Article 1. (Purpose)

The purpose of this code of ethics is to prevent potential unethical behavior during the review and publication process of a journal published by the Microbiological Society of Korea (hereinafter referred to as the “Society”), and to present the basic principles and direction to ensure research ethics through a fair and systematic validation and processing procedure.

Article 2. (Application)

This code of ethics shall apply to journal manuscript submitters and those directly and indirectly involved in the journal publication process.

Article 3. (Definition)

3.1. Unethical research behavior (herein referred to as “unethical behavior”) refers to forgery, manipulation, and plagiarism committed when a research manuscript is reviewed and the research results are reported, gift authors, duplicate publication of results, and duplicate submission of a manuscript. The following acts are defined as unethical behavior:

• 3.1.1. An act of forgery that fabricates research findings that do not exist.
• 3.1.2. An act of manipulation that distorts research results or findings by artificially manipulating research materials, equipment, and processes, or changing or deleting data at one’s discretion.
• 3.1.3. An act of plagiarizing someone else’s ideas or research findings without legitimate approval or quotation.
• 3.1.4. An act of listing invalid authors by not assigning authorship to those who have academically contributed to research results or findings without justifiable reason, or assigning authorship to those who have not academically contributed to research results or findings as a token of gratitude or respect.
• 3.1.5. An act of republishing materials that one has already published in whole or in part without legitimate approval or quotation.
• 3.1.6. An act of submitting or posting one’s duplicate research materials, which are accepted for publication or under review.
• 3.1.7. An act of suggesting, coercing, or threatening others to perform the unethical acts stated above.
• 3.1.8. Other acts that significantly deviate from the scope commonly accepted in the academic community.

Article 4. (Review and Reviewer)

• 4.1. An Editor-in-Chief and two Associate Editors shall participate in a review for the corresponding article.
• 4.2. If necessary, experts (full-time professors or full-time researchers) in the field of concern could be additionally appointed during the period of review.

Article 5. (Procedural Rights)

The Editor-in-Chief shall give the accused an opportunity to submit his or her comments or explanation about a claim mentioned in the initial or additional report of unethical research behavior.

Article 6. (Procedure and Disciplinary Action)

• 6.1. The Editorial Board shall notify a disciplinary action or punitive measure commensurate with the act of the accused if it is deemed unethical.
• 6.2. Depending on the case, the Editor-in-Chief may notify in writing its action to determine a manuscript is not acceptable for publication or strip the accused of his or her eligibility for submission in the future.
• 6.3. If the informant reports what is not the truth on purpose or as significant negligence, a disciplinary action shall be recommended to the President of the Society.

Article 7. (Re-review)

If the accused or informant disagrees with a decision by the Board, he or she may request a re-review in writing with the stated reason within 30 days after he or she is notified of the decision.

Article 8. (Confidentiality)

Under any circumstance, the Editorial Board shall not disclose the informant’s identity and shall be committed to protect the reputation of the accused. In addition, any information acquired over the process of its work shall not be leaked.

Article 9. (Operation Details)

Operation details required for the Board shall be determined separately through a review.

Article 10. (Others)

This code of ethics was revised on October 26, 2023, February 20, 2020, from the one established on May 27, 2008.