Policy

Manuscript Evaluation: All manuscripts submitted to VJBP must adhere to the established standards of the journal. Manuscripts failing to meet these standards will be rejected. Minor shortcomings will be communicated to the corresponding author for explanation.

Ethical Standards in Research: The manuscripts must conform to ethical standards of research. Any ambiguity regarding conformity with ethical standards may delay the processing of manuscripts. Authors are mandated to provide comprehensive details on the process of obtaining ethical clearance wherever required, alongside explicit details about the experimental methodologies, to enable non-specialist readers to grasp the extent and necessity of the procedures elucidated.

Editorial Policy

Publication Costs

Publication Ethics

Licencing and Open Access

Human and Animal Experiments: Although VJBP primarily focuses on plant sciences, in cases where research intersects with human or animal studies, such as in the testing of medicinal plant products, it's crucial to adhere to ethical standards applicable to human and animal experiments.

Declarations to be made regarding ethical issues:

Manuscripts must include a statement of informed consent from participants in clinical studies.
For research involving humans or animals, a declaration of adherence to the ethical standards of the respective country/countries is required.
Animal studies need a declaration of compliance with relevant institutional and national guidelines.
Human studies must affirm adherence to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Any potential conflicts of interest, author contributions, data availability, and funding sources should be declared.

Editorial Policy

Confidentiality:

All submissions to Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) are handled with strict confidentiality. The Referees are not permitted to communicate directly with authors. The journal maintains a rigorous privacy standard to ensure the integrity of the double-blind review process and to uphold the quality and authenticity of research published under its banner. Through this confidentiality policy, VJBP aims to create a secure and unbiased platform for disseminating scientific findings in the domain of medicinal and aromatic plant sciences.

Conflict of Interest

Conflict of interest arises when an Editor's or Referee's external interests potentially influence or appear to influence their editorial responsibilities, preventing a fair and unbiased assessment of a manuscript assigned to them. While a conflict of interest does not necessarily disqualify an Editor or Referee from handling a manuscript, any actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest must be disclosed transparently.

Authors having manuscripts under review should abstain from contacting or discussing the manuscript with potential Editors or Referees, particularly those recommended on the submission form, as this could interfere with the review process by generating a conflict of interest.

In the electronic manuscript submission process, authors are prompted to disclose any actual, perceived, or possible conflict of interest, like consultancies, financial engagements, and patent ownerships, among others, through a designated section or field in the cover letter. If such information is not revealed in the manuscript initially, it will remain confidential during the review process. However, upon acceptance of the article for publication, the pertinent information should be included in the Competing Interests section at the end of the manuscript. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors are required to make a statement affirming this.

Editors or Referees should avoid handling manuscripts that align with the following criteria:

Originating from their current institution.
Previous engagement with the manuscript, except as an independent reviewer for a different journal.
Direct competition with the author(s), for instance, working on the same mechanism as presented in the manuscript under review.
Authored by individuals with whom they had a professional collaboration in the past three years. This includes manuscript preparation relating to past research.
Authored by individuals with whom they had a financial collaboration, like a shared grant, within the past three years.
Authored by individuals with whom they have had a close personal or professional relationship or association, including disputes.
Funded by a commercial organization with whom they have a relationship through funding, consultancy, financial involvement, or patent ownership.
Where there is a financial interest in the paper's publication, for instance, where a patent is involved.

If the Editor or Referee perceives that their interaction with the authors might represent an actual, perceived, or possible conflict of interest, this must be declared before agreeing to edit the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief or another suitable person like the Managing/Associate Editor will assess whether the possible conflict of interest could prevent the Editor or Referee from forming an objective and non-biased opinion on the manuscript or could subject the journal to claims of bias.

Informal guidance provided to authors before submission does not necessarily constitute a conflict of interest, although this is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Authors should acknowledge any advice or assistance received from an Editor in the Acknowledgments section of their manuscript. Authors should declare any actual, perceived, or possible conflicts of interest in the comments box during submission if uncertain. Referees who have reviewed the manuscript for a different journal do not have a conflict of interest.

Preprint Policy

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) accepts submissions of manuscripts that have been previously posted on a non-profit, subject-oriented preprint server (e.g., bioRxiv). Authors who have shared their work as a preprint must disclose this during submission. The specifics of the preprint server used must be provided on the submission form, including the reference number or DOI (Digital Object Identifier). Upon acceptance of the article, authors are required to notify the preprint server of the final journal publication details, along with supplying a URL linking to the published version. A citation to the preprint version should be provided in a footnote to the article. The preprint version may be updated with the accepted version following an embargo period of 12 months post-publication. This allows for broader dissemination and discussion of the work before it is officially published, aligning with VJBP's mission to foster open science and early communication of research findings within the community.

Author Name Change Policy

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) has a strict policy regarding author name changes post-publication. Amendments to author names will not be permitted after the article's publication, except for errors or typos. If an error is identified in an author's name after publication, a corrigendum will be issued to correct the error upon a formal request from the corresponding author. The corrigendum will be linked to the original article to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the published scientific record. Authors are advised to meticulously verify the accuracy of all author names at the time of original manuscript submission to prevent the need for such a corrigendum. Any requests for corrections to author names due to errors or typos should be directed to the journal's Publications Office.

Publication Costs

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) does not levy any charges for manuscript submission or page fees. There are no limitations on the length of the manuscript or the number of tables or figures included in research articles.

Colour Charges:

VJBP is an online platform, and as such, there is no fee associated with the inclusion of colour figures in the published articles. However, if authors require a printed version, a fee may be incurred for printing in colour. During the production stage, corresponding authors will be provided with a colour charge form alongside the article proof, offering them the choice to opt for colour printing. Payment can be made immediately using our payment gateway system, or an invoice can be requested. If authors opt against color printing, the figures will be converted to black and white for the print version of the journal. Legends should be applicable to both black and white and colour versions of the figures, ensuring that no information is exclusively conveyed through colour.

Offprints

Authors will have free access to the final PDF offprint of their article via the Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) Author Services portal.

Publication Ethics

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to handle cases of alleged misconduct.

Investigations into any reported misconduct are typically overseen by the Managing/Associate Editor at the publications office in coordination with the Editor-in-Chief. For ensuring a thorough and unbiased handling of such cases, VJBP has set up a publication ethics committee. This committee functions independently from the journal staff and the editorial boards.

In instances where the publications office is unable to resolve the allegations of publication ethics misconduct, or if the case involves members of the journal editorial board or staff, the matter will be referred to the publication ethics committee for an independent and unbiased assessment. The committee can also provide ad-hoc advisories on ethical matters when required.

Authorship

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) aligns its authorship guidelines with the standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). More details on the ICMJE guidelines can be explored at the ICMJE website.

For a contributor to qualify as an author, they must fulfill the following criteria:

Either:

Participate in the conception or design of the work, or,
Engage in the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work,

And meet all of the following:

Assist in drafting the work or revising it critically for significant intellectual content,
Approve the final version of the manuscript to be published,
Agree to be responsible for all aspects of the work, ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

These guidelines are established to promote transparency, fairness, and accountability in the publication process, ensuring that all deserving contributors are rightfully credited as authors and that they share responsibility for the integrity of the published work.Top of Form

Corresponding Author and Authorship Declaration:

For manuscripts submitted to the Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP), the corresponding author is required to assert that all individuals named as authors qualify for authorship according to the previously outlined criteria. Moreover, it is imperative that all individuals who meet the authorship criteria are duly listed as authors.

Non-Author Contributors:

Contributors who do not satisfy the authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. However, their contributions, such as acquiring funding, overseeing a research team, providing administrative support, assisting with writing, technical editing, language editing, or proofreading, should be acknowledged under the 'Acknowledgements' section of the manuscript.

CRediT Taxonomy for Author Contributions:

Authors are urged to utilize the 'Contributor Roles Taxonomy' (CRediT) to delineate the contributions of each author. The CRediT taxonomy is a high-level classification encompassing 14 roles, designed to represent the typical roles played by contributors to scientific academic production.

Equal Contribution and Additional Information:

When two or more authors have contributed equally to the work, this information may be conveyed through a footnote on the title page, for example, 'X and Y have contributed equally to this work.'

Personal Pronouns in Author By-lines:

Authors have the option to specify their gender pronouns in the author credits of their published work. This provision is optional and not mandatory. Authors can include their pronouns in the manuscript when submitting and can freely add, modify, or delete them at any point as per their request. The submitting or corresponding authors should refrain from adding, editing, or removing a co-author's pronouns without obtaining the co-author's consent. In situations that require changes to pronouns after an article has been published, such alterations can be made without issuing a correction notice for the paper. Currently, terms that do not fall within the realm of personal pronouns, like proper or improper nouns, are not accomodated.

Plagiarism and Overlapping Material Policy:

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) strictly adheres to a policy of ensuring originality and deterring plagiarism and overlapping material in submitted manuscripts. Utilizing the outcomes from Crossref's plagiarism detection software iThenticate, manuscripts are scrutinized for any overlap with previously published material.

Repetition of Findings:

Submission of results to VJBP that reiterate results that have been previously published or are planned to be published elsewhere is generally prohibited, with the posting of material on a website being regarded as prior publication. However, certain exceptions are acknowledged, including:

Abstracts and posters part of conference proceedings, provided they do not exceed 400 words.
Results shared at meetings, for instance, to inform investigators or participants about findings.
Preprints posted on not-for-profit preprint servers (refer to 'preprint policy' section).
Patent filings.
Dissertations and theses housed in university archives. It is crucial for authors to seek and obtain re-publication permission from the university under the applicable license in VJBP, and the thesis must be fully cited in the article.

Reference to Prior Work:

If the criteria for exception are not met, authors must reference their prior work in a similar fashion as they would when citing research conducted by a different group. This policy encompasses results comprehensively, extending beyond merely figures or portions of figures. It is noted that manuscripts that merely present a more comprehensive iteration of the work previously published elsewhere are generally not regarded as acceptable for submission.

Author Responsibility and Disclosure:

The responsibility falls on the authors to inform the journal if their submitted manuscript includes material that overlaps with content previously published. The submission should include copies of any work published by the authors in the previous year that has similarities with the content of the manuscript. This includes preliminary notes, communications, abstracts, chapters, or reviews, in addition to any other type of exception mentioned earlier. Any 'in press' or submitted articles should also be included. These documents should be submitted as 'Supplementary files' in PDF format and referenced in the authors' comments box during submission.

Warranty of Originality:

Upon submission, authors are required to guarantee that the article is an original piece, has not been previously published, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in its final form, be it in print or digital format.

Image Manipulation Policy:

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) establishes a stringent policy on image manipulation to preserve the integrity and authenticity of visual data presented in the manuscripts. The guidelines are as follows:

Primary Data Preservation:

Visual representations like micrographs or pictures of gel arrays are regarded as primary data. Any alteration using image editing software like Photoshop is strictly prohibited, although resizing and cropping are permissible if necessary.

Composite Image Indication:

If images are composite, it should be clearly indicated by the use of dividing lines.

Adjustment Disclosure:

Modifications to aspects such as contrast, brightness, or color balance, intended to highlight specific elements in the image, should be uniformly applied across the entire image and must be mentioned in the figure legend.

Original Image Data Storage:

Authors must keep the original image data for a period of 5 years after publication and must supply these files to VJBP upon request. It is recommended to refer to the editorial in The Journal of Cell Biology (Rossner & Yamada, 2004) that clarifies the guidelines for image manipulation policy.

Submission of Original Blot/Gel Images:

While reviewing the revised manuscript, authors might be asked to provide full, intact, uncropped, and labelled original blot/gel images if they are not part of the manuscript. This request aims to verify that no improper, unethical, or deceptive manipulation of images has taken place.

Labelling and Marking:

Each original blot should be labelled clearly to display sections/lanes and must include a marker of migration (e.g., a molecular weight marker, DNA/RNA ladder, and/or a scale bar) along with appropriate loading controls.

Provision of Original Gels:

If authors cannot provide the full, original gels with appropriate markers, their manuscripts will not be accepted for publication.

Modifications Disclosure:

Any modifications to the original image must be clearly noted, applied to the whole image, and must faithfully represent the original image.

Misconduct Handling:

In cases of suspected publication misconduct, the guidelines and flowcharts provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) will be adhered to.

License Options and Open Access Charges Policy for VJBP:

The Vignan’s Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmacy (VJBP) adheres to prevalent funding mandates and offers a range of licensing and Open Access (OA) options to authors, with a primary subscription-based model. Here is a detailed breakdown of the policy:

Compliance with Funding Agency Requirements:
- VJBP aligns with most funders' stipulations regarding the licensing agreement authors are necessitated to sign. For an exhaustive comprehension of making your article Open Access or adhering to funder mandates, it is recommended to consult VJBP's guidelines on complying with Open Access policies.
License Agreement Procedure:

Upon acceptance in VJBP, the corresponding author will receive an email notification to log into the Publisher's Author Services. Through the VJBP Author Licensing Service (JALS), they will have the authority to conclude the license agreement representing all co-authors of the manuscript.

License Options:
- Authors have the discretion to publish under the terms of VJBP's standard exclusive license agreement. This agreement primarily pertains to the subscription-based model of VJBP, where the article is accessible to subscribed individuals and institutions.
Exclusive License Agreement:

Unless an alternative license is selected, authors are mandated to sign an Exclusive License Agreement, a sample of which can be found on the designated page. Authors are allowed to self-archive the 'submitted' or 'accepted' versions of their manuscript, as outlined in the exclusive license agreement, to adhere to the requirements of various funding agencies.

Open Access (OA) Option:

For authors obligated to publish the final version within 12 months after publication due to funding agency requirements, an Open Access option exists. Authors choosing Open Access must pay the designated fee to VJBP, as detailed on the Open Access Page, within 2 weeks of receiving the final acceptance letter. This fee enables their article to be immediately accessible for free under a Creative Commons License.

Copyright Ownership:
- Authors retain the copyright of the article unless the copyright is held by their employer (e.g., US Federal Government employees). It is incumbent upon the authors to select the apt license in accordance with the directives of their funding agency(ies) and/or institution(s).

Declarations to be made regarding preprints

Authors must disclose if the manuscript has been published on a preprint repository during submission to VJBP. Upon acceptance, authors are required to link the DOI of the preprint version to the DOI of the published article in VJBP. Any updates to the preprint version post-acceptance should reflect the final published version in VJBP. The link between the preprint and VJBP published article should be maintained to ensure proper attribution and referencing. This declaration ensures transparency and proper documentation of the manuscript's publication history.

Supplementary material

Authors may submit detailed tables as supplementary material for online publication alongside the main article in VJBP. If extensive data tables are submitted within the main manuscript and deemed suitable for online-only publication, the journal reserves the right to publish these tables as supplementary material. Authors will be notified of this decision during manuscript processing. Any inquiries regarding supplementary material should be directed to the corresponding author of the paper. Reproduction of published material, including supplementary tables, requires the author's permission.

Jurisdiction: For disputes concerning submitted or published articles, advertisements, subscriptions, or sales, jurisdiction lies solely with courts/tribunals located in Lucknow City.

Inquiry Procedure for Policy Clarifications:

If you have any queries or require further elucidation regarding any of the aforementioned policies, we encourage you to contact our Publications Office. Our dedicated team is on hand to assist you with any concerns or clarifications you may need concerning the submission, publication process, or any other policy-related inquiries pertaining to VJBP. Your comprehension and adherence to these policies are crucial for a smooth publication process, and we aim to provide all necessary support to ensure clarity and compliance.