Vertebrata PalAsiatica is a well-known, and internationally distributed, professional journal in vertebrate paleontology, sponsored by Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Vertebrata PalAsiatica covers a wide range of topics within the field of paleovertebrate studies, such as the various classes of paleovertebrates and the origins and evolution of humans, systematic classification, morphology and functionality, isotopic dating, biostratigraphy and geological time scales, paleoecology, paleoenvironmental studies, paleobiogeography, methodologies for the collection and research of vertebrate fossils, and also includes revisiting and re-examining the literature on paleovertebrate studies.
Publication of an article in an academic peer-reviewed journal serves several functions, one of which is to validate and preserve the “minutes” of research. It is therefore of immense importance that these “minutes” are accurate and trustworthy. The act of publishing involves many parties, each of which plays an important role in achieving these aims. It therefore follows that the authors, the journal editors, the peer reviewers, the publisher and the journal owner have responsibilities to meet expected ethical standards at all stages in their involvement from submission to publication of an article.
Vertebrata PalAsiatica is committed to meeting and upholding standards of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process. We follow closely the standards and guidelines set by professional societies for editorial best practices. Below is a summary of our key expectations of editors, peer-reviewers and authors.
1. Ethical Expectations
1.1 Editors’ responsibilities
To act in a balanced, objective and fair way while carrying out their expected duties, without discrimination on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.
To handle submissions for funded papers or special issues in the same way as other submissions, so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without commercial influence.
To adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflicting nature, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the journal where appropriate. To give authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints. All complaints should be investigated no matter when the original publication was approved. Documentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.
1.2 Reviewers’ Responsibilities
To contribute to the decision-making process, and to assist in improving the quality of the published paper by reviewing the manuscript objectively, and in a timely manner.
To maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by editors or authors. It is not allowed to retain or copy the manuscript.
To alert the editors to any published or submitted content that is substantially similar to that under review.
To be aware of any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, collaborative or other relationships between the reviewer and author) and to alert the editors to these situations. If necessary, reviewers should withdraw from the review process for that manuscript.
1.3 Authors’ Responsibilities
Vertebrata PalAsiatica is committed to upholding the integrity of scientific record, and will follow the COPE guidelines on how to deal with potential misconduct.
Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results which could damage the trust in the journal and ultimately the entire scientific endeavor. Maintaining integrity of the research and its presentation can be achieved by the following rules of good scientific practice.
(1) The manuscript is not submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
(2) The manuscript is not published previously (partly or in full), unless the new work concerns an expansion of previous work (please provide transparency on the re-use of material to avoid text-recycling (“self-plagiarism”).
(3) A single study is not split up into several parts to increase the quantity of submissions and submitted to various journals or to one journal over time (e.g. “salami-publishing”).
(4) No data is fabricated or manipulated (including images) to support your conclusions.
(5) No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the authors’ own (“plagiarism”). Proper acknowledgments to other works must be given, and this includes material that is closely copied, summarized and/or paraphrased. Quotation marks are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions are secured for material that is copyrighted.
(6) Consent to submit has been received from all co-authors and responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out before the work is submitted.
(7) Authors whose names appear on the submission have contributed sufficiently to the scientific work and therefore share collective responsibility and accountability for the results.
The journal uses CNKI detection software to screen for plagiarism.
1.4 Authorship
Authorship should be limited to those who have contributed substantially to the work, and every author has responsibility for the data and argument mentioned in the paper. The corresponding author must have obtained permission from all authors for the submission of each version of the paper and for any change in authorship.
In addition: changes of authorship or in the order of authors are not allowed after acceptance of a manuscript. Requests to add or delete authors at the revision stage or after publication are serious matters and may be considered only after receiving written approval from all authors and a detailed explanation of the new author’s role or the reason for the deletion. The decision on accepting the change rests with the editorial office of the journal, and authors should be prepared to send relevant documentation in order to verify the validity of the request. This could be in the form of raw data, samples, records, etc.
1.5 Disclosure of Potential Conflict of Interests
Authors must disclose all relationships or interests that could influence or bias the work. Although an author may not feel there are conflicts, disclosure of relationships and interests affords a more transparent process, making an accurate and objective assessment of the work. Awareness of real or perceived conflicts of interest is a right to which readers are entitled, and this is not meant to imply that a financial relationship with an organization that sponsored the research or compensation for consultancy work is inappropriate. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that are directly or indirectly related to the research may include but are not limited to the following:
(1) Research grants from funding agencies (please give the research funder and the grant number); Honoraria for speaking at symposia;
(2) Financial support for attending symposia;
(3) Financial support for educational programs;
(4) Employment or consultation;
(5) Support from a project sponsor;
(6) Position on advisory board or board of directors or other types of management relationships;
(7) Multiple affiliations;
(8) Financial relationships, for example, equity ownership or investment interest;
(9) Intellectual property rights (e.g. patents, copyrights and royalties from such rights);
(10) Holdings of spouse and/or children that may have a financial interest in the work.
In addition, interests that go beyond financial interests and compensation (non-financial interests) that may be important to readers should be disclosed. These may include but are not limited to personal relationships or competing interests directly or indirectly tied to this research, professional interests or personal beliefs that may influence your research.
The corresponding author will include a summary statement in the text of the manuscript in a separate section before the reference list. See below examples of disclosures.
Funding: This study was funded by X (grant number X).
Conflict of Interest: Author A has received research grants from Company A. Author B has received a speaker honorarium from Company X and owns stock in Company Y. Author C is a member of committee Z.
If no conflict exists, the authors should state as follows.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
2. Procedures for Dealing with Unethical Behavior
2.1 Identification of Unethical Behavior
Misconduct and unethical behavior may be identified and brought to the attention of editors and the publisher at any time by anyone. Misconduct and unethical behavior may include, but need not be limited to, examples as outlined above.
Whoever informs editors or the publisher of such conduct should provide sufficient information and evidence for an investigation to be initiated. All allegations should be taken seriously and treated in the same way, until a successful decision or conclusion is reached.
2.2 Investigation
An initial decision should be taken by editors, who should consult with or seek advice from the publisher, if appropriate. Evidence should be gathered, while avoiding spreading any allegations beyond those who need to know.
2.3 Minor Breaches
Minor misconduct might be dealt with without the need to consult more widely. In any event, the author should be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations.
2.4 Serious Breaches
Serious misconduct might require that the employers of the accused be notified. The editor, in consultation with the publisher as appropriate, should make the decision whether or not to involve the employers, either by examining the available evidence themselves or by further consultation with a limited number of experts.
2.5 Penalties (From Light to Severe; May Be Applied Separately or Combined)
3. Statement on Generative Artificial Intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) lacks the ability for critical thinking and original assessment, which may result in incorrect, incomplete, and biased conclusions. As a non-legal entity, it cannot assert the presence of conflicts of interest nor manage copyright or license agreements. The policy regarding using GenAI in submission and review of manuscripts is as follows.
GenAI cannot be used to write entire papers or important parts of papers, such as methods, results, and interpretation and analysis of results. All content falling within the realm of scientific contribution or intellectual work should be completed by humans. This journal does not accept GenAI, its products or teams listed as authors.
If GenAI is used in the composition of papers, authors must disclose in detail how GenAI is used in the methods section. Authors are fully responsible for the content produced by GenAI tools, and are thus liable for any breaches of publishing ethics or infringement.
GenAI is prohibited to assist manuscript evaluation or decision-making process in the editorial department. It must be human editors who are responsible for the paper review, decision-making, and communication with authors. To avoid risks of infringement, privacy breach, and confidential breach, reviewers and editors are not allowed to upload manuscripts and supplementary materials to publicly available GenAI platforms during the paper review and editing process.
4. Advertisement Policy
This journal does not publish commercial advertisements for now.
