Ethics and Malpractices

The TJNPR journal invites authors to carefully read the ethics and malpractice statement as highlighted below.

Publication Ethics and Malpractices statement

The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR) believes strongly in maintaining and keeping up with the journal ethics using the COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. It is instructive to authors to carefully read the COPE guidelines to ensure impressive and standard manuscripts submission and processing.

Responsibilities of Authors

We believe that all the authors who submit their own research is of genuine and never submitted before in any other related journal for publication or never been published already. Plagiarism would be strictly scrutinized by our highly efficient editorial team who strive towards quality of the journal to meet our international standards.

Citation manipulation

Other than the purpose of presenting a research, if the author tends to increase his/her own citation it leads to Citation Manipulation. Citation Manipulation may lead to rejection of manuscript by The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR).

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication

In general, papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal. Submitting the same paper to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Manuscripts which have been published as copyrighted material elsewhere cannot be submitted. In addition, manuscripts under review by the journal should not be resubmitted to copyrighted publications. However, by submitting a manuscript, the author(s) retain the rights to the published material. In case of publication they permit the use of their work under a CC-BY license [creativecommons.org], which allows others to copy, distribute and transmit the work as well as to adapt the work and to make commercial use of it.

Originality, plagiarism and acknowledgement of sources

Authors will submit only entirely original works, and will appropriately cite or quote the work and/or words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.

Data Fabrication

Manipulating research data with the intent of giving a wrong impression. This comprises manipulating images, removing “difficult” results, altering, adding or flouting data points, etc.

Data falsification

This means the researcher did the experiment, but then changed some of the data.

Plagiarism

Our Journals doesn't permit any type of Plagiarism and pre-published submissions. Henceforth, we emphatically recommend our authors to exhaustive check of the article content before submitting it to our Journals for publication. We request our Authors to utilize "Online Plagiarism Checking software’s" to check for the plagiarism prior to submission in the initial phase, though they are not totally consistent. For more information refer to Plagiarism Policy of The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR).

Multiple Submissions

It is not ethical to submit the same manuscript to more than one Journal at the same time. Doing this, wastes the time of editors and reviewers, and can damage the reputation of Journals if published in more than one.

Redundant Publications

This means publishing several manuscripts based on the same experiment which makes the readers less attentive towards your manuscripts.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Role of reviewers: Peer reviewers are external experts chosen by editors to provide written opinions, with the aim of improving the study. Peer reviewers play a central and critical part in the peer-review process.

Unbiased

It is highly recommended to have purely unbiased and polite reviewing for all the papers our reviewers are subjected to. Biasing the research that could lead to over glorification or degradation of its values is not encouraged.

Confidentiality

TJPPS considers any unpublished information about the peer-review process of any particular paper to be highly confidential, and reviewers are not supposed to disclose the same during or after the peer-review process.

Elaborate review:

The reviews must be elaborate in order to catch the eyes of author and editor without any further miscommunication and save valuable time for everyone in making the process smooth and fast.

Refer to review

The reviewer must be able to provide exact information along with citation if there is any need to change or modify the content of the paper as a part of revision. The information helps author to compare his/her work with the cited article for further development.

Responsibilities of  Editors

Editors are the critical stakeholders for the journal and we expect editors to give unbiased decisions towards the fate of any article.

Obligations

Editors are accountable and should take responsibility for everything they publish.

Editors should make fair and unbiased decisions independent from commercial consideration and ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process.

Editors should adopt editorial policies that encourage maximum transparency and complete, honest reporting.

Editors should guard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions when needed and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct.

Editors should pursue reviewer and editorial misconduct.

 

Editors should critically assess the ethical conduct of studies in humans and animals.

Peer reviewers and authors should be told what is expected of them.

Editors should have appropriate policies in place for handling editorial conflicts of interest.

Guidelines for Retracting Articles

The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR)  is dedicated to maintain the high standards rigorous and rapid peer-review with strict ethical policies. Infringements of ethical codes, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, bogus claims of authorship, will be taken very seriously by the editors with zero tolerance. Authors should be fully aware of the publication policy, submission policy and withdrawal policy of The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR).

The integrity and comprehensiveness of the published articles is highly recognized by TJPPS. Archives of the published articles will be available unaltered. The articles are published only under the guidance of Editors for the particular journal. However, at times it is difficult to detect the misconduct or scientific dispute for an article. Thus, it becomes necessary to erratum the articles published. The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR) requests author to consider this decision strictly. Action depends on the individual case and can take the form of

Expression of Concern

The purpose of this policy is to correct the content and to vigilant its readers, not intended to rebuke the author(s).

The editor of the particular journal will hold the responsibility of scrutinizing the misconduct or scientific dispute of an article. Authors and reviewers will also be a part of the investigation. The editor will hold the ultimate decision regarding the corrections in the scholarly record. Guiding principles are COPE's Retraction Guidelines and other accepted scholarly principles.

These minor errors do not affect either the reader’s ability to understand the article or the metadata which don’t alter the scientific content; omissions are corrected such that the original article is replaced with the corrected version.

If the final action originates from an author's request, The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR)  will help to process it without any extra fees. If the measures taken (e.g. a retraction) were not informed by the author(s) or are even taken without mutual agreement, the author(s) will not be financially compensated and Article Processing Charges (APC) will not be reimbursed.

 

TJNPR Policy on Handling Allegations of Misconduct

The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR), published by the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Nigeria, is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical publishing. This Policy on Handling Allegations of Misconduct aligns with the COPE Core Practices and specific flowcharts for addressing suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, authorship disputes, ethical violations, and redundant publication). It ensures fair, transparent, and confidential processes to maintain research integrity in natural product research and pharmaceutical sciences.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all submissions, published articles, and post-publication concerns involving authors, reviewers, editors, or journal staff. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism or self-plagiarism.
  • Fabrication or falsification of data/results.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
  • Authorship disputes (e.g., ghost/guest authorship).
  • Ethical breaches (e.g., non-compliance with Helsinki Declaration or ARRIVE guidelines).
  • Duplicate submission/publication.

3. Reporting Allegations

Allegations may be submitted confidentially via email to editor.tjnpr@gmail.com . Reports should include:

  • Detailed description of the alleged misconduct.
  • Evidence (e.g., citations, documents).
  • Contact details (anonymous reports are considered but may limit investigation).

The journal acknowledges receipt within 7 days and assesses the allegation's validity per COPE flowchart on "What to do if you suspect misconduct."

4. Investigation Process

  • Initial Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the Editorial Board, reviews the allegation within 14 days. Frivolous claims are dismissed; valid ones proceed to investigation.
  • Full Investigation: An ad hoc committee (including independent experts if needed) is formed. Involved parties are notified and given 14 days to respond. Evidence is gathered fairly, maintaining confidentiality to protect reputations.
  • Institutional Involvement: If institutional affiliation is relevant (e.g., for data access), the journal may contact the author's institution per COPE guidelines, while avoiding parallel investigations.
  • Timeline: Investigations aim to conclude within 60–90 days, with extensions communicated to parties.

5. Outcomes and Actions

Decisions are based on evidence and COPE recommendations:

  • No Misconduct: Case closed; complainant informed.
  • Minor Issues: Correction or erratum published.
  • Serious Misconduct: Retraction, expression of concern, or notification to institutions/funders. Retracted articles remain online with watermarks per COPE retraction guidelines.
  • Appeals: Parties may appeal within 30 days; an independent reviewer assesses. All actions prioritize fairness, avoiding bias, and are documented for audit.

6. Prevention and Training

TJNPR promotes ethical awareness through guidelines and requires declarations during submission. Editors/reviewers receive training annually.

7. Contact and Updates

For questions, contact editor.tjnpr@gmail.com. This policy is reviewed biennially and available at www.tjnpr.org

 

 

TJNPR Appeals Process Statement

 

The Tropical Journal of Natural Product Research (TJNPR) is committed to fair and transparent editorial decisions, in full alignment with the COPE Guidelines on Appeals Against Editorial Decisions. Authors may appeal rejection, revision, or transfer decisions if they provide compelling new evidence (e.g., overlooked data, reviewer errors, or procedural irregularities). Appeals based solely on disagreement with scientific judgment will not be considered, ensuring efficient processes.

Appeal Process:

  1. Submission: Within 30 days of the decision email, submit a formal appeal letter to Prof. Abiodun Falodun, Editor-in-Chief, explaining the grounds with supporting evidence.
  2. Review: The Editor-in-Chief acknowledges receipt within 7 days and forwards to an independent Appeals Committee (2–3 senior editors/reviewers uninvolved in the original decision).
  3. Decision: The Committee reviews within 30 days and issues a final ruling: uphold, overturn, or request further review. Outcomes are binding and communicated in writing.
  4. Confidentiality: All appeals remain confidential to protect authors and reviewers.

Contact: Prof. Abiodun Falodun, Editor-in-Chief Email: editor.tjnpr@gmail.com