PEMS

 

 

 

 

I Publication Ethics and Peer Review Policy

 1. Scope and principles

The Bulletin of the Chemists and Technologists of Bosnia and Herzegovina is committed to integrity, transparency, accountability, fairness and responsible conduct in scholarly publishing. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, Editorial Board members, guest editors, editorial staff and the Publisher. The Journal follows the core practices and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA and WAME. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological validity, clarity and relevance to the Journal’s scope.

2. Editorial responsibilities

Editors protect editorial independence, ensure fair and impartial handling, preserve confidentiality and disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. A conflicted editor must not handle or influence the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for acceptance, revision, rejection, correction, expression of concern and retraction decisions after appropriate consultation. Manuscripts submitted by editors or Editorial Board members are handled by an independent editor under the same standards as all other submissions.

3. Peer-review model

The Journal operates a double-anonymized peer-review process. Author identities are concealed from reviewers and reviewer identities are concealed from authors. Research articles, reviews, short communications and notes are normally evaluated by at least two independent experts. Each submission first undergoes editorial screening for scope, originality, scientific quality, ethical compliance, completeness and conformity with author instructions. A manuscript may be rejected without external review when it is outside scope, insufficiently original, methodologically unsound, ethically non-compliant or inadequately prepared.

4. Reviewer selection and duties

Reviewers are selected on the basis of expertise, methodological competence, independence and ability to provide a timely assessment. They must declare conflicts of interest, treat all material as confidential and provide objective, constructive and evidence-based comments. Reviewers must alert the editor to suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, unreliable data, inappropriate citation practices, ethical concerns or possible manipulation of peer review. Personal criticism, discriminatory language, coercive citation and requests for irrelevant citations are unacceptable.

5. Confidentiality and AI tools

Submitted manuscripts, figures, supplementary files, reviews and editorial correspondence are confidential. They must not be shared or uploaded to publicly available generative AI systems or external services that cannot guarantee confidentiality, privacy and intellectual property protection. AI tools must not replace expert judgment; reviewers and editors remain fully responsible for their assessments and decisions.

6. Editorial decision and revisions

Possible decisions are accept, minor revision, major revision, reject and resubmit as a new manuscript, or reject. Authors must provide a point-by-point response and clearly identify changes. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or assessed by the editor. Reviewer recommendations are advisory and do not automatically determine the final decision.

7. Publication miscoduct

The Journal acts on credible concerns about plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, inappropriate image or spectral manipulation, duplicate publication, authorship abuse, undisclosed conflicts of interest, unethical research, citation manipulation and manipulation of peer review. The Journal may seek data and documentation, consult independent experts or institutions, and take proportionate action including rejection, correction, expression of concern or retraction.

 

 

 

II Author Responsibilities, Research Integrity and Generative AI Policy

1. Accuracy, originality and research integrity

Authors must present research accurately, completely and objectively, retain supporting records and provide relevant raw data or documentation when reasonably requested. Submissions must be original, not published previously in substantially the same form and not under consideration elsewhere. Fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, misleading manipulation of figures, spectra or chromatograms, plagiarism, redundant publication, citation manipulation and undisclosed use of third-party material are prohibited.

2. Authorship and contributorship

Authorship is limited to persons who made substantial contributions to the conception or design; acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; drafting or critical revision; approval of the final version; and accountability for the work. Guest, gift, honorary, coercive and ghost authorship are prohibited. The Journal requires a contributor statement and recommends use of the CRediT taxonomy. Requests to add, remove or reorder authors must be justified and approved in writing by all affected authors.

3. Competing interests and funding

Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the work or decision-making. All financial and material support must be identified, including the role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation and the decision to publish. Where no conflict exists, authors should state: “The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this article.”

4. Ethical approval and safety

Research involving humans, identifiable personal data, human biological materials or animals must comply with applicable law and internationally accepted ethical principles. The manuscript must identify the approving ethics committee, approval number where available and the consent process. Research involving hazardous chemicals, biological agents, radioactive materials, protected species, biodiversity resources or regulated fieldwork must comply with relevant permits, safety standards and access requirements.

5. Data, reproducibility and chemical reporting

Research manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement. Authors are encouraged to deposit data, code, protocols and relevant materials in trusted repositories whenever legally and ethically possible. Methods should identify material purity and source, reference standards, sample preparation, instrument manufacturer and model, essential operating parameters, calibration, quality control, uncertainty, limits of detection and quantification, replicates, statistical methods and relevant validation criteria. Any processing of images, spectra or chromatograms must be applied consistently and described transparently.

6. Generative artificial intelligence

Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Human authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, citations, reasoning, conclusions and integrity. AI-assisted tools may be used for legitimate support such as language improvement, organization or coding assistance, provided output is critically reviewed and verified. Use beyond basic spelling, grammar and formatting must be disclosed, identifying the tool and purpose. AI-generated or AI-altered primary research data, spectra, chromatograms, microscopic images or other scientific evidence are prohibited unless AI use is itself an explicitly described and validated part of the research method. AI-generated references must be independently verified.

7. Recommended AI disclosure

“During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [tool and version] for [specific purpose]. The author(s) reviewed, verified and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.”

 

 

 

III Open Access, Copyright, Licensing and Privacy Policy

1.Open access

The Journal provides immediate open access to its published content. Articles are freely available online without subscription or registration barriers. The Journal supports the principle that free access to research promotes global exchange of knowledge, visibility, reuse and scientific progress.

2. Copyright and publishing rights

Authors retain copyright in their articles and grant the Journal the right of first publication and the non-exclusive right to publish, distribute, preserve and identify the article as the version of record. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for third-party copyrighted material.

3. Creative Commons licence

Unless otherwise stated, articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). Users may copy, distribute, adapt and build upon the work for any lawful purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given, a link to the licence is supplied and changes are indicated. The licence statement and copyright holder should appear on the article landing page and in each published PDF. Third-party material not covered by the article licence must be clearly identified.

4. Self-archiving and preservation

Authors may deposit the submitted manuscript, accepted manuscript and published version in institutional or subject repositories, personal websites and scholarly networks, provided the published version is cited and linked by DOI where available. No embargo is required for the published version under CC BY 4.0.

5. Publication charges

Recommended wording, subject to formal Publisher confirmation: The Journal does not charge submission fees, article processing charges or publication fees. Any future fee or waiver policy will be stated transparently before submission and will not influence editorial decisions.

6. Privacy and personal data

The Journal collects personal information required for submission, peer review, editorial communication, publication, indexing, preservation and integrity investigations. Personal data are used only for legitimate publishing operations and are not sold or used for unrelated marketing. Data may be shared with editors, reviewers, editorial staff, the Publisher, hosting and production providers, indexing and preservation services, and relevant authorities where necessary for publication, integrity, security or legal compliance. Reviewer identities are protected under the double-anonymized model. Reasonable safeguards are used to protect information from unauthorized access, loss or misuse.

7. Contact

Questions concerning copyright, licensing, open access or privacy may be sent to glasnik@pmf.unsa.ba.

 

 

 

IV Corrections, Retractions, Appeals and Complaints Policy

1. Maintaining the scholarly record

The Journal is committed to correcting the scholarly record promptly, transparently and proportionately. Published content will ordinarily remain available, with notices linked to the version of record.

2. Corrections and expressions of concern

A corrigendum may be issued when an author error materially affects accuracy, interpretation, attribution or metadata but does not invalidate the main findings. An erratum may be issued when the Journal or Publisher introduced the error. An Expression of Concern may be issued when there is substantial but inconclusive evidence of unreliable findings or misconduct, an investigation is pending or delayed, or readers should be alerted before a final outcome is available.

3. Retractions and article removal

An article may be retracted when findings are unreliable due to major error or misconduct; plagiarism or redundant publication is confirmed; research was unethical; authorship or peer review was manipulated; or serious legal or integrity concerns invalidate the work. Retraction notices will identify the article, state the reason and remain freely accessible. Article removal is reserved for exceptional circumstances such as a binding legal order, serious privacy violation, defamatory content or an immediate and serious health or security risk. A notice explaining the removal will remain where legally possible.

4. Post-publication concerns

Readers may report evidence-based concerns to the Editorial Office. Authors will normally be invited to respond. The Journal may seek original data, expert advice or institutional findings and may publish a correction, response, editorial note, expression of concern or retraction.

5. Appeals against editorial decisions

Authors may appeal when they believe a material factual error, serious procedural irregularity, unmanaged conflict of interest or significant misunderstanding affected the decision. An appeal must be submitted by the corresponding author within 30 calendar days of the decision, identify the manuscript and provide a concise, evidence-based, point-by-point explanation. Disagreement with reviewers or rejection alone is not sufficient grounds for appeal. Where possible, an editor not primarily responsible for the original decision will review the appeal. Additional independent advice may be sought. The appeal decision is final, and only one appeal will normally be considered.

6. Complaints

Complaints may concern editorial conduct, delays, peer review, conflicts of interest, website information, publication procedures or failure to follow stated policies. Complaints should be sent to glasnik@pmf.unsa.ba and should contain specific facts and supporting information. When a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it will be referred to the Publisher or an independent senior member of the Editorial Board who was not involved in the matter. Complaints and appeals will be handled respectfully, confidentially and without retaliation.