Ethical Guidelines

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE
UBMRJ adheres to strict ethical standards in scholarly publishing and follows internationally recognized guidelines on publication ethics.

Ethical Standards. University of Baguio Research Journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on research and publications ethics.

Research Misconduct.  Research misconduct is the fabrication, falsifications, or plagiarism or deception in proposing, performing, reviewing research and reporting the findings. Further, it covers avoidable failure to follow research proposals as approved by a research ethics committee, particularly where this failure may result in unreasonable risk to humans, animals, plants and the environment. It also includes the wilful concealment or facilitation of research misconduct by others.  It does not include honest error and or differences of opinion, and may not include honest errors that are minor or unintentional. 

The journal strictly prohibits:

  • Plagiarism. The appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. It excludes the limited use of identical or nearly-identical (general) phrases that are not substantially misleading or of great significance.
  • Data Fabrication. Making up of data or results and recording or reporting them.
  • Data Falsification. Manipulating research materials, equipment or processes, or changing oromitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented inthe research record.
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest. Not disclosing the purpose of the research and the procedures involved to the participants.
  • Breach of the right to privacy. Disclosing the identity of participants and the information given by them when it was restricted by the non-disclosure agreement. It includes discussing with other people the results of the research without it having been published yet.
  • Improper authorship attribution

Improper authorship attribution

  • Rejection or retraction of the manuscript
  • Notification of the author’s institution (if necessary)
  • Temporary or permanent banning of authors from submission

Appeal, Complaints, and Corrections
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a formal written explanation to the Editorial Office.
UBMRJ investigates complaints concerning:

  • Editorial conduct
  • Ethical concerns
  • Peer review disputes
  • Publication malpractice

Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern may be issued when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS
Research submitted to the University of Baguio Multidisciplinary Research Journal involving human participants must adhere to strict ethical standards to ensure the protection, dignity, and rights of all individuals involved, particularly in fields such as health sciences, social sciences, education, and case study research.

  • Ethics Clearance Requirements - Authors must secure prior approval from a recognized institutional or ethics review board before conducting research involving human participants. Evidence of ethics clearance should be indicated in the manuscript when applicable.
  • Informed Consent - Participation in research must be voluntary, and informed consent must be obtained from all participants (or their legal guardians, where applicable). Participants must be fully informed about the purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits of the study before agreeing to participate.
  • Participant Confidentiality - The privacy and confidentiality of participants must be strictly protected. Identifiable personal information should not be disclosed in the manuscript without explicit permission, and all data must be handled securely and responsibly to prevent unauthorized access or misuse.