Publication Ethics

MycoIndia: Journal of Indian Fungi is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. Upholding ethical principles ensures the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the scientific publishing process. These principles guide all stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, and editors, to promote responsible research and uphold the quality of scientific literature. 

Scientific misconduct encompasses unethical practices that compromise research integrity. The following are examples of such misconduct:

• Plagiarism: Copying text, ideas, or data from another source without proper attribution, including self-plagiarism (reusing one’s own published work without acknowledgment).
• Fabrication: Falsely creating, altering, or inventing research data or results.
• Falsification: Manipulating research data, images, or results to misrepresent findings.
• Data Manipulation: Altering or selectively reporting data to mislead readers.
• Duplicate Publication: Republishing identical research in multiple journals without disclosure.
• Salami Slicing: Artificially splitting one study into multiple publications to increase the number of publications.
• Authorship Misconduct: Including individuals who did not contribute to the work (guest authorship) or omitting those who made significant contributions (ghost authorship).
• Conflict of Interest: Failing to disclose financial, professional, or personal relationships that could bias research.
• Unethical Research Practices: Conducting research on animals, humans, or biological materials without proper ethical approvals or violating established guidelines.
• Peer Review Manipulation: Influencing or tampering with the peer-review process to favor certain outcomes.
• Failure to Disclose Conflicts of Interest: Omitting information on financial, professional, or personal interests that may influence research outcomes.

MycoIndia follows the ethical guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/). The journal is committed to fairness, transparency, and accountability in addressing disputes or ethical concerns during the publication process. 

Authors must clearly state their contributions to the research to ensure proper recognition and accountability. Any disputes related to authorship will be resolved following COPE guidelines. 

 MycoIndia strictly prohibits:

• The simultaneous submission of a manuscript to multiple journals.
• The submission of previously published work for consideration. These policies maintain the integrity of the scientific record and prevent duplication in the literature.

Authors are encouraged to share data and biological materials described in published papers to promote collaboration and reproducibility. However, compliance with national and international regulations on the exchange of biological materials is essential. 

The MycoIndia Editorial Board actively monitors and prevents publication of research that may involve scientific misconduct. If an Editorial Board member is found supporting unethical practices, appropriate actions will be taken, including their removal from the board.