SIMBION: Journal of Science Biology and Online Learning adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to address all aspects of publication ethics, particularly in handling cases of research and publication misconduct. The Ethics Declaration of SIMBION reflects the journal's commitment to advancing scientific knowledge through the publication of high-quality research that adheres to the ethical standards of academic writing. This ethics declaration is implemented at every stage of the publication process and applies to all participants involved in the journal, including authors, reviewers, and editorial teams. As such, the Ethics Declaration of SIMBION serves as a standard reference to ensure the quality of publications, protect the intellectual rights of authors, and guarantee the public's access to reliable and well-founded knowledge.

Duties and Ethics of Editors

Editors are responsible for selecting appropriate reviewers for submitted manuscripts and making publication decisions based on the reviewers' recommendations. They are also tasked with evaluating the content of submissions to prevent copyright infringement, plagiarism, and potential conflicts of interest. Editors must maintain impartiality by considering only the content of the manuscripts, without regard to the authors' affiliations, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.

Editors are not permitted to disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone outside of the authors, reviewers, and editorial staff involved in the process. The content of the manuscripts is the intellectual property of the authors, and editors must not use unpublished information for their personal gain without the authors' explicit permission. Confidentiality of information and ideas obtained during the peer review process must be upheld and should not be used for personal benefit.

Editors must also be aware of any conflicts of interest in manuscripts they are handling and must take appropriate steps to recuse themselves from the review process if necessary. Additionally, editors are responsible for addressing any ethical concerns raised about published articles, whether from authors, the public, or other researchers. Any unethical behavior in publication should be treated as a serious violation, even if discovered years after publication, and editors have the right to impose sanctions on authors who commit ethical breaches.

Duties and Ethics of Reviewers

Reviewers play a crucial role in assisting the editor in making decisions about manuscript publication and in communicating with authors during the review process. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers through a double-blind review process. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise and experience relevant to the manuscript's subject matter. They have the right to decline to review manuscripts that fall outside their field of expertise or when they have a conflict of interest.

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. Their evaluations should be objective, focusing solely on the content of the manuscript and not on the authors' characteristics. Reviewers' comments should be clear and supported by evidence. Any claim that a specific observation, derivation, or argument has been previously reported must be accompanied by a relevant citation. Reviewers are not permitted to use unpublished materials disclosed in the submitted manuscript for their research without the authors' written consent. Confidentiality of special information or ideas obtained during peer review must be maintained, and such information should not be used for personal gain.

Roles and Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must adhere to the guidelines set by the journal for manuscript preparation. Submissions should be original works by one or more authors, accompanied by a statement of originality. Manuscripts should represent the complete and accurate reporting of the research findings, without omitting or altering data. Fabrication or falsification of data is considered unethical and unacceptable behavior.

Authors must avoid all forms of plagiarism, as it is considered unethical and intolerable in academic publishing. Manuscripts should include detailed references to allow reviewers and peers to access the data. Authors are prohibited from submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously or from submitting duplicate articles based on the same research findings.

Private information obtained through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties may not be used or reported without the source's written permission. Authors must wait for a rejection decision or formally request a withdrawal before submitting the manuscript to another journal.

The number of authors listed on a manuscript should reflect those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the research, and all listed authors should approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication. If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the editor and cooperate in retracting or correcting the paper.

Plagiarism Prevention

Following Indonesian Ministerial Regulation No. 17 of 2010, plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Violators are subject to sanctions as stipulated by the applicable regulations. Plagiarism includes:

1. Citing or using terms, words, sentences, data, or information from a source without proper acknowledgment.
2. Randomly citing terms, words, sentences, data, or information from a source without proper acknowledgment.
3. Using ideas, opinions, or theories from a source without proper acknowledgment.
4. Rephrasing words or sentences from a source without proper acknowledgment.
5. Submitting work produced or published by others as one's own without proper acknowledgment.

To prevent plagiarism, all manuscripts submitted to SIMBION must be accompanied by the following:

1. A statement of the manuscript's authenticity.
2. A declaration that the manuscript has not been published or is not under consideration elsewhere.
3. A conflict of interest statement.