Focus and Scope

Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems publishes peer-reviewed original research and review articles across all aspects of regulatory mechanisms in biological systems from a molecular level of organisation to organism one. This journal mostly focuses on physiological mechanisms of regulation of metabolic processes, biochemical and physiological features of any species including human beings. This journal covers a wide range of regulatory mechanisms in biological systems that are associated with both the natural processes and transformed ones under the influence of chemicals and drugs, and any other man-made factors. We will publish papers concerned solely with clinical case study and clinical trial if such articles address important questions in regulatory mechanisms in biosystems. 
Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems is focusing on the good-quality research reporting scientifically sound observations and valid conclusions, which bring important novel information to a wide international scientific community. Journal publishes contributions in the following basic areas: Biochemistry; Bioinformatics; Biophysics; Cell Biology; Endocrinology; Genetics; Immunology; Microbiology; Molecular Biology; Physiology; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; Toxicology.

Open Access Policy

The journal provides immediate open access to online-published paper. We support principles of free spreading of scientific information and global exchange of knowledge for the social progress.

Conflict-of-Interest Statement for publications

Send the form electronically to all contributing authors.

Each author must complete their own form on screen.

In order for the Editors to make the best decision on how to handle a manuscript it is important that any conflicts of interest that the authors or reviewers of a paper may have are disclosed on submission.

A conflict of interest exists when professional judgement concerning such primary interests as patients’ welfare or validity of research may be influenced by possible financial gain or personal rivalry. It may arise for the authors of an article when they have a financial interest that may influence their interpretation of their results or those of others.

When completing the form below, authors should be aware that questions 1–4 relate to the present article, and that questions 5–7 relate to both the present article and to possible conflicts of interest that the author themselves may have, beyond the bounds of this study.

The Editors will not reject papers simply because of a conflict of interest but believe that any competing interests should be acknowledged and openly stated; therefore, a declaration of interest will be published alongside the final published article.

Name: ______________________________

Manuscript title: _________________________________

Manuscript number (if known): _____________

Publication title: __________________________

1. Have you, in the past 5 years, accepted the following from an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of your study or the conclusions of your review, editorial or letter? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Reimbursement for attending a symposium – Yes   No

A fee for speaking – Yes   No

A fee for organising education – Yes   No

Funds for research – Yes   No

Funds for a member of staff – Yes   No

Fees for consulting – Yes   No

Gifts exceeding €200 per year – Yes   No

2. Have you, in the past 5 years, been employed by an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of your study or the conclusions of your review, editorial or letter? Please mark the ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes  No

3. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of your study or the conclusions of your review, editorial or letter? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes   No

4. Have you acted as an expert witness on the subject of your study, review, editorial or letter? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes   No

5. Do you have any competing financial interests? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes   No

6. Are you or have you ever been in any relationship with or in receipt of any benefit (financial or other) from the tobacco industry or corporate affiliates? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes   No

7. Do you or your spouse knowingly hold stocks or shares in companies in the tobacco industry or companies involved in the tobacco industry? Please mark ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If you answer yes, please give details in the appropriate section later in this form.

Yes   No

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" considers that you or your institution may have a conflict of interest, which, in the spirit of openness, should be declared. Please draft and add to this form a statement detailing these interests. This statement will be published alongside your article in the event of acceptance. An example of such a statement is given below:

Conflict of interests: ________ has received an educational grant from ________ Pharmaceutical industries; has stocks in excess of £_____ in _________; and travel to the ________ congress was funded by _____________________.

Please add your statement here: _____________________________

If you did not answer "yes" to any of the questions above, we will publish "Competing interests: None declared."

The above questions are limited to financial interests; however, you might want to disclose another sort of conflict of interest that would embarrass you if it became generally known after publication. The following list gives some examples:

A close relationship with, or a strong antipathy to, a person whose interests may be affected by publication of your paper.

An academic link or rivalry with somebody whose interests may be affected by publication of your paper.

Membership of a political party or special interest group whose interests may be affected by publication of your paper.

A deep personal or religious conviction that may have affected what you wrote and that readers should be aware of when reading your paper.

If you want to declare such a competing interest then please add it to your statement above. 

Informed Consent, Privacy and Confidentiality Statement

Patients and Study Participants: Patients have a right to privacy that should not be violated without informed consent. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that an identifiable patient be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should disclose to these patients whether any potential identifiable material might be available via the Internet as well as in print after publication. Patient consent should be written and archived with the journal, the authors, or both, as dictated by local regulations or laws. The Journal requires that all authors obtain written patient consent and that this be archived by the author and available for inspection for a period of at least three years. A written statement should be included in the manuscript that attests that the authors have obtained and archived written patient consent. Nonessential identifying details should be omitted. Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance, and editors should so note, that such alterations do not distort scientific meaning.

Manuscripts that include human subjects must include a statement that written informed consent was obtained. If materials or records derived from humans are included, the statement that approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee was obtained prior to initiation of the study, if it is required by the institution. When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008. If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. When reporting experiments on animals, authors should indicate whether the institutional and national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.

The use of laboratory animals must follow the standards established by the NIH Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU ARAC guidelines) and Institute for Laboratory Animal Research as published in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1996).

Manuscripts will be reviewed with due respect for authors’ and reviewers’ confidentiality. Our editors have been instructed to not disclose information about manuscripts (including their receipt, content, status in the reviewing process, criticism by reviewers, or ultimate fate) to anyone other than the authors and reviewers. Manuscripts sent for review are privileged communications. Therefore, reviewers and members of the editorial staff must respect the authors’ rights by not publicly discussing the authors’ work or appropriating their ideas before the manuscript is published. Reviewers may not make copies of the manuscript for their files and will not share it with others, except with the editor’s permission. Reviewers should return or destroy copies of manuscripts after submitting reviews. 

Statement of Human and Animal Rights

When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. When reporting experiments on animals, authors should indicate whether the institutional and national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed. [International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") February 2006].

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

"Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" follows the Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice based on COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors to ensure ethics and quality in publication. 

OlesHoncharDnipropetrovskNationalUniversity(DNU) as a publisher of "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" takes its duties to guarantee serious approach to all stages of publishing and recognizes the responsibilities. Advertising, reprint and/or any commercial revenue have no influence on editorial decisions.

Compliance with standards of ethical behaviour is therefore expected of all parties involved in the publishing process: Authors, Editors, Reviewers, and the Publisher.

Duties of the Editor and the Editorial Board

Publication decisions

The Editor makes a decision on publication of the submitted papers. It is guided by the journal’s policy and is based absolutely on the academic value and the conclusion of the reviewers. The Editor clings to the contemporary regulations regarding defamation, copyright violation and plagiarism. He is entitled to carry out decision-making in consultation with reviewers or members of the editorial board.

An editor must not use unpublished information in the editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Editors should take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning the submitted manuscript or published paper.

An editor evaluates manuscripts without regard to previous merits, race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, citizenship, sexual orientation, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

The Editor and Editorial Board do not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript (author(s), topic, text, etc.) to anyone other than the corresponding author, (potential) reviewers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in any research of the editor, reviewers or any other informed person without the written consent of the authors. Privileged information or arguments obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal or third party advantage. Editor and any member of the editorial board should release themselves from the duties of considering manuscripts in case of any conflicts of interest resulting from collaborative, competitive, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies/institutions having relevance to the manuscripts. Editor should require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests. In case of revealing the competing interests after publication, the corrections should be published. A retraction or expression of concern may be published if needed.

Ensuring the integrity: involvement and cooperation.

"Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" will respond to all claims or doubt of research or publication misconduct raised by readers, reviewers, or others. If concerns about the conduct or validity of academic work are raised, the Editorial Board with an involvement of relevant experts, as appropriate, will assess cases of possible plagiarism or duplicate/redundant publication. The editor will also ask the author(s) about responding to the affairs. "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" will take this to the institutional level: the journal may request an investigation by the institution or other appropriate bodies, if that response is unsatisfactory.

In cases when concerns are very serious and the published work is likely to influence the scientific knowledge or practical applications, "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" may consider informing readers about these concerns, by issuing an “expression of concern”, and then publish explanations the findings of the investigation. Otherwise "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" may decide to retract a paper if the Editorial Board is persuaded that severe misconduct has happened. Retracted papers will be retained online, and conspicuously marked as a retraction for the readers’ benefit.

Duties of the Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer review is an obligatory step in making editorial decisions and, if necessary, in improving the paper through the editorial communications with the author.

Efficiency

The reviewer, asked for peer review, who feels the shortage of qualification in the research reported in a manuscript or knows about the lack of time that makes his/her review impossible at the appointed time should notify the editor and relieve himself from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts and supplementary materials received for review must be processed as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with third parties except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is unsuitable. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Reviewers should indicate relevant published papers that has not been discussed/cited by the author(s). Any assertion that an observation, conclusion, or suggestion had been previously reported should be supported by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also inform about any important similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Privileged information or arguments obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal or third party advantage. Reviewers should release themselves from the duties of manuscripts consideration in case of any conflicts of interest resulting from collaborative, competitive, or other relationships or connections with any of the author(s), companies/institutions having relevance to the manuscripts.

Reviewer misconduct

Editors will take reviewer’s misconduct seriously and investigate any evidence of confidentiality breach, non-declaration of conflicts of interest (both financial and non-financial), inappropriate use of confidential material, or delay of peer review for competitive advantage. Allegations of severe reviewer misconduct (e.g. plagiarism) will be taken to the institutional level.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards

Authors reporting results of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors could be asked to provide the raw data of their study in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data if practicable. Authors should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication. The confidentiality of the participants can be protected and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not preclude their release.

Originality and Plagiarism

Authors should ensure that submitted manuscript:

  • describes entirely original work;
  • is not plagiarized;
  • has not been published elsewhere in any language;
  • indicates appropriate citation or quotation, if the authors have used the work and/or words of others.

Applicable copyright laws and conventions should be followed. Copyright material (e.g. tables, figures or extensive quotations) should be reproduced only with appropriate permission and acknowledgement.

Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently creates unethical publishing conduct and is unacceptable.

Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors will submit only entirely original works, and proper acknowledgment of other works must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship of a manuscript

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be named in an Acknowledgement section.

The corresponding author should ensure that all contributing co-authors (according to the above definition) and no uninvolved co-authors are included in the author list of the manuscript, and that all co-authors have approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Hazards

If the work involves chemicals, procedures or equipment that have any unusual hazards inherent in their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.

Reporting of research involving humans or animals

Bioethics principles should be adhered while carrying out the research. Appropriate approval, licensing or registration should be obtained before the research begins and details should be provided (e.g. Institutional Review Board, Research Ethics Committee approval, or national licensing authorities for the use of animals).

If requested by editors, authors should supply evidence that reported research received the appropriate approval and was carried out ethically (e.g. copies of approvals, licences, participant consent forms).

Researchers should not generally publish or disclose identifiable individual data collected in the course of research without specific consent from the individual (or their official representative).

Authors should submit research protocols to the editors if requested (e.g. for clinical trials) so that reviewers and editors can compare the research report to the protocol to check that it was carried out properly and that no relevant details have been missed.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to notify the journal editor or publisher promptly and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

Disclaimer

Neither the editors nor the Editorial Board are responsible for authors’ expressed opinions, views, and the contents of the published manuscripts in the journal. The originality, proofreading of manuscripts and errors are the sole responsibility of the individual authors.

All manuscripts submitted for review and publication in "Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems" go under double-blind reviews for authenticity, ethical issues, and useful contributions. Decisions of the reviewers are the only tool for publication in the journal and will be final.

References

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). (2011, March 7). Code of Conduct and Best-Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Retrieved from http://publicationethics.org/files/Code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_Mar11.pdf

Sponsors

Phone: +3(056) 776-58-49; 

E-mail: zoolog@i.ua

Journal History

2017 – The Journal got a new title – “Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems” and started publishing quarterly.
2016 – The journals’ Editorial Board was renewed and became more international.
2015 – The Journal was included into Web of Science: Emerging Sources Citation Index.
2014 – Scopus and WoS standards for references began to be implemented.
2013 – Scopus and Web of Science standards started to be implemented.
2012 – All journals’ issues and articles were digitized and published online.
2011 – Website on Open Journal Systems (OJS) was developed.
1993 – The Journal “Visnyk of Dnipropetrovsk University. Biology, ecology” was founded.