Journal Policies
Editorial Policy
Manuscripts are accepted with the understanding that the authors have not violated ethical practices in preparing and publishing biomedical manuscripts. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy of statements made in their work.
Manuscripts must follow the journal’s format and style guidelines. The journal may make language or formatting corrections to accepted manuscripts. Manuscripts and figures are not returned to authors, even upon rejection.
Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement
The Pharmacognosy Reviews' ethics statement is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors are outlined below.
Responsibilities of Authors
By submitting a manuscript to Pharmacognosy Reviews, the author(s) warrant that the manuscript is their own original work, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere. Sources of ideas or words not the authors’ own must be properly attributed with citations or quotes.
Authors should not publish essentially the same research in multiple venues (redundant publication). Redundant publication may lead to rejection or retraction if discovered.
For original research, authors must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data must be represented accurately. Fabrication or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and may lead to rejection or retraction.
Where manuscripts report on commercial products, authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest at the start of the manuscript. All sources of financial support must be disclosed.
Authors agree that, if accepted, their article will be published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license. This allows others to copy, distribute, and display the work under specified conditions.
Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to include images or artwork for which they do not hold copyright, and must inform the copyright holder that the material will be made available under CC-BY 4.0.
Author names should reflect substantive contributions and be listed in order of contribution. Contributors with indirect or marginal roles should be mentioned in an Acknowledgments section. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors have seen and approved the final version.
If authors discover a significant error in a published article, they must promptly notify the editors and cooperate to correct or retract the article as appropriate.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers perform their duties on a voluntary basis. They may decline assignments if unable to provide a timely or competent review. Reviewers should not accept assignments for which they feel unqualified or conflicted.
Reviewers who accept assignments are normally expected to submit reviews within three weeks. They should withdraw if they become aware of conflicts of interest or inability to complete the review.
Reviewers must keep manuscripts and privileged information confidential and must not use such information for personal advantage. Reviews should be objective, constructive, and free of personal criticism. Reviewers should identify relevant literature not cited by the authors and alert editors to any ethical concerns or substantial overlap with other work.
Responsibilities of Editors
The Editor has ultimate responsibility for publication decisions, guided by the journal’s policies and legal obligations (libel, copyright, plagiarism). Editors may consult associate editors and reviewers when making decisions.
Editors evaluate manuscripts without regard to authors’ personal characteristics (race, gender, religion, etc.). They will keep manuscript information confidential and protect the integrity of the blind review process.
Editors consider standard criteria (rigor, presentation, contribution) and whether ethical harms have been minimized. Where necessary, editors may request institutional ethics committee approvals or clarifications from authors.
The editors follow COPE guidance for retractions, expressions of concern, and corrections, and will cooperate with research institutions in integrity cases.
Plagiarism Policy
Authors must ensure the originality of their manuscripts and properly cite others’ work. All submissions are checked with iThenticate or similar plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism will be rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the article will be withdrawn and appropriate actions taken (retraction, notification of institutions/funders, and potential author sanctions).
When investigating plagiarism, Pharmacognosy Reviews will consult COPE resources and follow recommended procedures.
Copyright & Open Access Policy
Pharmacognosy Reviews publishes articles open access under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license. Authors retain copyright while granting the journal first publication rights. CC-BY 4.0 allows others to share and adapt the material provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated.
Authors remain responsible for obtaining permissions for copyrighted material included in their article. The journal’s self-archiving policy permits authors to deposit the publisher’s PDF in repositories.
All articles receive a DOI and are published once final corrections to the master proof are made.
Retraction Policy
Articles may be retracted for reasons including serious errors in findings or conclusions, peer review manipulation, plagiarism, redundant publication, unauthorized reuse of material or data, copyright infringement, unethical research, or failure to disclose major competing interests.
Retraction notices will state the reason for retraction, be linked to the retracted article, and the retracted article will be clearly marked (including in the PDF).