1. OPEN ACCESS POLICY

Purpose

BMIJ adopts an open access publishing model that supports free, immediate, and unrestricted global access to scholarly content.

Policy Statement

All articles published in BMIJ are made freely available under a Diamond/Gold Open Access model. No subscription or access fees are charged to readers or institutions.

All content becomes permanently accessible on the journal’s website upon publication.

Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided proper attribution is given.

Responsibilities

Authors agree to publish their work under open access terms. The editorial team and publisher are responsible for maintaining compliance with open access standards.

 2. COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING POLICY

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to clearly define copyright ownership and licensing terms for all works published in BMIJ in accordance with international publishing standards.

 Policy Statement

Copyright of all articles published in BMIJ remains with the author(s). The journal is granted the right of first publication.

By submitting and publishing in BMIJ, authors grant the journal the following rights:

• First publication rights,
• Worldwide dissemination of the work,
• Inclusion in indexing and archiving services.

 Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits:

• Sharing (copying and redistribution),
• Adaptation (remixing, transforming, building upon the work),
• Commercial use.

 Condition

Proper attribution must be given, a link to the license must be provided, and any modifications must be clearly indicated.

 Author Rights

Authors:

• Retain copyright of their work,
• May archive their work in institutional repositories,
• May reuse their published version with proper citation.

 Publisher Rights

BMIJ retains rights to:

• Dissemination,
• Indexing,
• Long-term archiving of published content.

 

3. ARCHIVING AND DATA DISSEMINATION POLICY

Purpose

This policy aims to ensure the long-term preservation, accessibility, and secure dissemination of all scholarly content published in BMIJ.

Policy Statement

BMIJ guarantees that all published articles remain permanently accessible and preserved. The journal applies a multi-layered digital archiving and preservation strategy.

1. Persistent Access and Digital Preservation

All content published in BMIJ:

• Remains permanently accessible on the journal’s website,
• Is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI),
• Is permanently linked through the DOI system,
• Is regularly backed up to prevent data loss.

2. LOCKSS / CLOCKSS Archiving

BMIJ supports LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS systems for long-term digital preservation.

These systems ensure that:

• Content is stored across multiple geographically distributed servers,
• Data can be restored in case of loss or publisher failure,
• The integrity of the scholarly record is maintained,
• Long-term digital sustainability is guaranteed.

3. PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

BMIJ integrates with the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) via the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

PKP PN:

• Provides free preservation services for open-access journals,
• Stores journal content in independent preservation servers,
• Ensures long-term access even if publishing operations cease.

4. Data Dissemination and Sharing

BMIJ encourages transparency and reproducibility of research outputs.

Authors are encouraged to share:

• Datasets,
• Analysis files,
• Code,
• Supplementary materials

via Zenodo, Figshare, OSF, or institutional repositories.

5. Self-Archiving Policy

Authors may archive:

• Preprint versions,
• Accepted manuscripts,
• Published Version of Record

No embargo period is applied.

6. Responsibilities

The editorial team of BMIJ is responsible for:

• Ensuring long-term preservation of digital content,
• Maintaining archiving systems,
• Safeguarding data integrity.

 

4. OPEN SCIENCE POLICY

Purpose

This policy aims to ensure that BMIJ adopts Open Science principles by promoting transparency, accessibility, reproducibility, and scientific collaboration in research.

Policy Statement

BMIJ supports the Open Science approach and encourages that research outputs extend beyond published articles to include all components of the research process.

The journal follows principles aligned with open access, open data, open methodology, and transparent research practices.

1. Open Access

All content published in BMIJ is freely and immediately accessible.

2. Open Data

Authors are encouraged to share their research data in open repositories whenever possible.

• Zenodo
• Figshare
• OSF
• Institutional repositories

Data sharing is not mandatory when datasets include sensitive, confidential, or personal information.

3. Open Methodology

Authors should provide sufficient detail regarding:

• Research design,
• Data collection methods,
• Analytical procedures,
• Software and code

to ensure reproducibility of research.

4. Transparency and Open Attribution

BMIJ requires:

• Clear citation of data sources,
• Transparent methodological reporting,
• Disclosure of funding sources and conflicts of interest.

5. Open Collaboration

The journal encourages interdisciplinary and international collaboration. Open science practices support broader reuse and development of scientific knowledge.

6. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for adhering to open science principles. The editorial board promotes these principles while respecting ethical and legal limitations regarding data sharing.

 

5. RESEARCH DATA POLICY

Purpose

This policy aims to support transparency, accessibility, and reproducibility of research data published in BMIJ.

Policy Statement

BMIJ encourages the sharing of research data in line with Open Science principles. Research data is a fundamental component for verifying and reproducing scientific findings.

1. Data Sharing Principle

Authors are encouraged to deposit their research data in publicly accessible repositories whenever appropriate.

Recommended platforms include:

• Zenodo
• Figshare
• Open Science Framework (OSF)
• Institutional repositories
• Discipline-specific databases

2. Exceptions

Data sharing is not mandatory in the following cases:

• Studies involving personal or sensitive data,
• Data restricted by ethics committees,
• Commercially confidential data,
• Data that may compromise participant privacy.

In such cases, authors must clearly state data access restrictions.

3. Data Availability Statement

All manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement indicating the status of the dataset.

Examples:

• “Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”
• “Data are publicly available in a repository.”
• “Data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.”

4. Data Standards

Shared datasets should:

• Be in accessible and readable formats,
• Be structured for reproducible analysis,
• Include appropriate metadata and documentation.

5. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

• Data accuracy,
• Ethical compliance,
• Data sharing conditions.

The editorial board encourages data transparency while respecting legal and ethical constraints.

 

6. DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT POLICY

Purpose

This policy ensures that all articles published in BMIJ include a clear, standardised, and verifiable Data Availability Statement (DAS).

Policy Statement

All manuscripts published in BMIJ must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS) describing how and where the research data can be accessed.

1. DAS Requirement

Authors must provide at least one of the following statements before acceptance:

• Data are publicly available in a repository,
• Data are available upon reasonable request,
• Data are not publicly available due to ethical or legal restrictions.

2. Standard DAS Templates

BMIJ accepts the following standard statements:

1. a) Open Data

• “The data supporting this study are available in Zenodo/OSF/Figshare.”

1. b) Available on Request

• “The data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

1. c) Restricted Data

• “The data are not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions.”

1. d) No Data Generated

• “No data were generated or analyzed in this study.”

3. Transparency Principle

BMIJ recognizes data availability as a key component of scientific transparency and reproducibility.

4. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

• Accuracy of DAS statements,
• Proper classification of data availability,
• Ethical compliance.

The editorial office may verify DAS statements and request corrections if necessary.

 

7. PREPRINT POLICY

Purpose

This policy defines the rules regarding the use of preprint servers and their relationship with manuscripts submitted to BMIJ.

Policy Statement

BMIJ supports the use of preprints in line with Open Science principles. Authors may share their manuscripts on reputable preprint servers before or during the submission process.

1. Accepted Preprint Servers

BMIJ accepts manuscripts previously shared on:

• SSRN
• arXiv
• Research Square
• OSF Preprints
• RePEc (for economics and social sciences)

2. Pre-Submission Sharing

Authors may share their manuscripts as:

• Preprint versions,
• Before peer review,

on the above platforms without any restriction for submission to BMIJ.

3. Mandatory Disclosure

Authors must disclose:

• Preprint DOI,
• Platform used,

at the time of submission.

4. Post-Acceptance Stage

After acceptance, the final version:

• Is published as the Version of Record,
• Clearly distinguishes itself from the preprint version via DOI linkage.

5. Duplicate Publication Policy

The following are considered duplicate publication and are not accepted:

• Previously peer-reviewed and published articles,
• Substantially identical content republished without proper disclosure.

6. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for transparency regarding preprint sharing. The editorial board evaluates compliance with ethical publishing standards.

 

8. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) USE POLICY

Purpose

This policy defines the ethical, transparent, and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in manuscripts published in BMIJ.

Policy Statement

BMIJ allows the use of AI tools in research and writing processes; however, such use must be transparent, ethical, and under human oversight.

AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, etc.) are not considered authors and cannot assume academic responsibility.

1. Permitted Uses

AI tools may be used for:

• Language editing and proofreading,
• Improving readability,
• Code or analytical suggestions,
• Drafting literature summaries (with human verification),
• Formatting tables and summaries.

2. Prohibited or Restricted Uses

The following uses are not allowed:

• AI-generated scientific conclusions without human validation,
• Fabrication of sources or unverifiable information,
• AI authorship or co-authorship,
• AI-based peer review,
• Fully autonomous content generation without human oversight.

3. Mandatory Disclosure

Authors must disclose AI usage, including:

• The tool used,
• Purpose of use,
• Extent of use.

Example statement:

“During the preparation of this manuscript, ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used for language editing. All content was reviewed and validated by the authors.”

4. Responsibility

Authors are solely responsible for the integrity of the content. AI tools do not hold scientific responsibility.

 

9. DIGITAL PRESERVATION POLICY

Purpose

This policy ensures the long-term digital preservation, integrity, and continuous accessibility of all scholarly content published in BMIJ.

Policy Statement

BMIJ ensures that all published content remains accessible not only at the time of publication but also in the long term, in accordance with international digital preservation standards.

The journal follows principles of sustainability, redundancy, and persistent access in digital publishing.

1. DOI and Persistent Identifiers

All articles are assigned:

• A Digital Object Identifier (DOI),
• Persistent access through the DOI system,
• Stable reference linking via Crossref infrastructure.

2. Multi-Layer Backup System

BMIJ content is protected through:

• Regular server backups,
• Database backup systems,
• External storage solutions,

to minimize data loss risks.

3. LOCKSS / CLOCKSS System

BMIJ supports LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS networks.

These systems:

• Store content across multiple independent servers,
• Enable automatic recovery in case of data loss,
• Preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

4. PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

BMIJ integrates with the PKP PN system via the OJS platform.

This system:

• Provides free preservation services for open access journals,
• Ensures independent archiving of content,
• Guarantees long-term accessibility even if publication ceases.

5. File Format and Data Sustainability

For long-term accessibility, content is:

• Stored in standard formats (PDF, XML, etc.),
• Maintained for future software compatibility,
• Accompanied by standardized metadata structures.

6. Responsibilities

The BMIJ editorial team is responsible for:

• Managing digital preservation systems,
• Ensuring data integrity,
• Maintaining archiving infrastructure.

 

10. COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS POLICY

 Purpose

This policy ensures that all complaints and appeals related to editorial and publication processes in BMIJ are handled in a transparent, fair, and ethical manner.

Policy Statement

BMIJ evaluates all complaints and appeals from authors, reviewers, and readers in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

All cases are handled with fairness, confidentiality, and impartiality.

1. Scope of Complaints

Complaints may include:

• Editorial decision-making processes,
• Peer review process,
• Ethical issues (plagiarism, data manipulation, etc.),
• Publication delays,
• Authorship or contribution disputes.

2. Complaints Procedure

Complaints must be submitted in writing to the editorial office.

The process includes:

1. Receipt and registration of the complaint
2. Preliminary editorial assessment
3. Independent review if necessary
4. Communication of the final decision

3. Right to Appeal

Authors may appeal editorial or reviewer decisions.

Appeals must:

• Be based on scientific or academic grounds,
• Not be based on personal disagreement or dissatisfaction.

4. Evaluation Principles

All complaints and appeals are assessed based on:

• Impartiality,
• Confidentiality,
• Academic integrity,
• COPE guidelines.

5. Final Decision

The editorial board’s final decision is conclusive. External expert opinions may be sought when necessary.

6. Responsibilities

All parties are expected to contribute to an ethical and professional resolution process.

 

11. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

 Purpose

This policy ensures that all research published in BMIJ is conducted with transparency, impartiality, and academic integrity by requiring disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.

Policy Statement

BMIJ requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that may influence the research process or publication decisions.

1. Definition of Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when professional judgment may be influenced by personal, financial, or institutional relationships.

This may include:

• Financial funding or sponsorship,
• Institutional affiliations,
• Personal relationships,
• Academic competition,
• Patents or commercial interests.

2. Disclosure Requirement

All authors must declare:

• Whether any conflict of interest exists,
• Or explicitly state “no conflict of interest”.

3. Reviewers and Editors

Reviewers and editors must:

• Decline to review manuscripts where conflicts exist,
• Disclose any relationships that may affect impartiality.

4. Funding Transparency

All sources of funding must be clearly stated. Sponsors must not influence the research or publication process.

5. Transparency Principle

BMIJ considers nondisclosure of conflicts of interest an ethical violation.

6. Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their declarations. The editorial board may request additional clarification when necessary.

 

12. PLAGIARISM AND SIMILARITY CHECK POLICY

Purpose

This policy ensures the originality of all manuscripts published in BMIJ and prevents plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct.

Policy Statement

BMIJ screens all submitted manuscripts using plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin, or equivalent systems) prior to publication.

Academic integrity is a core principle of the journal, and no level of unethical similarity is tolerated.

1. Acceptable Similarity Threshold

General criteria:

• Total similarity index: ≤ 20% (excluding references)
• Maximum similarity from a single source: 3%

However, final decisions are based not only on numerical similarity but also on editorial scientific judgment.

2. Types of Plagiarism

BMIJ considers the following as ethical misconduct:

• Direct copying (copy-paste),
• Paraphrasing without citation,
• Self-plagiarism,
• Data or result manipulation,
• Use of tables/figures without attribution. 

3. Screening Process

All manuscripts undergo:

1. Submission to plagiarism detection software,
2. Editorial review of similarity report,
3. Author notification for revision if necessary,
4. Rejection of unethical submissions.

4. Self-Plagiarism

Authors must not:

• Reuse their own previously published work without proper citation,
• Split datasets into multiple publications (salami slicing).

5. Responsibilities

Authors are fully responsible for originality. The editorial board applies COPE guidelines in cases of suspected misconduct.

 

13. AUTHORSHIP AND CONTRIBUTION POLICY (CRediT TAXONOMY)

Purpose

This policy ensures that authorship in BMIJ is assigned fairly, transparently, and in accordance with international standards.

Policy Statement

BMIJ follows ICMJE and COPE authorship guidelines and requires that authorship be based on substantial academic contribution.

Ghost authorship, guest authorship, and honorary authorship are strictly not accepted.

1. Authorship Criteria

To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all of the following:

• Contribution to research design or data analysis,
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript,
• Approval of the final version,
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

2. CRediT Contribution System

BMIJ uses the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system to ensure transparency.

Author contributions may include:

• Conceptualization
• Methodology
• Software
• Data collection
• Formal analysis
• Writing – original draft
• Writing – review & editing
• Project administration
• Funding acquisition

3. Mandatory Contribution Statement

Each manuscript must include a “Author Contributions” section.

Example:

• A.B.: Methodology, analysis
• C.D.: Writing and editing

4. Changes in Authorship

After submission:

• Addition or removal of authors requires written consent from all authors,
• The editorial office may request justification.

5. Relation to Conflicts of Interest

Authorship contributions must be independent of financial or institutional conflicts.

6. Responsibilities

All authors share full responsibility for the entire content of the work.

 

14. CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN POLICY

Purpose

This policy ensures that errors, ethical issues, or scientific concerns in published articles are handled transparently and in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Policy Statement

BMIJ is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. When necessary, the journal issues corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

1. Corrections (Erratum)

Corrections are issued in cases such as:

• Typographical errors,
• Errors in data or tables,
• Minor methodological clarifications,
• Technical issues that do not affect conclusions.

Corrections are linked to the original article.

2. Retractions

Articles may be retracted in cases such as:

• Plagiarism or ethical misconduct,
• Fabricated or manipulated data,
• Duplicate publication,
• Unreliable findings,
• Serious scientific errors under COPE criteria.

Retraction notices are clearly labeled and permanently accessible.

3. Expressions of Concern

A temporary expression of concern may be issued when:

• An investigation is ongoing,
• The validity of findings is uncertain,
• Institutional review is pending.

4. Transparency Principle

All corrections and retractions:

• Are clearly visible,
• Linked to the original article,
• Preserved as part of the scholarly record.

5. Editorial Responsibility

The editorial board:

• Follows COPE guidelines,
• Communicates with institutions when necessary,
• Ensures integrity of the scientific record.

 

15. PUBLICATION FEE (ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE – APC) POLICY

Purpose

This policy defines the Article Processing Charge (APC) applied in BMIJ in a transparent and internationally compliant manner.

Policy Statement

BMIJ follows a Gold Open Access model with Article Processing Charges (APC) applied to accepted manuscripts.

An APC is charged for each article accepted for publication.

1. Article Processing Charge (APC)

For articles published in BMIJ:

• An APC fee is charged upon article submission.
• The peer review process is free.
• A portion of the fee is refunded for rejected articles.

The APC covers:

• Editorial management and processing,
• Peer review administration,
• Typesetting and formatting,
• DOI assignment and Crossref registration,
• Long-term digital preservation.

2. Fee Disclosure

The APC amount:

• Is clearly stated on the journal’s official website,
• Is communicated to authors before acceptance,
• Is requested only after acceptance.

3. What APC Does Not Cover

The APC does not include:

• Authorship fees,
• Data analysis services,
• Translation or language editing (optional external services),
• Additional academic consultancy services.

4. Waiver and Discount Policy

BMIJ may offer APC waivers or discounts for:

• Invited articles,
• Authors from low-income countries (case-by-case evaluation),
• Institutional agreements,
• Special issue contributions.

5. Payment Conditions

• APC is only requested at the time of application,
• Publication process begins after payment confirmation,
• Payments must be made through official channels.

6. Transparency Principle

BMIJ ensures that APC policy is:

• Transparent,
• Auditable,
• Clearly communicated prior to submission.

7. Responsibilities

The editorial board and publisher are responsible for maintaining transparency of the APC system. Authors are deemed to have accepted this policy upon submission.

 

16. OPEN ACCESS POLICY 

Purpose

This policy defines BMIJ’s Open Access publishing model, access conditions, and user rights in accordance with international standards (Scopus, DOAJ, COPE, and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access).

Policy Statement

BMIJ follows a Gold Open Access publishing model. All articles are made freely and immediately available upon publication.

No subscription, registration, or access fees are required to access the content.

1. Definition of Open Access

All articles published in BMIJ are:

• Freely accessible online,
• Available for reading, downloading, and sharing,
• Accessible equally to users worldwide.

2. Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits:

• Sharing,
• Reuse,
• Adaptation,
• Commercial use,

provided that proper attribution is given.

3. Author and User Rights

Under open access terms:

• Authors retain copyright,
• Users may freely use the content,
• Attribution is mandatory,
• Modifications must be clearly indicated.

4. Publishing Model

BMIJ operates under a Gold Open Access + APC model:

• APC is charged after acceptance,
• No paywalls are applied,
• All published content remains permanently open access.

5. Archiving and Permanence

All open access content is:

• Assigned a DOI,
• Stored permanently on the journal website,
• Preserved via PKP PN, LOCKSS, and CLOCKSS systems.

6. Commercial Use and Reuse

Under CC BY 4.0:

• Commercial use is permitted,
• Proper attribution is required,
• Any modification must be clearly disclosed.

7. Transparency and Access Equality

BMIJ believes open access enhances global research equity and ensures equal access to scholarly content worldwide.

8. Responsibilities

The publisher and editorial board are responsible for:

• Implementing the open access policy,
• Ensuring permanent accessibility,
• Maintaining license compliance.