1. General Ethical Principles

BEMO publishes original scholarly contributions concerning mathematical modelling, dynamical systems, mathematical optimization, optimal control, and numerical and computational methods applied to biological and environmental systems.

The journal's ethical policies are informed by internationally recognized principles of scholarly publishing, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, methodological quality, originality, relevance, and compliance with ethical standards.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

2.1 Reporting Standards and Research Accuracy

Authors must present an accurate, objective, and sufficiently detailed account of their research. Mathematical formulations, assumptions, theorems, proofs, computational procedures, and numerical results must be reported faithfully. Fabrication, falsification, selective manipulation, or misleading presentation of findings is unacceptable.

2.2 Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work. Authors must properly acknowledge and cite the ideas, mathematical models, methods, data, figures, and findings of other researchers. Plagiarism, including unattributed copying, inappropriate paraphrasing, and misrepresentation of others' contributions, is strictly prohibited.

2.3 Multiple and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals or publish substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure and justification. Related manuscripts, preprints, conference papers, or previously disseminated versions must be disclosed to the editorial office where relevant.

2.4 Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript. All listed authors must approve the submitted version and accept responsibility for their contributions. Individuals who provided assistance without meeting authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged. Guest, gift, and ghost authorship are prohibited.

2.5 Data, Code, and Reproducibility

Authors should provide sufficient information to allow independent verification and, where feasible, reproduction of their results. This may include model equations, parameter values, initial and boundary conditions, numerical schemes, algorithms, simulation settings, datasets, and source code. Authors may be requested to provide supporting materials during editorial evaluation. Legitimate confidentiality, privacy, and intellectual property restrictions will be respected.

2.6 Citation and Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must acknowledge relevant prior research and cite sources accurately. References must support the claims for which they are cited. Citation manipulation, fabricated references, excessive self-citation intended to distort citation metrics, and inappropriate citation arrangements are unacceptable.

2.7 Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, or personal interests that could reasonably influence the research or its interpretation. All relevant funding sources and the role of funders, where applicable, must be declared.

2.8 Research Involving Humans, Animals, or Sensitive Data

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive personal data must comply with applicable laws, ethical requirements, and institutional guidelines. Authors must report ethics approval and informed consent where required. Mathematical modelling studies using clinical or individual-level data must adequately address privacy, confidentiality, and lawful data use.

2.9 Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their manuscripts, including any content produced or assisted by artificial intelligence tools. Material use of generative AI in manuscript preparation, data analysis, coding, or research workflows must be transparently disclosed where relevant. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Fabricated citations, invented results, and undisclosed manipulation of research outputs are prohibited.

2.10 Errors in Published Articles

Authors who discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work must promptly notify the editorial office and cooperate in issuing an appropriate correction, retraction, or other editorial notice.

3. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

3.1 Editorial Decisions

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the scientific merit, originality, methodological soundness, relevance, and ethical compliance of submitted manuscripts. Editors may consult qualified reviewers and other editorial board members when making decisions.

3.2 Fair and Impartial Evaluation

Manuscripts must be evaluated without discrimination based on authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, or other characteristics unrelated to scientific merit.

3.3 Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities where applicable, editorial correspondence, and unpublished research information. Such information may be disclosed only to authorized parties involved in the editorial process.

3.4 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where impartiality could reasonably be compromised. An independent editor should be assigned when necessary.

3.5 Handling Ethical Concerns

Editors must assess credible allegations of publication misconduct fairly and consistently. When appropriate, the editorial office may request explanations, supporting evidence, or assistance from relevant institutions. Editorial action may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the circumstances.

4. Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

4.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Reviewers assist editors by providing independent, informed, and constructive evaluations of manuscripts. Their assessments should contribute to editorial decisions and help authors improve the scientific quality of their work.

4.2 Competence and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only when they possess appropriate expertise and can complete the evaluation within the agreed timeframe. Reviewers who are unable to provide a qualified or timely assessment should promptly inform the editor.

4.3 Confidentiality

Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, distribute, or use unpublished material without appropriate authorization. Confidential manuscript content must not be uploaded to external AI services without explicit editorial authorization and adequate safeguards.

4.4 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

Reviews must be objective, respectful, and supported by clear scholarly arguments. Personal criticism, discriminatory remarks, and unsupported recommendations are unacceptable.

4.5 Identification of Relevant Sources

Reviewers should identify significant omissions in relevant literature, potential plagiarism, substantial overlap with existing publications, or methodological concerns. Citation recommendations must be academically justified and must not be used to manipulate citations.

4.6 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any relationships or competing interests that could affect their impartiality. They should decline or withdraw from assignments when a significant conflict exists.

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher supports editorial independence, responsible journal management, and the integrity of the scholarly record. Commercial, institutional, or other external interests must not improperly influence editorial decisions. The publisher works with the editorial team to address ethical concerns and maintain transparent publication policies.

6. Research Integrity in Mathematical Modelling

Because BEMO specializes in mathematical and computational research, authors are expected to observe additional standards of methodological transparency:

• Clearly state model assumptions, variables, parameters, and governing equations.
• Distinguish mathematical proofs from numerical or empirical evidence.
• Report initial conditions, boundary conditions, and numerical methods where relevant.
• Describe parameter estimation, calibration, validation, and sensitivity analysis when applicable.
• Ensure that computational results and visualizations accurately represent the reported methods.
• Disclose relevant limitations and avoid unsupported claims regarding model applicability.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

BEMO may issue post-publication notices when necessary to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

• Correction: For errors that require amendment without invalidating the principal findings.
• Retraction: When findings are unreliable or serious ethical violations justify withdrawal from the scholarly record.
• Expression of Concern: When substantial concerns remain unresolved or an investigation is ongoing.

8. Reporting Publication Misconduct

Concerns regarding plagiarism, data fabrication, inappropriate authorship, conflicts of interest, peer review manipulation, or other potential misconduct may be reported to the editorial office.

Reports should include sufficient information or supporting evidence to permit an initial assessment. The journal will consider allegations fairly and seek relevant responses before determining appropriate action. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent reasonably possible.