Publication Ethics

Bali Dental Journal — Standards of Ethical Conduct in Research and Publishing

Bali Dental Journal (BDJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher — are expected to adhere to the ethical standards set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving human subjects.

COPE ICMJE WAME Declaration of Helsinki DOAJ KEPK

Duties of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors must ensure that they have written entirely original work. All sources used must be properly cited. Plagiarism in any form — presenting another's work, ideas, or data as one's own — is unacceptable and constitutes a serious ethical violation. Manuscripts are screened with plagiarism detection software; a similarity index exceeding 20% may result in rejection.

Data Integrity and Fabrication

Authors must ensure accuracy and integrity of all data reported. Fabrication (making up data or results), falsification (manipulating or selectively reporting data), and misrepresentation of data are serious forms of research misconduct. Raw data must be retained and made available to editors upon request.

Authorship and Contribution

All listed authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria: (1) substantial contribution to conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis; (2) drafting or critically revising the article; (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) accountability for all aspects of the work. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged. Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are not permitted.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships that may have influenced the work. This includes funding sources, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, and grants. Disclosure must be made at the time of submission.

Multiple and Duplicate Submission

Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously, or submitting work that has already been published elsewhere, is unethical. Manuscripts under consideration at another journal must not be submitted to BDJ.

Human and Animal Subjects Research

Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and must have received prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee (Komisi Etik Penelitian Kesehatan / KEPK or equivalent). Informed consent from participants is required. Research involving animals must comply with applicable guidelines for humane care and use of laboratory animals.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors must disclose any use of AI or AI-assisted tools in the preparation of their manuscripts, including for writing, data analysis, or image creation. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of any AI-generated content included in their manuscript. See the Author Guidelines for detailed AI disclosure requirements.

Duties of Editors

Fair Decision Making

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their scientific merit, without regard to authors' race, gender, nationality, religion, or institutional affiliation.

Confidentiality

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts. Unpublished materials may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than those involved in the editorial process.

Conflict of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including manuscripts submitted by colleagues, collaborators, or competitors.

Misconduct Investigation

Editors take reasonable steps to investigate allegations of research or publication misconduct, following COPE guidelines, including after publication if necessary.

Duties of Peer Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and helps authors improve their manuscripts. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and not shared with or discussed with others without the express authorization of the editor.

Objectivity and Disclosure

Reviews must be conducted objectively, with criticism directed at the work and not the authors. Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and should decline to review manuscripts where a conflict exists.

Prohibition on AI Use in Review

Reviewers must not use AI language tools to write or substantially generate their peer review reports, as this breaches confidentiality by uploading manuscript content to third-party systems and undermines the integrity of the review process.

Misconduct, Corrections, and Retractions

BDJ takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and will investigate any reported concerns according to COPE flowcharts and guidelines. Actions may include:

Correction

Issued when a minor error is identified that does not affect the overall conclusions of the study.

Retraction

Issued for serious violations including fraud, fabrication, falsification, or redundant publication that invalidates the work.

Expression of Concern

Issued when there is inconclusive evidence of misconduct or when an investigation is ongoing.

To report concerns about potential misconduct or ethical violations in published or submitted work, please contact the Editor-in-Chief at drgputrirejeki@unud.ac.id. All reports will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines and with appropriate confidentiality.