Editorial Policy

Innovative Research in Applied, Biological and Chemical Sciences (IRABCS) is committed to maintaining high standards of editorial independence, transparency, research integrity, fairness, accountability, and responsible scholarly communication. The journal aims to publish original, scientifically rigorous, methodologically sound, and ethically conducted research that makes a meaningful contribution to applied, biological, chemical, and interdisciplinary sciences.

IRABCS follows internationally recognized principles and good practices in scholarly publishing and considers the recommendations and guidance of organizations including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). These principles guide the journal's approach to editorial decision-making, peer review, research integrity, authorship, conflicts of interest, corrections, retractions, and the responsible maintenance of the scholarly record.

The journal evaluates manuscripts primarily on the basis of scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, clarity of reporting, relevance to the journal's scope, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge. Editorial decisions are made independently and are not influenced by an author's nationality, geographic location, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, disability, financial circumstances, personal characteristics, or commercial relationships.

Editorial Independence

IRABCS maintains editorial independence from advertisers, sponsors, commercial organizations, and other external interests. The Editor-in-Chief and authorized editorial team retain responsibility and authority for editorial decisions throughout the publication process.

Editorial responsibility includes initial manuscript assessment, selection and management of peer reviewers, evaluation of reviewer reports, requests for revision, acceptance and rejection decisions, and post-publication actions such as corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

The publisher provides the administrative, technical, production, and operational support necessary for the functioning of the journal but does not interfere with the scientific assessment of manuscripts, selection of reviewers, peer-review outcomes, or editorial decisions.

Financial relationships, advertising arrangements, sponsorship, institutional affiliations, publication charges, or other commercial considerations must not influence the selection, evaluation, acceptance, rejection, publication, correction, or retraction of scholarly content.

Editorial Authority and Responsibility

The Editor-in-Chief has primary responsibility for maintaining the journal's editorial standards and ensuring that manuscripts are handled fairly, confidentially, and consistently with the journal's policies.

The Editor-in-Chief may delegate specific editorial responsibilities to Associate Editors or other authorized members of the editorial team according to their subject expertise. Delegated editors remain responsible for managing manuscripts objectively and must follow the journal's editorial, ethical, and peer-review requirements.

Editorial decisions must be based on the scientific and ethical merits of the manuscript and must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional interests, commercial considerations, or the perceived status or reputation of the authors.

Editorial Decision-Making Process

All manuscripts submitted to IRABCS undergo an initial editorial assessment before external peer review. During this assessment, the editorial team considers whether the manuscript falls within the journal's scope, follows the applicable submission requirements, provides the necessary declarations and supporting information, meets fundamental ethical requirements, and demonstrates an appropriate level of scientific quality.

The editorial office may return a manuscript to the authors for correction or clarification when essential submission requirements have not been satisfied. Manuscripts that fall outside the scope of IRABCS, fail to meet minimum scientific or ethical requirements, or present substantial concerns that cannot reasonably be addressed through peer review may be rejected without external review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment may be sent for independent peer review in accordance with the journal's Peer Review Policy. Editorial decisions take into consideration the scientific quality of the work, methodological rigor, originality, ethical compliance, relevance, reviewer assessments, author responses, and other information considered necessary for a fair decision.

Reviewer recommendations are an important component of the editorial process but do not automatically determine the final outcome. The Editor-in-Chief or designated handling editor retains responsibility for the final editorial decision.

Fairness and Impartiality

IRABCS is committed to ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and consistently. Editors must assess submissions according to established scientific and editorial criteria rather than the identity, reputation, institutional affiliation, nationality, geographic location, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, or financial circumstances of the authors. Where appropriate, the journal uses independent peer review to provide expert assessment of submitted research. Editors are expected to take reasonable steps to minimize actual or perceived bias throughout the editorial process.

Confidentiality

Information relating to submitted manuscripts must be treated as confidential throughout the editorial and peer-review process. Editors, reviewers, editorial staff, and other individuals involved in manuscript handling must not disclose unpublished manuscript content, reviewer identities, editorial discussions, or confidential correspondence to unauthorized individuals. Unpublished information obtained through editorial or peer-review activities must not be used for personal, professional, financial, or research advantage.

Conflicts of Interest in Editorial Activities

Editors and editorial board members must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and should not participate in the evaluation or decision-making process for manuscripts where a personal, professional, institutional, financial, or other relationship could compromise impartiality.

When an editor has a conflict of interest, the manuscript should be transferred to an appropriately qualified alternative editor whenever practicable. Editorial conflicts are managed in accordance with the journal's Conflict of Interest Policy to protect the fairness and independence of the publication process.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors of IRABCS are responsible for maintaining a fair, transparent, confidential, and ethical publishing process. Editors are expected to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated objectively, appropriate reviewers are selected, conflicts of interest are identified and managed, reviewer confidentiality is protected, and editorial decisions are supported by appropriate scientific and ethical considerations. Editors must not use unpublished information obtained during manuscript handling for personal benefit or advantage.

Editors are also responsible for responding appropriately to concerns regarding research integrity, publication ethics, authorship, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, and other ethical matters. Where necessary, editors must initiate appropriate investigations and take action to protect the integrity of the published scientific record.

Editorial Board Responsibilities

Members of the IRABCS Editorial Board contribute to maintaining the academic quality, scientific credibility, and development of the journal. Editorial Board members provide subject-specific expertise, may participate in peer-review and editorial activities, advise on journal development, support research integrity, and contribute to the continuous improvement of the journal's scholarly standards.

Editorial Board members must maintain confidentiality regarding manuscripts and editorial discussions and must disclose any potential conflict of interest before participating in editorial activities. Editorial Board members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and to support the journal's commitment to ethical and responsible scholarly publishing.

Editorial Board Selection and Expertise

IRABCS seeks to maintain an editorial team with appropriate subject expertise and experience relevant to the scientific areas covered by the journal. Editors and Editorial Board members should be selected on the basis of relevant academic or professional expertise, research experience, scholarly contributions, and their ability to contribute responsibly to the journal's editorial activities. The composition of the editorial team should reflect the multidisciplinary scope of IRABCS and, where practicable, include appropriate representation of researchers from different institutions, regions, and areas of scientific expertise.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

IRABCS supports equality, diversity, and inclusive participation throughout the publishing process. The journal welcomes scholarly contributions from researchers worldwide and evaluates manuscripts according to scientific and academic standards. The journal does not discriminate against authors, reviewers, editors, or readers on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, disability, geographic location, or other characteristics unrelated to scientific merit. The same editorial standards and ethical requirements apply to all authors and manuscripts regardless of institutional status, geographic origin, academic position, or personal characteristics.

Editorial Accountability and Continuous Improvement

IRABCS is committed to regularly reviewing its editorial procedures and policies to maintain transparency, consistency, and alignment with recognized standards of scholarly publishing. Where weaknesses or ethical concerns are identified in the editorial process, the journal will take reasonable steps to investigate and address them and, where appropriate, revise its procedures to prevent recurrence.

The journal's ultimate editorial responsibility is to protect the quality, reliability, integrity, and permanence of the scholarly record while providing authors with a fair and transparent publication process.