Publication Ethics

Bulletin Gizi Indonesia (Nutrition Bulletin Indonesia) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all reasonable measures to prevent publication malpractice. This publication ethics statement is based on the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

The journal is committed to maintaining academic integrity, transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct throughout the publication process. All editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher are expected to adhere to the following ethical standards.

Duties of Editors

Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual and scientific merit, without discrimination based on the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Editors ensure that submitted manuscripts remain confidential throughout the editorial and peer-review process and are disclosed only to individuals directly involved in the publication process, including the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial staff.
Editors and editorial board members must not use unpublished information from submitted manuscripts for their own research or personal advantage without the express written consent of the authors.
Editors must disclose and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest arising from their research, authorship, professional relationships, or interactions with authors and reviewers.
Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the journal's editorial policies, the scientific quality of the manuscript, and the recommendations of reviewers.
Editors must take appropriate action when ethical concerns arise, including investigating suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or other forms of publication misconduct.
Editors must ensure that editorial decisions comply with applicable legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers assist the Editor in making editorial decisions and may provide constructive feedback to help authors improve the quality, clarity, and scientific validity of their manuscripts.
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shared or discussed with others without authorization from the Editor.
Reviews must be conducted objectively and professionally. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate, and reviewers should express their opinions clearly with supporting arguments.
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and report any substantial similarity between the manuscript under review and other published works of which they are aware.
Reviewers must disclose any financial, institutional, collaborative, or personal conflicts of interest that may affect their judgment and decline to review manuscripts when such conflicts exist.
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must remain confidential and must not be used for personal or professional advantage.
Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscript content to public or non-secure generative artificial intelligence tools.

Duties of Authors

Authors must present an accurate and complete account of their research, together with an objective discussion of its scientific significance. Research data must be represented accurately and made available for editorial review upon reasonable request.
Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are original and that the work and words of others are appropriately cited or quoted.
Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously, or publishing substantially the same research in more than one journal without appropriate justification and disclosure, constitutes unethical publishing behavior.
Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the reported study. All individuals who have made significant contributions must be appropriately acknowledged or listed as co-authors.
All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.
Authors must disclose all sources of financial and material support, as well as any conflicts of interest that could influence the research findings or their interpretation.
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki where relevant, and must include appropriate ethical approval and informed consent statements.
Authors must ensure that research involving animals complies with applicable institutional and national ethical standards.
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they must promptly notify the Editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the manuscript, as appropriate.

Duties of the Publisher

The publisher supports the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board in maintaining publication ethics and investigating suspected research or publication misconduct.
The publisher facilitates communication with other journals, publishers, and relevant institutions when necessary to resolve ethical concerns.
The publisher supports the implementation of appropriate corrective actions, including corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions, when required.
The publisher will assist in cases of suspected research or publication misconduct but will not independently investigate or determine misconduct. Such responsibility rests with the Editors and, where applicable, the authors' institutions.
The publisher is committed to ensuring that commercial interests do not compromise editorial independence or publication integrity.

Research and Publication Misconduct

Research and publication misconduct includes, but is not limited to, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, citation manipulation, plagiarism, redundant or duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship practices, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

Allegations of misconduct raised by editors, reviewers, authors, readers, or other parties will be investigated by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board in accordance with applicable COPE guidelines and flowcharts.

The corresponding author will be given an opportunity to respond to any allegation. Where necessary, the journal may seek additional information from the authors' institutions or other relevant parties.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, appropriate actions may include:

Rejecting the submitted manuscript.
Requesting corrections or clarification.
Issuing a correction or erratum for a published article.
Publishing an expression of concern.
Retracting a published article.
Notifying the relevant institution or other appropriate authorities.

All actions will be taken in accordance with the journal's editorial policies and applicable publication ethics guidelines.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could be perceived to influence, or appear to influence, the research, peer-review process, or editorial decision.

Authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. Reviewers and editors must declare any conflicts that may affect their impartiality and, where appropriate, withdraw from the review or editorial decision-making process.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent publication, provided that the conflict is appropriately disclosed and managed.

Informed Consent and Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards and relevant institutional and national regulations.

Authors must state that informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legally authorized representatives, where applicable. The manuscript must also include a statement identifying the ethics committee or institutional review board that approved the study, together with the approval number when available.

For studies involving vulnerable populations, additional safeguards must be implemented to protect participants' rights, dignity, privacy, and well-being.

For case reports, written informed consent must be obtained from the patient or their legal guardian for the publication of identifiable clinical information, images, or data.

Identifying details must be omitted unless they are essential for scientific purposes. In such cases, explicit consent for publication must be obtained.

Authors must ensure that research involving animals complies with applicable ethical standards and institutional regulations and must provide an appropriate ethical approval statement.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Bulletin Gizi Indonesia (Nutrition Bulletin Indonesia) recognizes that generative artificial intelligence tools may assist authors in certain aspects of scholarly writing and research. However, the use of such tools must be transparent, responsible, and consistent with publication ethics.

Authors may use generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, to assist with language editing, drafting, or other appropriate research-related tasks, provided that their use does not compromise the originality, accuracy, integrity, or ethical standards of the manuscript.

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI tools in the Methods or Acknowledgment section, as appropriate. The disclosure should identify the tool used and describe its purpose.

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the integrity, originality, or accuracy of the work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted for publication, including any content generated or modified with the assistance of AI tools. Authors must verify the accuracy of AI-generated information, references, data, and interpretations.

The use of AI tools to fabricate or falsify data, generate misleading research findings, manipulate images, or misrepresent sources is strictly prohibited.

Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscript content to public or non-secure AI tools, as this may compromise confidentiality, intellectual property rights, and the integrity of the peer-review process.

Complaints and Appeals

Complaints regarding editorial decisions, delays in the peer-review process, publication ethics, or other editorial matters should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief at [email redaksi].

Authors wishing to appeal a rejection decision may submit a written appeal by email, including the manuscript identification number in the subject line.

The appeal must provide a clear explanation of the reasons for reconsideration and address the relevant editorial decision or reviewer comments.

The Editor-in-Chief will consider the authors' arguments, reviewer reports, and relevant editorial policies before determining whether the original decision should stand, whether an independent opinion is required, or whether the appeal should be upheld.

Appeals will be handled objectively and independently. Decisions on appeals are final.

Review and Updates

This publication ethics statement is reviewed periodically and updated, when necessary, in accordance with evolving international standards and best practices in scholarly publishing.

Bulletin Gizi Indonesia (Nutrition Bulletin Indonesia) is committed to maintaining transparency, academic integrity, and ethical responsibility in all aspects of scholarly publishing.