Publication Ethics Statement

As an academic journal with extensive influence in the field of microbiology, Microbiology China has always adhered to high standards of academic integrity and publication ethics, committed to providing researchers with a fair, transparent, and high - quality platform for academic exchange. To maintain the healthy and sustainable development of the academic ecosystem, this journal hereby formulates the following publication ethics statement, which all authors, reviewers, editors, and relevant personnel are expected to abide by.

I. Responsibilities of Authors
1. Originality and Accuracy: Authors should ensure that the submitted manuscripts represent original research results that have not been previously published in other journals or platforms and are free from academic misconduct such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or result falsification. The data presented in the manuscripts should be true, reliable, and accurate, capable of withstanding peer review and practical verification.

2. Authorship and Contributions: All individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research work should be listed as authors, and the contributions of each author should be clearly specified in the manuscript. The order of authorship should be arranged reasonably based on the magnitude of contributions to the research, and false authorship or honorary authorship should not be allowed.

3. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors should truthfully disclose any potential conflicts of interest in the manuscript that may affect the fairness or objectivity of the research results, including but not limited to financial interests with relevant enterprises or institutions and academic competition relationships.

4. Citation Norms: Authors should follow academic citation norms, accurately and completely cite the research results of others, and should not deliberately omit important literature or make inappropriate citations to exaggerate the value of their own research.

5. Manuscript Revision and Response: Authors should take the comments and suggestions of reviewers seriously and make necessary revisions and improvements to the manuscripts. If they have different opinions on the review comments, they should respond and explain in an objective and rational manner.

II. Responsibilities of Reviewers
1. Fairness and Objectivity: Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts in a fair and objective manner, free from the influence of factors such as the author's identity, research institution, or academic background. Review opinions should be based on the scientific content, research methods, and academic value of the manuscripts and should not contain personal biases or malicious evaluations.

2. Confidentiality: Reviewers should keep the content of manuscripts strictly confidential and should not disclose manuscript information to any third party, including individuals other than the authors. During the review process, they should not use the unpublished information in the manuscripts to seek benefits for themselves or others.

3. Timeliness: Reviewers should complete the manuscript review within the specified time and submit detailed review opinions to the editorial office in a timely manner. If they are unable to complete the review on time due to special circumstances, they should inform the editorial office in advance and explain the reasons.

4. Professional Competence: Reviewers should possess professional knowledge and rich review experience related to the research field of the manuscripts and be able to accurately judge the scientificity, innovation, and practicality of the manuscripts. If they are not familiar with the content of the manuscripts or are unable to make an objective evaluation, they should inform the editorial office in a timely manner and recommend suitable reviewers.

III. Responsibilities of Editors
1. Fair Handling of Manuscripts: Editors should treat each submitted manuscript fairly and impartially, select and review manuscripts based on their scientific quality, academic value, and innovation, and should not discriminate against or favor certain manuscripts due to non - academic factors such as the author's identity or status.

2. Protection of Authors' Rights: Editors should respect the copyright and intellectual property rights of authors and protect their privacy and personal information. During the manuscript handling process, they should not disclose the unpublished information of authors or transfer manuscripts to others without the authors' consent.

3. Quality Control: Editors should strictly follow the publication standards and procedures of this journal to edit and process manuscripts, ensuring that the language expression in the manuscripts is accurate, clear, and the format is standardized and unified. For manuscripts with academic misconduct or quality that does not meet the requirements, they should be rejected or the authors should be required to make revisions in a timely manner.

4. Promotion of Academic Exchange: Editors should actively organize academic activities to promote communication and cooperation among authors and reviewers and drive the research progress and academic prosperity in the field of microbiology.

IV. Handling of Academic Misconduct
This journal adopts a "zero - tolerance" attitude towards academic misconduct. Once academic misconduct such as plagiarism, data fabrication, false authorship, or non - disclosure of conflicts of interest is found among authors, reviewers, or editors, the following measures will be taken immediately:

1. Reject manuscripts involving academic misconduct and retract relevant published manuscripts.

2. Record the academic misconduct and notify the author's institution or relevant academic organizations.

3. Publicly announce the academic misconduct within a certain scope to maintain academic integrity and publication ethics.

4. Reserve the right to pursue legal liability of relevant personnel according to the severity of the circumstances.

The editorial office of Microbiology China will continuously strengthen the construction of publication ethics, improve the supervision mechanism, and work together with researchers to create a clean, healthy, and orderly academic environment.