General Editorial Policy for Authors



Articles selection and peer-review policy

General Manuscript Preparation and Data Reporting guidelines

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion policy

Voluntary informed consent

Corrections and Retractions Policy

Copyright



Articles selection and peer-review policy


Introduction

All research articles, and most other article types, published in Eco-Vector journals undergo peer review. This usually involves review by at least two independent, expert peer reviewers. Individual journals may differ in their peer review processes (e.g. open or anonymized), please refer to the specific journal for details.


Peer review policy

All submissions to Eco-Vector journals are first reviewed for completeness and only then sent to be assessed by an Editor who will decide whether they are suitable for peer review. Where an Editor is on the author list or has any other competing interest regarding a specific manuscript, another member of the Editorial Board will be assigned to oversee peer review. Editors will consider the peer-reviewed reports when making a decision, but are not bound by the opinions or recommendations therein. A concern raised by a single peer reviewer or the Editor themself may result in the manuscript being rejected. Authors receive peer review reports with the editorial decision on their manuscript.

Proceedings papers are reviewed by the Programme Chairs and Programme Committee members of the respective conference, with help from external reviewers selected by them.


Peer reviewer selection

Peer reviewer selection is critical to the publication process. It is based on many factors, including expertise, reputation, specific recommendations, conflict of interest and previous performance. Speed, thoroughness, sound reasoning and collegiality are highly desirable. 

Editors (Editorial Board Members) Responsibilities:


In the rare, exceptional, occasions when two independent peer reviewers cannot be secured, the Editor may act as a second reviewer or make a decision using only one report.

 

Potential peer reviewers should inform the Editor of any possible conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review a manuscript. Communications between Editors and peer reviewers contain confidential information that should not be shared with third parties. 

Some journals allow authors to suggest potential reviewers, and to request that some be excluded from consideration (usually a maximum of two people/research groups). Editors will consider these requests, but are not obliged to fulfill them. The Editor's decision on the choice of peer reviewers is final.

Authors should not recommend recent collaborators or colleagues who work in the same institution as themselves. Authors can suggest peer reviewers in the cover letter. Information which will help the Editor verify the identity and expertise of the reviewer will be required. This includes the suggested reviewer’s institutional email address and ORCID or Scopus ID. 
 

Peer reviewer diversity

Eco-Vector is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we strive for diverse demographic representation of peer reviewers. Editors are strongly encouraged to consider  geographical regions, gender identities, racial/ethnic groups, and other groups when inviting peer reviewers.


Peer reviewer misconduct

Providing false or misleading information—for example, identity theft and suggesting fake peer-reviewers—will result in rejection of the manuscript, further investigation in line with Eco-Vector’s misconduct policy, and notification to the authors’ institutions/employers. Eco-Vector journals are members of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). More information about peer reviewer fraud/falsification can be found here.


Peer review models

 

Peer reviewer guidance

The primary purpose of peer review is providing the Editor with the information needed to reach a fair, evidence-based decision that adheres to the journal’s editorial criteria. Review reports should also help authors revise their paper such that it may be accepted for publication. Reports accompanied by a recommendation to reject the paper should explain the major weaknesses of the research; this will help the authors prepare their manuscript for submission to a different journal. 


Peer reviewers should adhere to the principles of COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer-reviewers.


Confidential comments to the Editor are welcome, but they must not contradict the main points in the report for the authors.


Peer reviewers should assess papers exclusively against the journal’s criteria for publication. 


The following conventions should be respected:

Concerns relating to these points, or any aspect of the review process, should be raised with the editorial team.
 

We ask reviewers the following types of questions, to provide an assessment of the various aspects of a manuscript:

Before you submit your report, please take a moment to read it through and put yourself in the place of the authors. How would you feel if you received this report? Would the tone offend you? Is it courteous and professional?  Are there unnecessary personal remarks or antagonistic comments about the authors or their competitors? Please note that the Editor reserves the right to remove any inappropriate language from your report.

Reports do not necessarily need to follow this specific order but should document the peer reviewer’s thought process. Some journals have a set of questions that reviewers will need to specifically address. All statements should be justified and argued in detail, naming facts and citing supporting references, commenting on all aspects that are relevant to the manuscript and that the reviewers feel qualified commenting on. Not all of the above aspects will necessarily apply to every paper, due to discipline-specific standards. When in doubt about discipline-specific peer-reviewing standards, reviewers can contact the Editor for guidance.

Eco-Vector is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The peer reviewer should flag any concerns that may affect this commitment.

It is our policy to remain neutral with respect to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations, and the naming conventions used in maps and affiliation are left to the discretion of authors. Peer reviewers should not, therefore, request authors to make any changes to such unless it is critical to the clarity of the academic content of a manuscript.

Eco-Vector journals are committed to rapid editorial decisions and publication, and we believe that an efficient editorial process is a valuable service both to our authors and to the research community as a whole. We therefore ask reviewers to respond promptly within the number of days agreed. If reviewers anticipate a delay, we ask them to let us know so that we can keep the authors informed and, where necessary, find alternatives.

Peer reviewer recognition

Eco-Vector is committed to recognizing the invaluable service performed by our dedicated peer reviewers. As part of our appreciation program, we offer our peer reviewers the opportunity to credit their ORCID and Publons (where available) profiles with verified peer review data transmitted directly from the submission system at the time of report submission.




General Manuscript Preparation and Data Reporting guidelines


What are reporting guidelines

Reporting guidelines outline the information needed in an article about research using a particular study design, as defined by experts in the field. They are structured tools that usually include a checklist to be completed by the authors, along with other documents such as flowcharts. Reporting guidelines aim to ensure that articles can be:


Which reporting guideline should I use

We endorse the EQUATOR Network and FAIRsharing, which list clinical and general science guidelines, respectively. For the most common study designs, we recommend the following:

Study design

Reporting guideline

Randomized trials

CONSORT

Non-randomized controlled trials 

TREND

Animal preclinical studies

ARRIVE

Systematic reviews

PRISMA

Observational studies

STROBE

Genetic association studies

STREGA

Case reports

CARE

Qualitative research

SRQR / COREQ

Diagnostic/prognostic studies

STARD / TRIPOD

Randomized controlled trial protocols

SPIRIT

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses protocols     

PRISMA-P

Clinical practice guidelines

AGREE / RIGHT

Quality improvement studies

SQUIRE

Economic evaluations

CHEERS


For biomedical and biological research, the checklists below must be completed before peer review, and made available to the Editors and reviewers.

Are reporting guidelines mandated

While authors are not currently required to complete checklists on submission, we strongly encourage the use of relevant reporting guidelines when preparing research articles. Our reviewers and editors are also encouraged to refer to these guidelines during the review process. 

We are considering enforcing several reporting standards in the future. 




Diversity, Equity & Inclusion policy


Author name changes after publication

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, we will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author's privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.

There may be some authors who have less need for privacy and the name change could impact the visibility of their paper, for example, if the first author changes their last name. The name can then be changed directly in the article but a correction/note might be published after discussion with the author.


Jurisdictional Neutrality

We recognize that the global research community includes diverse perspectives on many issues, including the legal status of certain countries/regions. We believe the best way to respect those diverse views is for authors and editors to be able to identify their own institutional and country/region affiliations. We achieve this by being neutral on any jurisdictional claims. This means that the geographical designations and institutional affiliations in published materials do not represent Eco-Vector's opinion about the legal status of any country or region.


Local laws and regulations

We publish material on behalf of partner organizations located in many different countries/regions. While we publish for a diverse global audience, we also respect our partners’ responsibility to comply with their local laws and regulations related to published works.


Blinded authorship

Eco-Vector supports ‘anonimous’ publication mode for authors with a strong need for privacy, in accordance with the principles informing the Committee on Publication Ethics’ working group.

On request from the author, author names can be blinded on Eco-Vector’s primary publishing platforms, without any correction or other note. Arrangements are then made to update the article metadata in secondary indexation databases such as Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed, as applicable.




Voluntary informed consent

Any biomedical research involving human subjects must be designed with respect to the basic ethical principles stated in: 

Voluntary informed consent must be obtained from all participants in clinical trials.

Vulnerable populations:
biomedical research involving women of reproductive age

Voluntary informed consent must be obtained from women of childbearing potential. Women who are capable of childbearing should be informed in advance of the potential risks to the fetus if they become pregnant while participating in the research. The permission of another person shall never supersede the requirement for individual informed consent of the pregnant woman or lactating mother.


Vulnerable populations:
Clinical Research Involving Minors

In the Decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission of November 3, 2016, No. 79, “On Approval of the Rules of Good Clinical Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union”, minors are also included in the group of vulnerable research subjects and may participate in research only with the consent of their legal representatives.


Vulnerable populations:
clinical research involving the elderly

Decision No. 79 of November 3, 2016, of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission “On Approval of the Rules of Good Clinical Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union” mentions “elderly persons” in the context of assigning them to a special group of patients―potentially vulnerable―to whom special attention should be paid when studying the safety of a drug. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, elderly patients may also be referred to vulnerable categories as they are more susceptible to the disease and the severe course of coronavirus infection.

For elderly patients, including those with cognitive impairment, the research protocol may provide for the participation of a “caregiver.” The person acting as a caregiver must sign and date a specific, separate informed consent form before the elderly patient may be included in the study.


Vulnerable populations:
research involving human subjects with mental, cognitive, and sensory disorders

When conducting research involving people with sensory disorders, informed consent must be obtained. However, if the patient cannot read the text of the informed consent form himself, the researcher must read it in full in the presence of a disinterested witness, who shall also sign a special form of informed consent. If patients with severe forms of mental disorders―who have been declared incompetent by a court―are included in the study, the consent of their legal representative (a guardian) shall be required.


Vulnerable populations:
research involving patients who are in an emergency, are terminally ill, or unable to give informed consent

Ethical standards may permit an exemption from obtaining a patient’s informed consent only if the research entails minimal risk, or if the patient’s life is in danger and no alternative proven or generally recognized treatment is available that could be equally or more likely to save the subject’s life. In such cases, informed consent must be obtained from the legal representative.


Vulnerable populations:
research involving minority ethnic groups

The following principles of biomedical ethics shall be implemented in research involving members of minority ethnic groups - voluntary informed consent.


Biomedical research involving obtaining information on the genetic data of a research participant

When conducting any biomedical research involving obtaining information on the genetic data of a research participant, it shall be necessary to obtain separate informed consent.


Research involving gene and cell therapy

For medical research using identifiable human material or data, such as research on material or data contained in biobanks or similar repositories, the physicians shall seek informed consent for their collection, storage, and/or reuse. The patients shall be provided with all the relevant research information and their informed consent must be obtained.


Research involving stem cells, germ cells, or human embryos

The Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all the donors.


Research involving medical devices

According to the Guidelines for Clinical Trials of Medical Devices, the rights, safety, and health of clinical research subjects should be protected in accordance with the ethical principles established in the Declaration of Helsinki. Voluntary informed consent must be obtained from study participants. 



Corrections and Retractions Policy


Research Data Integrity 

Eco-vector Publishing House is committed to uphold the integrity of the literature and publishes Errata (Corrections), Expressions of Concerns or Retraction Notices dependent on the situation and in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines. In all cases, these notices are linked to the original article.

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the authors obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

If the editor or the publisher learn from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper.

When errors are identified in published articles, the publisher will consider what action is required and may consult the editors and the authors’ institution(s). 

Errors by the authors may be corrected by a corrigendum, and errors by the publisher — by an erratum (see more).

If there are errors that significantly affect the conclusions or there is evidence of misconduct, this may require retraction or an expression of concern following the COPE Retraction Guidelines. All authors will be asked to agree to the content of the appropriate notice. 

Retraction of an already published paper is a measure of last resort and is applied in case facts are revealed that were not known during the reviewing process.

According to the rules of the Council on Ethics of Scientific Publications of Association of Science Editors and Publishers, the grounds for article retraction are:

After the decision to retract the article is made, the editor-in-chief informs its authors, indicating the reason and date of retraction. The article remains on the journal’s site as part of the corresponding journal issue, but is marked “retracted” with the retraction date (the mark is placed on top of the text of the article and in the table of contents); in addition, a message about retraction is placed in the news section of the site, and the chief editor sends information about the article retraction to all online libraries and databases in which the journal is indexed.

Information on COPE Retraction Guidelines can be found here: Retraction Guidelines


Retraction Mechanism

  1. Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors, and Publishers may initiate the retraction of a paper by writing to the Editorial Board of the journal in which the paper was published.

  2. The Retraction Commission shall consider the appeal and notify the parties concerned of the initiation of the procedure.

  3. The Retraction Commission shall decide to retract the published paper if there are sufficient facts in favor of its retraction.

  4. The Retraction Commission shall notify the initiator of the retraction about the results in writing.

  5. If the Commission decides to retract a paper, the journal shall publish information that the paper has been retracted with an indication of its metadata.

  6. If papers from the journal are indexed by any databases, a letter shall be sent to these databases that the paper was retracted with the reasons for the retraction.

  7. The Editorial Board shall be free to make its own decisions on additional sanctions, such as adding the Authors to the journal’s “blacklist” for a certain or indefinite period.

Publication Types

Eco-Vector publish articles of the following types (i.e. notifications on changes in previously published articles).


CrossMark Policy

Eco-Vector is committed to maintaining the integrity and completeness of the published scholarly records and demonstrates this commitment by participating in CrossMark. 

CrossMark is a multi-publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of an article or other published content. By applying the CrossMark logo, Eco-Vector is committing to maintaining the content it publishes and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur.

Clicking the CrossMark logo on a document will tell you its current status and may also give you additional publication-record information about the document.

For more information on CrossMark, please visit the CrossMark site.

The Eco-Vector content that will have the CrossMark logo is restricted to current and future journal content and is limited to specific publication types (see). Articles in Press will not have the CrossMark icon for the present.

You can find this page on URL: http://doi.org/10.17816/crossmarkpolicy2018



Copyright


Overview

In order for Eco-Vector to publish and disseminate research articles, we need certain publishing rights from authors, which are determined by a publishing agreement between the author and Eco-Vector.

For articles published open access, the authors license an exclusive rights in their article to Eco-Vector where a CC BY-NC-ND end user license is selected, and license non-exclusive rights where a CC BY end user license is selected.

For articles published under the subscription model, the authors typically transfer copyright to Eco-Vector. In some circumstances, authors may instead grant us (or the learned society for whom we publish) an exclusive license to publish and disseminate their work.

Regardless of whether they choose to publish open access or subscription with Eco-Vector, authors have many of the same rights under our publishing agreement, which support their need to share, disseminate and maximize the impact of their research.

For open access articles, authors will also have additional rights, depending on the Creative Commons end user license that they select. This Creative Commons license sets out the rights that readers (as well as the authors) have to re-use and share the article: please see here for more information on how articles can be re-used and shared under these licenses.

This page aims to summarise authors’ rights when publishing with Eco-Vector; these are explained in more detail in the publishing agreement between the author and Eco-Vector.

Irrespective of how an article is published, Eco-Vectoris committed to protect and defend authors’ works and their reputation. We take allegations of infringement, plagiarism, ethical disputes, and fraud very seriously.


Author rights

The below table explains the rights that authors have when they publish with Eco-Vector, for authors who choose to publish either open access or subscription. These apply to the corresponding author and all co-authors.

Author rights in Eco-Vector’s proprietary journals Published open access Published subscription
Retain patent and trademark rights
Retain the rights to use their research data freely without any  restriction
Receive proper attribution and credit for their published work 
Re-use their own material in new works without permission or payment (with full acknowledgement of the original article):
1. Extend an article to book length
2. Include an article in a subsequent compilation of their own work
3. Re-use portions, excerpts, and their own figures or tables in other works.
Use and share their works for scholarly purposes (with full acknowledgement of the original article):
1. In their own classroom teaching. Electronic and physical distribution of copies is permitted
2. If an author is speaking at a conference, they can present the article and distribute copies to the attendees
3. Distribute the article, including by email, to their students and to research colleagues who they know for their personal use
4. Share and publicize the article via Share Links, which offers 50 days’ free access for anyone, without signup or registration
5. Include in a thesis or dissertation (provided this is not published commercially)
6. Share copies of their article privately as part of an invitation-only work group on commercial sites with which the publisher has a hosting agreement
Publicly share the preprint on any website or repository at any time.
Publicly share the accepted manuscript on non-commercial sites √ using a CC BY-NC-ND license and usually only after an embargo period
Publicly share the  final published article √  in line with the author’s choice of end user license ×
Retain copyright ×


Institution rights

Regardless of how the author chooses to publish with Eco-Vector, their institution has the right to use articles for classroom teaching and internal training. Articles can be used for these purposes throughout the author’s institution, not just by the author:

Institution rights in Eco-Vector’s proprietary journals (providing full acknowledgement of the original article is given) All articles
Copies can be distributed electronically as well as in physical form for classroom teaching and internal training purposes
Material can be included in coursework and courseware programs for use within the institution (but not in Massive Open Online Courses)
Articles can be included in applications for grant funding
Theses and dissertations which contain embedded final published articles as part of the formal submission can be posted publicly by the awarding institution with DOI links back to the formal publication on journals.eco-vector.com

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