Submissions

Author Guidelines

1 Cover Letter

A submitted manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter. The cover letter must clearly state that the manuscript is an original work with its own merit, has not been previously published in whole or in part, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. It should also include statements clearly indicating that all authors have read the final manuscript, have approved the submission to the journal, and have accepted full responsibilities pertaining to the manuscript’s delivery and contents. If there are any ethical, copyright, disclosure issues that come with the manuscript, please reveal them in the cover letter. In the cover letter, authors need to declare that there is no conflict of interests or disclose all the conflicts of interest regarding the manuscript submitted.

2 Templates

Authors are encouraged to use the Microsoft Word template.

3 General Formats of Articles

3.1 General Style

• The paper size is US Letter (5“× 11”or 21.59 cm×27.94 cm) All margins — top, bottom, left, and right — are set to 1” (2.54 cm).
• Use Times New Roman 11-point size for the main body of the paper, single spacing, except for the heading as outlined in Section.
• The paper must be in a single column format.
• Use British English or American English spellings throughout your manuscript, but not both.
• Use 2-character indentation on the first line of each new paragraph.
• Do not use page breaks or multiple returns between Sections.
• Do not insert page numbers or line numbers.

3.2 Manuscripts

3.2.1 Title and Author Information

• The title and author information should use Time New Roman font.
• The title should be in bold, 14-point, left align of the page. Use capital letter on each word of the title.
• Provide full names of all authors and their affiliations. The author line should be time New Roman font, 11-point and left aligned.
• Authors should be numbered regard to their affiliations. There should be no space between the author name and the number.
• Affiliation lines should be Time New Roman font, 9-point.
• Corresponding author should be marked *.

3.2.2 Abstract

• The font of the Abstract should be in 10-point size, Time New Roman font.
• Abstract of a research paper should be 200–400 words, and 150–300 words for review paper.
• Abstract should be left aligned.
• The abstract should be in one continuous paragraph without reference numbers.
• All abbreviations should be defined in full unless the abbreviation appears more than once in the abstract.

3.2.3 Graphical abstract

We encourage graphical abstract as it draws more attention to the online article. The graphical abstract is optional and should summarize the contents of the article in a concise, pictorial form designed to capture the attention of a wide readership. Graphical abstracts should be submitted as a separate file in the online submission system. Image size: Please provide an image with a minimum of 531 × 1328 pixels (h × w) or proportionally more. The image should be readable at a size of 5 × 13 cm using a regular screen resolution of 96 dpi. Preferred file types: TIFF, EPS, PDF or MS Office files.

3.2.4 Keywords

• Keywords should be in the same section with the abstract, and use 10-point size, Time New Roman.
• Three keywords are the minimum. Use a comma to divide each keyword.
• Keywords should be left aligned.
• Each keyword except the first one should be lowercase unless an uppercase letter is necessary.

3.3 Headings

In the main body of the paper, three different levels of headings may be used.

• The section of abstract should not be numbered. Subsequent sections should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numbers, starting from 1.
• Level one headings for sections should be in bold, and be flushed to the left, e.g., 1, 2, ….
• Level two headings for subsections should be bold-italic, and be flushed to the left. Level two headings should be numbered after the level one heading, e.g., 1, 1.2,….
• Level three headings should be italic; and be flushed to the left, e.g., 1.1, 1.1.2,….
• Use 12-pound before paragraph distance and 3-pound after paragraph distance.
• Do not use page breaks or multiple returns between sections.

3.4 Units and Symbols

• Units of measurement should be used concisely according to the International System of Units (SI). All units should be converted to SI units whenever possible.
• There should be a space between the unit and Arabic number: 5mm NOT 5 millimeter.
• Please use Arabic number and relevant unit in the manuscript: 5 kg NOT five kilograms or 5 kilograms or five kg.
• Do not use hyphen/dash or any connector symbol between the value and its unit: 5 kg NOT 5-kg.
• Please clarify all units during a calculation or a mathematical relationship: 3 cm ×5 cm NOT 3 × 5 cm, 123 g & plusmn; 2 g or (123±2) g NOT 123± 2 g, 70%–85% NOT 70–85%.
• Greek letters must be inserted using the correct Greek symbol (using Times, Helvetica or Symbol font), NOT written in full, i.e., alpha: α; beta: β, (available in Times and Helvetica); and gamma: γ, etc.
•  

Abbreviations:

Abbreviations should be defined in parentheses the first time they appear in the abstract, main text, and in figure or table caption and used consistently thereafter. Accepted abbreviations for statistical parameters are: P, n, SD, SEM, ns, ANOVA, t. naming of chemicals should follow that given in Chemical Abstracts Service.

Equations:

If you are using MS Word, please use either the Microsoft Equation Editor or the MathType add-on. Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images.

3.5 Figures and Tables

3.5.1 Figures

When submitting manuscripts to JNCBAE, authors must provide the original raw images of both the figures (e.g., diagrams, charts, graphs, and photographs) cited in the main text and the supporting information reported in the article. These files are required for the peer review process and must be received before a manuscript can be accepted.

• All of the figures displayed in the text should be as simple as possible while maintaining clarity.
• Figures should be centered and should include an explanatory caption placed underneath.
• Each figure should be located in the text soon after its first mention in the manuscript.
• Figures should have no frames or borders.

3.5.2 Format for Figures

• Figures should be in the form of either a TIFF file without layers or a JPEG file (but only if the image was originally saved as the highest possible quality JPEG).
• Figures may be supplied as separate JPEG files if the authors are unable to include them with the text.
• All other formats, including BMP, GIF, PCT, PNG, and low-quality JPEG files, are unacceptable.
• Figures should be neither stretched nor distorted but in their original dimensions.
• Photoshop, PowerPoint, MS Word, or similar software should not be used to export or alter the color or appearance of figures.

3.5.3 Dimensions of Figures

• Images and figures are measured in centimeters or inches. Figures should measure 17 cm (6.70 in) wide by 20 cm (7.87 in) high.
• Any excess white space surrounding a figure should be removed before calculating its size.
• If a figure is wider than 17 cm (6.70 in), it should be divided into two or more separate and clearly labeled parts.

3.5.4 Quality of Images

• Images must be clear, high-contrast, and clearly legible at the size in which they are to appear in the journal.
• The resolution of images should be at least 300 dpi.
• Any low-resolution figures must be re-created from scratch.

3.5.5 Multi-Panel Figures

Each panel of a multi-panel figure (referred to as, e.g., Figs. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D in the text) should be logically connected to the other panels, and all of the panels should be assembled into a single file on a single page. Images that contain large amounts of information should be broken down into multiple figures to ensure that all of the information is visible. To repeat, multiple panels must be assembled and submitted as a single file rather than as separate files.

3.5.6 Labels for Figures

• The font size for labels should be at least 8-point and no larger than the font size of the main text.
• All labels should be in black font.
• Figure labels must be proportionate to the image in size and sharp and legible in appearance.
• Labels must be in standard fonts (Arial, Helvetica, or Symbol) and use the same font style and size across all of the figures in a paper.
• Labels should not overlap or appear faded, disjointed, or distorted.
• The letters of labels must not overlap, feature unnecessary gaps or irregular spacing, or appear condensed, expanded, or otherwise distorted either horizontally or vertically.
• The sub labels for panels (again, referred to as, e.g., Fig. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D in the text) should be placed in the top left-hand corner of the panels and contrast clearly with the background. Note that each panel should be labeled with only a letter (e.g., A, B, C, and D—not1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D).

3.5.7 Captions for Figures

• Figures should have explanatory captions that do not repeat information that already appears in the main text.
• The caption should appear directly after the title of the figure to which it belongs. Any credits should appear at the end of the caption or legend.
• Captions should not be included as part of the figure files or submitted as a separate document.
• The captions should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numbers.
• A one-line caption should be centered in the column, e.g., Figure 1:The text caption …
• A caption of more than one line should be justified.
• The first letter of each sentence must be capitalized.

3.5.8 in-Text Citation of Figures

• In the main text, when referring to figures, use “Fig.” or “Figs.” followed by a space and the appropriate number (e.g., “Fig. 1,” “Figs. 1A and 1B,” “Fig. 2,” “Fig. 3”).
• Cite figures (as well as text boxes and tables) in ascending numerical order as each first appears in the manuscript. In the published article, the figures are inserted based on the placement of the first citation and caption.
• The lettered subpanels of whole figures may be cited in any order in the text following the first mention of each whole figure in numerical order. For example, any subpart of Fig. 3 may be cited in any order (e.g., Fig. 3C before Fig. 3A) provided that Figs. 1 and 2 have already been cited.

3.5.9 Copyright of Figures

• If a figure or table has been published previously—even by an author of the manuscript being submitted for review—the copyright holder’s written acknowledgment and permission for its reuse are often required.
• For any figures (or tables) that contain data from a public database (e.g., Gene Ontology), the source should be cited in the caption, legend, or title explicitly. For publicly available DNA sequences, the accession number should be provided.

3.5.10 Images of Gels and Blots

• Images of gels and blots in figures should not be over cropped around the bands of interest. Rather, figure panels should include some background area above and below bands. Any non-specific bands from the original image should be included in the figure and explained in the text or figure caption or legend.
• When a comparative analysis of bands is presented, all of the relevant samples should be run on the same gel/blot.
• Each figure should include all of the relevant controls, and, when appropriate, control samples should be run on the same blots or gel alongside the experimental samples.
• A figure panel should not include composite images of bands originating from multiple blots, exposures, or gels. If data from multiple blot or gel images are necessary to illustrate the results, the various images should be clearly distinguished as separate panels within the figure (notspliced together), and the caption or legend should make clear that multiple gels, blots, or exposures are being presented.
• Any rearrangement of lanes from a single blot/gel image during the preparation of a figure as well as any image splicing should be clearly indicated with vertical black lines on the figure, and the caption or legend should explain how the figure was made. The addition of the lines would be appropriate, for example, when fragments of the same original image have been spliced together to re-order lanes or to remove irrelevant lanes.
• Quantitative comparison of samples across multiple gels/blots is strongly discouraged. If such comparison is unavoidable, the figure legend must state whether the samples derive from the same experiment or parallel experiments and whether the gels/blots were processed in parallel. 
• The rearrangement of lanes that are non-adjacent in a gel must be clearly indicated in a manner that delineates the boundary between the lanes and should be acknowledged in the figure caption or legend.
• Loading controls (e.g., GAPDH, actin) must be run on the same blot. When sample processing controls are run on different gels, this fact must be acknowledged in the caption or legend. Any cropped images of gels must retain all of the important bands.
• High-contrast gels and blots are discouraged because overexposure may mask additional bands.
• Authors should take care to (1) check figures for duplications, (2) check blots and gels for the splicing of lanes, (3) indicate whether panels show sample processing or loading controls, and (4) ensure that the unprocessed scans provided match the figures.

3.5.11 Tables

• Tables should be placed in the text after the point where they are referenced, and should be consistent with the main text.
• Tables should be centered and should have a title placed above.
• Table titles must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numbers.
• One-line table title should be centered and multiple-line title should use justified alignment.
• Use Times New Roman, font size smaller than 12 for table titles.
• Titles should be centered in the format “Table 1:The text …”, e.g., Table. 1.
• Table notes should be aligned with the left table frame.
• Where reference the Tables, please use abbreviation “Table”.Followed by the number, e.g., Table.1.

Table 1: Table caption

3.6 Equations and Mathematical Expressions

3.6.1 In-line Style

• In-line equations are embedded in paragraphs of the text. For example,E = mc².
• In-line equations should not be numbered.
• In-line equations should be use as same font size as the main text.

3.6.2 Display Style

• Equations in display format are separated from the paragraphs of text.
• Equations should be flushed to the left margin of the column.
• Equations should be editable.
• Equatio ns should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numbers. See Eq. (1) for an example. The number should be right aligned.

            (1)E=mc²                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      3.7 References

• All references should be in font size 10 and listed at the end of the paper.
• References should be organized in order of citation in the main.
• Use full name of journal cited in reference e.g., Computational Mechanics, use italic font, followed by a comma before the volume, issue and page number.
• Based on our particular style, the first five authors will be listed as they appear. When more than five authors are listed, keep the first five authors and followed by et al.
• Personal communications should be avoided.
• Non-English references should not be included in the Reference list. The entire manuscript cited must be in English.

Reference examples:

Reference of a book: Author Surname, Author Initial. (Year Published). Title. Publisher Location:  Publisher.

Reference of a book chapter: Author Surname, Author Initial.(Year Published). Chapter Title. Title. Publisher Location:  Publisher.

1. Atluri, S. N. (2004). A four-node hybrid assumed-strain finite element for laminated composite plates.USA: Tech Science Press. 
2. Popovic-Djordjevic, J. B., Kostic, A. Z., Kiralan, M. (2021). Antioxidant activities of bioactive compounds and various extracts obtained from saffron. In: Charis, M., Galanakis (Eds.), Saffron, pp. 41–97. USA: Academic Press.

Reference of journal article: Author Surname, Author Initial. (Year Published). Title. Journal Full Name, volume number(issue number), page number.

1. Atluri, S. N., Han, Z., Shen, S. (2003). Meshless Local Patrov-Galerkin (MLPG) approaches for weaklysingular traction & displacement boundary integral equations. Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, 4(5), 507–517.
2. Atluri, S. N., Zhu, T. (1998). A new Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) approach in computational mechanics. Computational Mechanics, 22,117–127.

4 Declarations

Submitted manuscripts should, where appropriate, contain the following parts right before the list of references:

Acknowledgments: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in this section. 

Funding Statement: Authors must disclose all sources of funding for the research in the Funding Statement of the article. The statement should be specifying the role of each in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and the composition of the manuscript. Specifically, the full name of each source of funding should be provided accompanied by any associated grant numbers in square brackets, URLs to sponsors’ websites. If the study has no funding support, please include “The author(s) received no specific funding for this study.” in the funding statement. Funding sources should not be written in the Acknowledgments or anywhere else in the manuscript file.

Availability of Data and Materials: This statement—which is not required for review articles—should make clear how readers can access the data used in the study and explain why any unavailable data cannot be released. 

Conflicts of Interest: Authors must declare all potential conflicts of interest; if they have none to declare, they should state plainly, “The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study.” 

5 Data Sharing

Researchers share their data so that other researchers can replicate and build on their published claims. We encourage authors to share the data described and discussed in their articles. Research data can be uploaded to repositories and the access information provided in a published article or appended to the article in supplementary files. Any restrictions on the availability of research materials or information must be disclosed to the editors directly at the time of submission and in the submitted manuscript. 

5.1 Reporting Requirements for Research in the Life Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Sciences

Authors of research articles in the life sciences, behavioral and social sciences, and ecology, evolution, and environmental sciences may be required to make available details about aspects of experimental and analytical design to the editors and reviewers for the purpose of assessing the manuscript. 

6 Chemical Compounds Chemical and Chemical Nomenclature and Abbreviations:
Authors should provide the exact structure of the chemical compound, and if there are appeared as new chemical compounds, authors should submit the small-molecule crystallographic data to the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and deposit relevant information to PubChem. The final version of the manuscript should contain the accession codes. When possible, authors should use systematic nomenclature to identify chemical compounds, and biomolecules using IUPAC is preferred. Standard chemical and chemical abbreviations should be used. Chemical structures should be included as high-resolution files according to Cell Press Figure Guidelines. 

Combinatorial Compound Libraries

The authors should include standard characterization data for a diverse panel of library components when describing the preparation of combinatorial libraries in the manuscript.

Chemical Structures for Organic and Organometallic Compounds

Chemical structures for organic and organometallic compounds should be established through spectroscopic analysis. The authors should provide standard peak listings for both 1H NMR and proton-decoupled 13C NMR for all new compounds. Other NMR data when appropriate, such as 31P NMR, 19F NMR, etc. should be reported. For the identification of functional groups, both UV and IR spectral data should be reported when appropriate. For crystalline materials, melting-point ranges should be included. For the analysis of chiral compounds, specific rotations should be reported. For known compounds, authors should provide detailed references.

Spectral Data
Detailed spectral data for new compounds should be provided in the Materials and methods section. The authors should explain how specific, unambiguous NMR assignments were made in the Materials and methods section.

Biomolecule Materials
Manuscripts reporting new bio molecular structures should contain a table summarizing structural and refinement statistics. If suitable, high-field NMR or X-ray crystallography may also be used. For new bio polymeric materials (e.g., oligosaccharides, peptides, nucleic acids, etc.) if it is not possible for structural analysis by NMR spectroscopic methods. Authors must provide evidence of the identity based on sequence (when appropriate) and mass spectral characterization.

Biological Constructs

Authors should provide sequencing or functional data that validates the identity of their biological constructs (plasmids, fusion proteins, site-directed mutants) upon request.

Polymers

For new materials, as well as 1H NMR and 13C NMR, the mass spectral analysis should be used to support the identification of molecular weight. Ideally, high-resolution mass spectral (HRMS) data are preferred.

Nano Materials

The authors must provide a detailed characterization of both individual objects and bulk composition.

7 Suggesting Reviewers

Authors are welcome and encouraged to suggest reviewers when they submit their manuscripts by using the submission system. Authors should make sure they are totally independent and without conflicts of interest in any way. When suggesting reviewers, the Corresponding Author must provide an institutional email address for each suggested reviewer.

8 English Editing Service

If you are an author whose native language is not English—or you have any concerns regarding the language quality of your manuscript—we recommend having your manuscript professionally edited by a qualified English-speaking researcher in your field prior to submission.

9 Authorship and Contribution

The listed authors include all of the individuals who have made substantial contributions to the intellectual content of an article in terms of the conception, drafting, and revising of the work and the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of the data. Their approval is required for the submitted version as well as any substantially modified version to which they have contributed. Further, all of the listed authors are considered personally responsible for all aspects of the work and must guarantee that any questions regarding its accuracy or integrity—even for aspects of the work in which an individual author did not personally take part—are appropriately examined, resolved, and documented in the article.

On the other hand, involvement in the securing of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of a research group does not in itself justify listing as an author. Rather, those who have contributed to the work in such ways should be listed in the acknowledgments.

Please note that submissions by any individual other than one of the listed authors will not be considered. We expect all authors will take responsibility for the content of the manuscript they submitted. The information of contributions of all authors are urged to be described, as JRM may contact all authors by email to ensure the authorship.

• Author List and Coauthor Notification

Authors are required to obtain the consent of all their coauthors prior to submitting a manuscript. In addition, the submitting author accepts the responsibility of notifying all coauthors that the manuscript is being submitted.

Authorship change guidelines:

What to do to apply for the change?

Suppose any change in authorship is necessary after a manuscript has been submitted. In that case, the Corresponding Author must e-mail a signed letter to the Editorial Office and Editor-in-Chief confirming that all of the original coauthors have been notified and have agreed to the change.

What to do if there is removal of coauthors?

If the change involves the removal of a coauthor’s name, the Corresponding Author must, in addition, arrange for the coauthor involved to e-mail a separate signed letter to the Editorial Office and Editor-in-Chief consenting to the change.

When to apply for the change?

This change request should be sent to JRM Editorial during peer review on the authors’ side. No change in authorship should appear on the manuscripts without the prior written consent of the Editorial Office and the Editor-in-Chief. Authorship changes without notification during revision stages will not be accepted. Likewise, no changes in the author list will be permitted after a manuscript has been accepted.

10 Editors and Journal Staff as Authors

In the circumstances where Editors or editorial staff of the journal submit their own studies to the journal, they shall not be involved in the reviewing process, and the review process must be made transparently and rigorously. Submissions authored by editors or editorial staff of the journal will be handled by another editor who has least COIs with the authors to minimize the bias.

Authors

JNCBAE requires a declaration from all authors of a manuscript regarding any potential COIs that could be relevant to the integrity or reliability of the scientific and professional judgment presented therein, as well as that of otherwise unassociated studies in the same journal. Potential conflict, unless already declared, will be held in confidence while the paper is under review. If the article is accepted for publication, the potential conflict of interest will be included in the acknowledgments. If there is, in fact, no conflict of interest, the authors should state plainly.

Reviewers

Reviewers should declare any COIs when they are assigned a manuscript and disclose this information to the editor, who will then assess whether they should proceed with the review process. 

Editors

Editors, including Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors and Guest Editors should be aware of their own potential COIs. If the Editors have authored or coauthored the manuscripts submitted to JNCBAE, Editors might be perceived to be influenced by the relationship. JNCBAE expects the Editor to declare any COIs or potential COIs.

12 Copyright and Licensing 

JNCBAE publishes all articles under an open-access license, which means that the articles remain accessible to all without charge and without technical or legal barriers and that they can be reused with proper acknowledgment and citation. Financial support for the open access publication is provided by the author’s institutions or by research funding agencies in the way of article processing charge (APC) once manuscripts have been accepted. More specifically, JNCBAE publishes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. JNCBAE is committed to open access publishing as a means to foster the exchange of research among scientists, especially across disciplines. 

The copyright and other proprietary rights related to papers published by JNCBAE are retained by the authors. If the authors reproduce any text, figures, tables, or illustrations from the papers published by JNCBAE in their own future research, they must cite the originally published version. They are further asked to inform JNCBAE’s editorial office of any exceptional circumstances in this regard at the time of submission, for which exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the publisher.

Articles published in JNCBAE are likely to contain material republished with permission under a more restrictive license. When this situation arises, it should be indicated; it is the responsibility of the authors to seek permission for reuse from the copyright holder.

13 Corrections & Retractions

Corrections 

Journal of NCBAE aims to publish every article online in its final form. Upon receiving the proofs of their accepted manuscripts, authors will have an opportunity to check for errors and oversights. Occasionally, a mistake is pointed out in a published article, necessitating the issuance of a correction statement. A correction is a statement rectifying an error or an omission, Authors or readers may submit such a statement either through the journal’s online manuscript submission system or by sending an email, along with the submission ID, to the JNCBAE’s editorial office (asseditor@jncbae.com ). A correction notice, published and linked to the corresponding article, is freely accessible to all readers.

When making corrections to the original articles, the original article both in PDF and XML versions are corrected and bi-directionally linked to and from the published amendment notice that details the original error. Any changes made to the original articles affect data in figures, tables or text the amendment notice will reproduce the original data. If it is not possible to correct the original article in both PDF and XML versions, the article will remain unchanged but will contain links that direct to and from the published correction notice.

Author’s Correction:An Author’s Correction may be published to correct an important error made by the author that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or the journal. The Managing Editor of that manuscript will be responsible for handling the correction process.

Publisher’s Correction:A Publisher’s Correction may be published to correct an important error made by the journal that affects the scientific integrity of the published article, the publication record, or the reputation of the authors or of the journal.

Retractions:  A retraction is a notice that a previously published paper should no longer be regarded as part of the published literature. The primary purpose of a retraction is to ensure the integrity and completeness of scholarly records by withdrawing any manuscript which is found to contain infringements of professional ethical codes, major errors, or where its main conclusion is seriously undermined as a result of new evidence coming to light.Violations of professional ethical codes include multiple submissions without proper citations or permission, redundant publications, fake claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, etc. Major errors cover any or all miscalculations or experimental errors, intentionally or due to honest mistakes.

The retraction will be referred to the Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and the Managing Editor who have handled the paper. Retracted articles will not be removed from the printed copies of the journal (e.g., from libraries) nor from the electronic archives. Their retracted status will be indicated as clearly as possible. Bibliographic information about the article will be retained to ensure the permanence and integrity of the published scientific record. When an article is retracted, in most of the cases, the original manuscript is corrected and is bi-directionally linked (to and from) the published retraction notice which details the original error. For the purpose of transparency, when corrections made to the original article affect any data, figures, tables or texts, the retraction notice will display the original data alongside the corrected version. When a correction is not possible, all existing versions of the article will remain unchanged but will contain the bi-directional links, to and from, the published retraction notice.
The notice of retraction is permanently linked to its corresponding retracted article and is freely available and accessible by all readers.
Articles may be retracted by their Author(s), by the Journal Editors, or by the Publisher. In all instances, the retraction should indicate the reason for the action as well as the entity behind the decision. A retraction made without the unanimous agreement of the authors is feasible and indicated as such.

Removal of Published Content

Under special circumstances, JNCBAE reserves the right to remove an article, book or other content from JNCBAE’s website and submission system. Such action may be taken when:

• There are evidence indicating that the published content is defamatory, infringes on intellectual property rights, privacy rights, other legal rights, or is plainly unlawful;
• A court or government order requires removal of such content;
• The content, if acted upon, would pose an immediate and serious risks to health. Removal may be temporary or permanent. A statement will be published explaining the decision behind the removal.

Addressing Post-publication Issues

JNCBAE is fully committed to maintaining the integrity and completeness of the scientific record and recognizes its importance to researchers and the academic community at large. As such, JNCBAE will thoroughly investigate concerns that are directly raised with us by authors and/or readers. Authors are strongly encouraged to address any raised issues. In the course of our investigation, we may request original raw data, and consult with experts and other scholars in the field. Depending on the seriousness of the issues, the following outcomes may ensue.

• A manuscript still under consideration may be rejected and returned to the author.
• A published online article, depending on the nature and severity of the issues, may result in a correction notice or a retraction notice.
• Issues deemed to be serious may prompt JNCBAE to inform the author’s institution and related affiliations.

Our actions are driven by our dedicated aim for transparent notification to our readers and unabated commitment to the integrity of the published record, and not by any motivation to sanction individuals or attribute responsibility to specific named individuals. We may refer readers to the institutional investigations’ reports if they are publicly available. While we are committed to addressing post-publications issues and correcting the record swiftly, investigations typically take some time to reach resolutions given the complexity of the discussions, the diligence in our process and the need to obtain  original data and consult with experts. We will issue and regularly update relevant Editor’s Notes and/or Editor’s Expression of Concern as interim notifications to alert our readership of any of concerns with published material.

14 Appeals and Complaints

JNCBAE is open for further discussion after either a publication or a rejection of a manuscript.

Appeal against a Rejection

Authors may appeal a rejection, or request further discussions or post-publication revisions, by contacting the Journal’s Editorial department. When making such an appeal or request, Authors must provide a detailed justification for their request, with a description of the situation, including point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ and/or editor’s comments. The Journal’s Managing Editor will then forward the manuscript and the related information (including the identities of the referees) to the Editor in charge (either one of the Editors-in-Chief or, an Editorial Board Member with any conflict of interest (COI), who will render a final and irreversible decision. Appeals will only be considered from the originally submitting Authors. All information will be kept confidential.

As a general rule, an appeal to a Rejection Decision will only be considered if:

• the authors can clearly and convincingly demonstrate that the final decision was based on an error made by a Referee or by the Editors during review
• if important additional data can be provided
• if a convincing case of bias in the process can be clearly demonstrated

Authors who wish to appeal an Editorial decision should submit a formal letter of Appeal to the Journal by contacting the journal editorial office ( asseditor@jncbae.com ) . Please include the manuscript number in the email subject line and on the appeal letter.

If an appeal is successful, the Authors will be sent instructions on how to proceed. If an appeal merits further consideration, the Editor may decide to submit the Authors' response and the revised paper for further peer review.

Complaints:

Complaint about Scientific Content

Authors may contact the relevant Journal to file a complaint.
The Editor-in-Chief or the Handling Editor will consider the Author’s argument and the Reviewers’ reports, and will decide whether:

• The decision to reject should stand
• Another independent opinion is required
• The appeal should be considered

The complainant will be informed of the decision with an explanation when appropriate. Decisions on appeals are final and new submissions take priority over appeals.

Complaint about Processes

Authors may contact the Journal directly to raise a complaint concerning the process.
The Editor-in-Chief together with the Handling Editor will investigate the matter. The complainant will be given appropriate feedback. Feedback is provided to relevant stakeholders to improve processes and procedures.

Complaint about Publication Ethics

Authors may send an email to asseditor@jncbae.com concerning ethical issues or complaints.
The Editor-in-Chief or the Handling Editor will diligently follow the guidelines published by the Committee on Publication Ethics in assessing the situation, and may resort to asking the Publisher via their in-house contact for advice on difficult or complicated cases. The Editor-in-Chief or the Handling Editor will decide on a course of action and will provide relevant feedbacks to the complainant. If the complainant remains dissatisfied with the handling of the complaint, he/she may then submit the complaint to the Committee on Publication Ethics.