approval; and
* permits for access to genetic resources.
Permit information should be reported in the manuscript where relevant.
For research conducted in Indonesia, authors should comply with the applicable Indonesian regulations and requirements of the relevant governmental authorities and protected-area management agencies.
4. Protected and Threatened Species
Research involving protected, threatened, rare, endemic, or otherwise regulated species requires particular ethical and conservation consideration.
Authors must comply with applicable national and international regulations concerning the collection, handling, capture, transport, sampling, or study of such species.
Where applicable, authors should provide:
* the conservation status of the species;
* relevant research or collecting permits;
* the authority issuing the permit;
* permit number;
* justification for collecting or handling specimens; and
* measures taken to minimize impacts on populations.
The journal encourages researchers to use non-invasive or minimally invasive methods whenever scientifically appropriate.
5. Research in Protected Areas
Research conducted in national parks, nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, forests, marine protected areas, or other protected areas must comply with the rules and regulations of the relevant authorities.
Authors should obtain appropriate permission from the management authority before conducting fieldwork.
The manuscript should identify the protected area and, where appropriate, provide relevant permit or authorization information.
Research activities should minimize disturbance to habitats, wildlife, and local communities.
6. CITES and International Trade in Specimens
Where research involves species regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), authors must comply with applicable CITES requirements and national implementing legislation.
Where applicable, authors should provide relevant CITES permit or certificate information.
The journal will not knowingly publish research involving specimens that were illegally collected, transported, imported, exported, or traded.
7. Genetic Resources and Access and Benefit-Sharing
Research involving genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge must comply with applicable national legislation and international agreements governing access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing.
Where applicable, authors should demonstrate compliance with the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.
Authors should provide information concerning:
* the source country of genetic resources;
* access authorization;
* relevant permits;
* mutually agreed terms, where applicable;
* prior informed consent, where applicable; and
* benefit-sharing arrangements, where applicable.
The journal recognizes that requirements may vary according to the country, type of genetic resource, and applicable legislation.
8. Indigenous and Local Community Knowledge
Research involving indigenous peoples, local communities, traditional ecological knowledge, or other community-held knowledge must be conducted respectfully and in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements.
Where applicable, authors should obtain appropriate prior informed consent and acknowledge the contribution and ownership of traditional knowledge.
Researchers should avoid unauthorized disclosure, commercialization, or misappropriation of community knowledge.
Where traditional knowledge is associated with genetic resources, authors should also consider applicable access and benefit-sharing requirements.
9. Field Research and Environmental Impact
Authors conducting field research should consider the potential environmental consequences of their research activities.
Researchers should minimize:
* habitat destruction;
* unnecessary disturbance;
* capture-related mortality;
* damage to vegetation;
* disturbance to breeding or nesting sites;
* unnecessary collection of specimens; and
* other impacts on ecosystems.
Where research involves potentially sensitive habitats or species, appropriate mitigation measures should be described.
10. Genetic, Tissue, and Material Transfer
Where research involves the transfer, import, export, storage, or use of biological materials, tissues, DNA, genetic resources, or other regulated materials, authors must comply with applicable legal and institutional requirements.
Where applicable, authors should provide information regarding:
* the source of the material;
* collection authorization;
* material transfer agreements;
* genetic-resource access permits;
* export/import permits; and
* relevant institutional approvals.
The provenance of biological materials should be sufficiently documented to establish that the materials were obtained legally and ethically.
11. Human Participants and Community-Based Research
Where biological or environmental research involves human participants, interviews, photographs, personal information, or community-based research, authors must comply with applicable ethical requirements.
Where applicable, authors should obtain:
* ethical approval;
* informed consent;
* permission from relevant institutions or community authorities; and
* appropriate consent for the publication of identifiable information or photographs.
Personal information should be handled responsibly and in accordance with applicable privacy and data-protection requirements.
12. Sensitive Biodiversity Information
The journal recognizes that publication of precise information about the location of rare or threatened species may create conservation risks.
For species vulnerable to illegal collection, hunting, trade, disturbance, or habitat exploitation, authors may withhold, generalize, or obscure precise geographic coordinates when necessary to protect the species or habitat.
Where data are restricted for conservation reasons, authors should explain the restriction in the manuscript or Data Availability Statement.
This approach is particularly relevant for biodiversity research involving threatened, endemic, or commercially valuable species.
13. Ethical Compliance Statement
Where ethical approval, research permits, collecting permits, or other authorizations are applicable, authors should include an Ethics and Permits Statement in the manuscript.
For example:
> Ethics and Permits Statement: Fieldwork was conducted under research permit [permit number] issued by [authority]. All procedures involving animals complied with the requirements of [institution/ethics committee], approval number [number].
Where no formal ethical approval or permit was required, authors should state:
> Ethics and Permits Statement: This study did not involve procedures requiring formal animal ethics approval or biological specimen collection permits.
The statement should accurately reflect the circumstances of the research.
14. Editorial Review of Ethical Concerns
The editors of Bio Palembanica may request additional information or documentation if ethical concerns arise during manuscript evaluation.
If there is evidence of:
* Unauthorized collection of protected specimens or specimens collected from conservation areas;
* illegal wildlife trade;
* falsification of permits;
* unethical animal treatment;
* unauthorized use of genetic resources;
* inappropriate use of traditional knowledge;
* research conducted without required authorization; or
* other serious ethical violations,
the journal may suspend the editorial process and request clarification or supporting documentation.
Where appropriate, the journal may contact the relevant institution, authority, ethics committee, or other responsible organization.
Serious ethical violations may result in rejection, withdrawal, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the circumstances. COPE's current retraction guidance emphasizes that retraction is intended to correct the scientific record when serious problems undermine confidence in published work.
