About the Journal
BORNEO EPIDEMIOLOGY JOURNAL (BEJ)
INTRODUCTION
There is an increasing demand for an exclusive journal to publish epidemiological studies rather than diluting the excellent write-ups in clinical journals. This journal is a fully open journal for the rapidly growing epidemiological studies. Authors will be given a new canvas for their work while maintaining standards and quality by being managed by respectable editors and reviewers who are matter experts in their field.
AIMS AND SCOPE
- BEJ is devoted to the contribution covering applied, methodological and theoretical issues. This would include studies that use multidisciplinary or integrative methods. The journal aims to improve epidemiological knowledge and ultimately health worldwide.
- Contributors include other disciplines that integrate epidemiology in their research including biostatistics, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, tropical diseases, environmental epidemiology, occupational health, rural health, health promotion, clinical epidemiology, public health policy and management.
- BEJ only accept contributions in the English language.
- Original Articles, Review Articles, Opinions, Perspectives, Mini Reviews and Case Reports are acceptable for submissions
- BEJ is published once a year.
PUBLICATION ETHICS POLICY
BEJ is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. The journal follows the principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and is committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and accountability throughout the publication process.
This policy applies to all individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, members of the editorial board, and the publisher.
The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, manipulation of research data, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research practices, or any other form of publication misconduct.
Responsibilities of Editors
The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining the academic quality and integrity of the journal.
Editors shall:
- Ensure fair and objective editorial decisions
Editorial decisions shall be based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and contribution to the field. Decisions shall not be influenced by an author's nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or other personal characteristics. - Maintain editorial independence
Editors shall make editorial decisions independently and shall not allow commercial, financial, institutional, or personal interests to influence editorial decisions. - Ensure appropriate peer review
Editors shall ensure that manuscripts are evaluated by appropriately qualified reviewers and that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, confidentially, and according to the journal's stated peer-review model. - Maintain confidentiality
Editors shall not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the appropriate authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and publisher involved in the publication process. - Manage conflicts of interest
Editors shall declare and appropriately manage any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. Editors shall not handle manuscripts where their personal, professional, or financial interests could affect their impartiality. - Address allegations of misconduct
Editors shall take seriously allegations of research or publication misconduct, whether identified before or after publication. Where appropriate, editors shall investigate allegations and follow established COPE procedures. - Handle complaints and appeals fairly
The journal shall maintain a clear mechanism for authors and other stakeholders to submit complaints or appeals concerning editorial decisions or journal procedures. - Correct the scholarly record
Editors shall take appropriate action when errors, inaccuracies, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified after publication, including issuing corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other appropriate notices. - Protect the integrity of the journal
Editors shall continuously monitor editorial and peer-review practices and take appropriate measures to prevent manipulation of the publication process.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers play an important role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research.
Reviewers shall:
- Provide objective and constructive assessments
Reviews shall be based on the scientific and scholarly merits of the manuscript and shall be fair, respectful, and constructive. - Maintain confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review shall be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers shall not disclose, share, copy, or use unpublished information from a manuscript without permission. - Declare conflicts of interest
Reviewers shall inform the editor of any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest and decline the review when their impartiality may be compromised. - Accept reviews only within their expertise
Reviewers should accept assignments only when they have sufficient subject knowledge and can provide an appropriate and timely assessment. - Identify ethical concerns
Reviewers should alert the editor to potential plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, inappropriate citations, ethical concerns, or other forms of suspected misconduct. - Avoid inappropriate use of information
Reviewers shall not use unpublished information, ideas, methods, results, or data obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage. - Provide timely reviews
Reviewers should complete reviews within the period agreed with the journal. If they cannot meet the deadline, they should inform the editor promptly. - Avoid personal criticism
Review comments should focus on the manuscript and should not contain offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, or personal remarks about the authors.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted and published work meets appropriate standards of research and publication integrity.
Authors shall:
- Ensure originality
Manuscripts must contain original work and must not be submitted simultaneously to more than one journal. - Avoid plagiarism and inappropriate duplication
Authors must properly acknowledge and cite all sources. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, and redundant publication are unacceptable. - Ensure accurate reporting
Authors must present research findings accurately and must not fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or selectively omit data in a misleading manner. - Follow research ethics requirements
Research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, or sensitive data must comply with relevant ethical standards and obtain appropriate ethical approval where required. - Obtain informed consent where applicable
Authors must ensure that appropriate informed consent has been obtained for research involving human participants and for publication of identifiable personal information, photographs, or case details where applicable. - Provide appropriate authorship and contributorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript and who meet accepted authorship criteria. All authors should approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission. - Acknowledge contributions appropriately
Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged with their permission. - Declare conflicts of interest
Authors must disclose all financial, personal, institutional, or other relationships that could influence or be perceived to influence the research or its interpretation. - Declare funding sources
All sources of financial or institutional support for the research and publication should be clearly acknowledged. - Provide access to data where appropriate
Authors should retain appropriate research data and provide supporting information when reasonably requested, subject to ethical, legal, privacy, and confidentiality restrictions. - Cooperate with corrections
Authors have a responsibility to notify the journal promptly if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work and should cooperate with the journal in issuing corrections or other appropriate notices.
Responsibilities of the Publisher
The Publisher supports the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board in maintaining the integrity, independence, and sustainability of the journal.
The Publisher shall:
- Support editorial independence
The Publisher shall respect the editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board and shall not interfere improperly with editorial decisions. - Maintain publication integrity
The Publisher shall work with the editors to establish and maintain policies relating to research ethics, authorship, conflicts of interest, peer review, complaints, appeals, and publication misconduct. - Protect intellectual property
The Publisher shall respect and protect copyright, intellectual property, and publishing rights in accordance with the journal's stated policies. - Protect confidentiality and privacy
The Publisher shall take reasonable measures to protect confidential information relating to authors, reviewers, research participants, and other stakeholders. - Support investigation of misconduct
The Publisher shall provide reasonable assistance to editors and relevant institutions in investigating suspected research and publication misconduct. - Maintain the integrity of the scholarly record
The Publisher shall support the publication of corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and other notices when required. - Ensure transparency of journal policies
Publication policies, editorial procedures, peer-review processes, publication charges, copyright arrangements, and ethical requirements shall be clearly communicated to authors, reviewers, and readers. - Review policies regularly
The Publisher shall periodically review journal policies and update them when appropriate to reflect developments in scholarly publishing ethics and relevant COPE recommendations.
Allegations of Research and Publication Misconduct
The journal takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously, both before and after publication.
Potential misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarism and self-plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification of data;
- manipulation of images or research results;
- duplicate or redundant publication;
- inappropriate or disputed authorship;
- undisclosed conflicts of interest;
- citation manipulation;
- peer-review manipulation;
- unethical research involving humans or animals;
- failure to obtain appropriate ethical approval or consent;
- inappropriate use or disclosure of confidential information; and
- other practices that undermine the integrity of scholarly publishing.
When an allegation is received, the Editor-in-Chief will assess the concern and, where appropriate, conduct an investigation in accordance with established journal procedures and relevant COPE guidance. Where necessary, the journal may contact the authors' institution or other appropriate authority.
Complaints and Appeals
The journal provides a mechanism for authors, reviewers, readers, and other stakeholders to submit complaints or appeals relating to editorial decisions, publication procedures, ethical concerns, or the conduct of editorial staff.
Complaints and appeals shall be considered fairly, objectively, and confidentially. Individuals involved in handling a complaint or appeal shall declare any relevant conflict of interest.
Where appropriate, the journal may seek advice from the Editorial Board, Publisher, relevant institution, or other appropriate authority.
Conflicts of Interest
All authors, reviewers, editors, and members of the Editorial Board are required to disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.
Conflicts may include financial interests, personal relationships, professional relationships, institutional affiliations, competing research interests, or other circumstances that could influence or appear to influence judgement.
The journal will take appropriate measures to manage disclosed conflicts and maintain the impartiality and integrity of the publication process.
Corrections, Retractions and Post-Publication Discussions
The journal recognizes that maintaining the integrity of the published scholarly record is an ongoing responsibility.
If a published article is found to contain a significant error or is subsequently determined to involve misconduct, the journal may publish:
- a correction;
- a clarification;
- an expression of concern; or
- a retraction,
as appropriate to the circumstances.
The journal also welcomes appropriate scholarly discussion and correspondence concerning published articles. Post-publication concerns will be evaluated fairly and responsibly.
Ethical Oversight
The journal expects all submitted research to comply with relevant ethical standards and applicable institutional, national, and international requirements.
For research involving human participants, authors should provide information regarding ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.
For research involving animals, authors should confirm compliance with appropriate institutional and national standards for the ethical treatment and use of animals.
The journal may request evidence of ethical approval, informed consent, data protection, or other relevant documentation when necessary.
Intellectual Property, Copyright and Plagiarism
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts do not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.
All sources, ideas, quotations, figures, tables, images, and other materials obtained from third parties must be appropriately acknowledged and cited.
The journal does not accept plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, or unauthorized use of copyrighted material.
The journal's copyright, licensing, and publication-rights arrangements shall be clearly stated on the journal website and in the relevant author guidelines.
Commitment to COPE Principles
BEJ is committed to continuously improving its publication ethics policies and practices in accordance with internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing.
The journal refers to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and related COPE guidance when developing and implementing procedures for publication ethics, peer review, research integrity, complaints and appeals, conflicts of interest, authorship, misconduct, and correction of the scholarly record.
For further information on publication ethics and COPE resources, please visit the official Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) website.
Last updated: August 2026
Publication ethics – BORNEO EPIDEMIOLOGY JOURNAL
Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and that people receive credit for their ideas. It is important to avoid:
Data fabrication and falsification
Plagiarism
Multiple submissions
Redundant publications (or ‘salami’ publications)
Improper author contribution or attribution
Data fabrication and falsification
Data fabrication means the researcher did not actually do the study but faked the data. Data falsification means the researcher did the experiment, but then changed some of the data.
Plagiarism
Taking the ideas and work of other scientists without giving them credit is unfair and dishonest. Copying even one sentence from someone else’s manuscript, or even one of your own that has previously been published, without proper citation is considered plagiarism—use your own words instead.
Multiple submissions
It is unethical to submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time. Doing this wastes the time of editors and peer reviewers and can damage the reputation of the authors and the journals if published in more than one journal as the later publication will have to be retracted.
Redundant publications (or ‘salami’ publications):
This means publishing many very similar manuscripts based on the same experiment. Combining your results into one very robust paper is more likely to be of interest to a selective journal. Editors are likely to reject a weak paper that they suspect is a result of salami slicing.
Improper author contribution or attribution:
All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the manuscript and approved all its claims. Don’t forget to list everyone who made a significant scientific contribution, including students and laboratory technicians. Do not “gift” authorship to those who did not contribute to the paper. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has detailed guidelines on authorship that are useful for scientists in all fields: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.
Many journals have tools and processes in place to identify researchers that engage in unethical behaviour. If you are caught your manuscript may be rejected without review and your institution informed.
Corrections and retractions
When errors are identified in published articles, the publisher will consider what action is required and may consult the editors and the authors’ institution(s).
Errors by the authors may be corrected by a corrigendum and errors by the publisher by an erratum.
If there are errors that significantly affect the conclusions or there is evidence of misconduct, this may require retraction or an expression of concern following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
All authors will be asked to agree to the content of the notice.
Conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interest (COIs, also known as ‘competing interests’) occur when issues outside research could be reasonably perceived to affect the neutrality or objectivity of the work or its assessment. This can happen at any stage in the research cycle, including during the experimentation phase, while a manuscript is being written, or during the process of turning a manuscript into a published article.
Conflicts include the following:
- Financial — funding and other payments, goods and services received or expected by the authors regarding the work or from an organization with an interest in the outcome of the work
- Affiliations — being employed by, on the advisory board for, or a member of an organization with an interest in the outcome of the work
- Intellectual property — patents or trademarks owned by someone or their organization
- Personal — friends, family, relationships, and other close personal connections
- Ideology — beliefs or activism, for example, political or religious, relevant to the work
- Academic — competitors or someone whose work is critiqued
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