Research and Publication Ethics

Advanced Virology supports the Core Practices developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. Authors should observe the highest standards with respect to research and publication ethics. Advanced Virology places a high priority on addressing any violations or investigating allegations of misconduct in accordance with COPE Best Practice Guidelines to the maximum extent possible. Advanced Virology follows the research and publication ethics policies of Kenzym Publishers that should be read for further details.

Anyone can bring to our notice a potential breach of publication ethics at any time: pre- or post-publication. Appropriate investigations into allegations of ethical misconduct may seek legal counsel if necessary.

Research Ethics

Advanced Virology understands the importance of promoting the highest standards of research and is committed to adopting rigorous procedures to ensure that research published in this journal is conducted in a fair and ethical manner.

Research involving human subjects

For manuscripts reporting studies involving human subjects, Advanced Virology requires a statement from authors providing the details of the local ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) that approved the study including the project identification code and date of approval (or confirmation that such approval is not needed) and/or a statement that how the study conforms to recognised standards (e.g. declaration of Helsinki or US Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects). Any manuscripts describing studies not meeting the acceptable criteria will be returned/rejected.

Patient confidentiality

Advanced Virology requires author(s) to follow the ICMJE guidelines for reporting on human subjects. The author(s) should ensure that a patient's right to privacy has not been infringed without prior consent. Written informed consent for publication must be obtained from participating patients. For the publication of material that contains detailed patient information about a living individual, signed patient consent must be obtained. Any identifier that might reveal a patient’s identity must be removed (i.e., x-rays, MRIs, charts, photographs, etc.). Written informed consent is required from any potentially identifiable patient or legal representative, and should be presented in either the Methods section or the Acknowledgements.

Animal experimentation

Advanced Virology expects that research involving animals ensures that animals have been treated in a humane manner. Advanced Virology encourages authors to implement the 3Rs principles, and to adhere to animal research reporting standards e.g. the ARRIVE reporting guidelines. Advanced Virology requires authors to confirm that ethical and/or legal approval was obtained prior to the start of the study and provide details of the approving body.

Clinical Trials Registration

Registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry is a mandatory requirement for consideration for publication in Advanced Virology. Clinical trials should be registered at or before the time of first patient enrollment. Registration should be made in publicly accessible databases such as clinicaltrials.gov, the EU Clinical Trials Register and those listed by the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Manuscripts reporting on clinical trials should include registration numbers and the name of the register and cite a reference to the registration in the Methods section. Advanced Virology also requires authors to follow CONSORT guidelines when reporting the results of a randomized trial.

Falsification and fabrication

Advanced Virology enforces stringent policy and procedures to deal with instances of data falsification and/or fabrication. The journal editors work closely with our publisher and other organizations, when necessary, to thoroughly investigate any suspected or alleged instances of data falsification and/or fabrication in submitted manuscripts or published articles. If data falsification and/or fabrication is found and confirmed in a submitted or under-review manuscript, the manuscript will be rejected and the authors will be requested for an explanation. If authors fail to provide a satisfactory explanation, journals may notify the authors’ institution, local ethics committee, or superior. Depending on the severity of the case, Advanced Virology may impose a ban on future submissions from the author or group of authors for a defined period. If data falsification and/or fabrication is found, identified and confirmed after publication, Advanced Virology may correct or retract the paper.

Examples of data falsification or fabrication include: image manipulation; cropping of gels/images to change context; omission of selected data; or making up data sets.

Publication Ethics Statement

Advanced Virology supports the Core Practices developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and places a high priority on addressing any violations or investigating allegations of misconduct in accordance with COPE Best Practice Guidelines to the maximum extent possible.

The corresponding author agrees by submission of a manuscript that:

  • the manuscript is free of plagiarism;
  • the manuscript is not simultaneously submitted or under consideration for publication elsewhere;
  • the work is not previously published;
  • all those contributing substantial ideas and work have been appropriately acknowledged or given co-authorship;
  • all authors have agreed to publication in Advanced Virology;
  • all addresses and institutional affiliations are complete and correct;
  • all national laws relating to the research have been complied with;
  • funding sources and conflicts of interest have been appropriately acknowledged; and
  • authorization to publish all parts of the submission from employers, intellectual property or copyright holders, funders, and others is given.

A published paper subsequently found not to have fulfilled all of these criteria may be retracted or, at the journal's sole discretion, a correction may be published.