Authorship Ethics Policy

The Annals of Tropical Research (ATR) upholds the highest ethical standards in authorship and contributorship, following the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations and the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT).

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manuscript Preparation

Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should only be used to enhance the readability and language of the submitted manuscript, not for writing the whole manuscript and creating or modifying figures or images. Their application must involve human oversight, as authors are fully responsible for the content.

Authors must disclose the use of these technologies in their manuscript through the Acknowledgment section, with a corresponding statement included in the published work. Furthermore, authors should not attribute authorship to generative AI or cite it as an author.

Studies Involving Humans

For all studies involving human participants, authors must provide a statement identifying the ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) that approved the research and affirm that the study was conducted in accordance with recognized ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Publication of identifiable information, including images or other personal data, requires that authors obtain prior informed consent from the individual participant. For research involving minors (children and infants), authors must confirm that written informed consent was obtained from legally authorized representatives (parents or guardians) and is available upon request.

If only verbal informed consents were obtained, the authors must explain the justification for this approach and describe how it was documented.

Studies Involving Animals

For studies involving animals, authors must include a statement identifying the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics board that approved the study. Research must comply with national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of laboratory, farm, or wild animals, and follow internationally recognized standards such as the ARRIVE Guidelines and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Manuscripts should clearly state the following: (a) Species, strain, sex, and age of animals used; (b) the housing and husbandry conditions, if relevant; and (c) methods employed to minimize animal suffering, including anesthesia, analgesia, or humane endpoints.

Field studies must confirm that the research adhered to local wildlife regulations and conservation guidelines, and that any necessary permits for collection, observation, or handling were obtained.

Studies Involving Plants

For studies involving plants, authors must ensure compliance with national and international regulations on the use, collection, and conservation of plant materials. Manuscripts should clearly state the scientific name(s) of plant species studied, using accepted taxonomic nomenclature. It is essential to state the source of plant material (e.g., wild collection, experimental field, botanical garden, or commercial supplier).

For wild plant collection, confirmation is required that the study adheres to relevant local, national, or international biodiversity and conservation laws, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. Furthermore, authors must state evidence that appropriate permits or approvals were obtained for the collection, transport, and/or use of plant specimens, especially for protected, rare, or endangered species. If plant materials were obtained from indigenous or local communities, authors must confirm that prior informed consent was obtained and that benefit-sharing agreements were followed, where applicable.

For genetically modified (GM) or transgenic plants, compliance with biosafety and containment regulations must be stated. The journal may request supporting documentation (e.g., collection permits or institutional biosafety clearance) before or after publication.

Conflict of Interest

The ATR requires all authors to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the objectivity or integrity of their work. Conflicts of interest may be financial (e.g., funding, stock or patent ownership, paid employment, consultancy, honoraria) or non-financial (e.g., personal relationships, academic competition, or membership in advisory boards, committees, or organizations relevant to the study).

Authors must provide a clear statement of all potential conflicts of interest at the time of submission. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly declare this by stating: “The authors declare no competing interests.”

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically preclude publication; however, transparency is essential. All disclosed conflicts will be published under the section Conflict of Interest. If no disclosure is made, ATR will indicate: “No potential competing interest was reported by the authors.”

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the research, including grants, institutional support, and project funding. The name of the funding agency and the specific grant number (where applicable) should be provided. Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy of this information. If the research did not receive any specific funding, authors should state: “This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

Plagiarism

To uphold academic integrity, all submissions to the ATR are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin software before peer review. Only manuscripts with a similarity score of 20% or less will proceed to peer review. Submissions exceeding this threshold will be returned to authors for revision or may be rejected outright at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Plagiarism includes the use of another author’s language, ideas, data, or results without proper attribution. Self-plagiarism (reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without citation) and duplicate or concurrent submissions (submitting the same or substantially similar manuscripts to more than one journal) are also considered unethical publishing practices.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality of their work and for providing appropriate citations and obtaining necessary permissions. Violations may result in the rejection of the manuscript, retraction of published articles, and/or notification to the authors’ institution, in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Use of Published Materials

If previously published materials (e.g., figures, tables, illustrations, or substantial text) are included in a manuscript, it is the author’s responsibility to obtain written permission from the copyright holder before submission. Copies of all permissions must be provided to the journal upon request. Proper attribution to the original source must always be included in the manuscript.

Materials published under an open-access license (such as Creative Commons) may be reused without formal permission, provided that the material is correctly attributed, the license terms are followed, and any required credit lines are included. Authors must clearly indicate the license under which such materials were originally published.

Failure to secure permissions or to comply with license requirements may result in delays in review or publication, or rejection of the manuscript.

Research Fraud

The ATR considers research fraud a grave violation of publication ethics. Research fraud includes the deliberate fabrication or falsification of data, materials, processes, or results. Fabrication refers to the invention of data or results that were not generated through actual experiments, observations, or valid methods. Falsification refers to the manipulation of research data, images, processes, or results in a way that misrepresents the research record.

Both fabrication and falsification undermine the integrity of the scientific record and are considered serious breaches of ethical standards. ATR will reject submissions found to contain fraudulent research and will retract any published articles proven to be based on fabricated or falsified data, following COPE guidelines.

Handling Suspected Cases

When research fraud is suspected, ATR will initiate an editorial investigation by the Editor-in-Chief and/or Editorial Board. ATR will request clarification or original data from the authors, and if concerns remain unresolved, ATR will contact the authors’ institution, funding body, or ethics board for further inquiry.

ATR will take appropriate action depending on the outcome, which may include manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. ATR reserves the right to impose sanctions, including banning authors from future submissions, in cases of confirmed research fraud.

Post-publication Updates Policy

The ATR is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. When issues are identified after publication, the journal will issue updates in accordance with international standards, including the COPE Guidelines on Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern.

Corrections or Errata

If errors are discovered that affect the interpretation, reliability, or conclusions of an article, but do not fully invalidate the work, the journal will publish a Correction (Erratum). Corrections will be published in a citable form, indexed, and linked to the original article. The correction notice will describe the nature of the error and the modifications made. Authorship changes (addition, removal, or order changes) will also be handled through a Correction, in accordance with the journal’s Authorship Policy.

Retractions

An article may be retracted if its findings are no longer reliable due to serious errors, research misconduct, or ethical violations. Retractions will follow the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Retracted articles will remain accessible online but will be clearly marked as such. A retraction notice will be published, citable, and linked to the original article, explaining the reason for the action. Retractions will be indexed in bibliographic databases to ensure visibility.

Expression of Concerns

When there is well-founded doubt about an article but insufficient evidence to warrant a retraction or correction, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern. This notice will remain linked to the article until the issue is resolved. Following the outcome of the investigation, the Expression of Concern may be replaced with a Correction, Retraction, or withdrawn if no issues are confirmed.

Addenda

An Addendum may be published when authors or editors wish to provide additional information that enhances the original work but does not alter its conclusions. Addenda are peer-reviewed at the editor’s discretion. They are published as separate citable items and linked to the original article.

Version of Record

The published article constitutes the Version of Record and is considered final. Updates are made only through the publication of Corrections, Addenda, Expressions of Concern, or Retractions. The original article text is not altered after publication, except for minor editorial adjustments (e.g., metadata, formatting, or typographic errors) that do not affect the scholarly content.

Appeal on Paper Rejection

Authors may appeal a rejection decision by submitting a written rationale to the Editor-in-Chief, clearly stating the grounds for the appeal. The Editor-in-Chief will carefully review the authors’ rationale alongside the reviewers’ comments to determine whether the original decision should be upheld, an additional independent review is warranted, or the appeal merits reconsideration.

The author(s) will be notified of the outcome and, where appropriate, provided with an explanation. Please note that decisions on appeals are final, and that new submissions take precedence over appeals in the review process.

Complaint on Publication Ethics

The ATR adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in addressing concerns related to publication ethics. Complaints may be submitted directly to the journal via the official email address (atr@vsu.edu.ph).

All complaints will be handled seriously, confidentially, and impartially. The Editorial Team ensures that every concern is thoroughly investigated and addressed in accordance with COPE best practices to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

Process for Handling Complaints

• Acknowledgment: The complaint will be acknowledged upon receipt.
• Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief or a designated editorial representative will review the issue to determine its nature and severity.
• Investigation: If warranted, the case will be further investigated. This may include consulting reviewers, editorial board members, or the authors’ institution.
• Decision and Action: Outcomes may include clarification, correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other appropriate measures.
• Communication of Outcome: The complainant will be informed of the decision and the actions taken.

All complaints are resolved as transparently and promptly as possible, with strict confidentiality maintained throughout the process.

Peer Reviewers' Ethical Guidelines

ATR adheres to COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which outline the following expectations for peer reviewers:

• Review only those manuscripts within their expertise and assess them promptly.
• Maintain the confidentiality of the peer review process and refrain from disclosing any manuscript details beyond what is permitted by the journal.
• Avoid using information from the peer review process for personal gain or to the detriment of others.
• Disclose any potential conflicts of interest and seek guidance from the journal if unsure about relevant interests.
• Refrain from letting the origin of a manuscript, the authors’ characteristics, or commercial factors influence their reviews.
• Provide objective and constructive feedback, refraining from hostility, inflammatory remarks, or personal attacks.
• Acknowledge that peer review is a reciprocal effort and commit to completing reviews promptly and fairly.
• Provide accurate and truthful personal and professional information to journals.
• Understand that impersonating another individual during the review process constitutes serious misconduct.

Additional reminder for peer reviewers:

• Please place emphasis on the precise reporting of results.
• Consider requesting additional work (e.g., experiments) only when necessary to uphold the robustness of the research. Ideally, such tasks should not exceed a four-week timeframe.
• Advise authors to revisit any conclusions that may be overstated, add the limitations of their work, and ensure the text reflects the data presented.
• In cases where the study exhibits substantial flaws, it is appropriate to suggest a rejection, providing a respectful explanation of how the manuscript falls short of publication criteria.
• Throughout the review process, let’s strive to maintain a constructive and professional atmosphere.

Data Storage and Documentation

The ATR encourages authors to deposit datasets, transcripts, and other research artifacts underlying their analyses in a recognized, publicly accessible data repository, where feasible. This practice promotes transparency, reproducibility, and wider use of research outputs.

The journal recognizes that in some cases, privacy, confidentiality, or ethical considerations may restrict open sharing of data. In such instances, authors should clearly state the reasons for limited access and provide information on how data may be obtained under appropriate conditions.

For manuscripts containing original data, at least one author must confirm that they had full access to all study data and accept responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and validity of the analysis.

Privacy Statement

The Annals of Tropical Research (ATR) is committed to safeguarding the privacy of all individuals who interact with the journal, including authors, reviewers, and readers. Personal information such as names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses provided to the journal will be used solely for purposes directly related to manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication.

This information will not be disclosed, shared, or made available to any third party for other purposes, whether commercial or non-commercial. ATR ensures that all personal data are handled in accordance with recognized privacy and data protection standards.

In line with data protection principles (including the General Data Protection Regulation, where applicable), individuals have the right to access, update, correct, or request removal of their personal information from the journal’s records. Requests may be directed to the Editorial Office via the official journal email (atr@vsu.edu.ph).