1. Author Responsibilities and Ethics

1.1. Authorship and Contributorship

1.1.1. Authorship Definition

The journal recognizes authorship as a reflection of substantial scholarly contribution and shared responsibility. Individuals listed as authors must meet all of the following conditions:

Made a significant input to at least one of the core stages of the research, such as formulating the study’s aims, designing the methodology, collecting materials or data, conducting analyses, or interpreting findings.
Took part in drafting sections of the manuscript or in reviewing and refining the text to ensure its scholarly rigor and intellectual depth.
Reviewed the complete manuscript and explicitly approved its submission or final publication.
Accepted shared accountability for the accuracy, validity, and integrity of the published work, and agreed to address any issues that may arise after publication in a transparent and timely manner.

All authors are expected to have engaged actively throughout the research and publication process, and to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity.

1.1.2. Acknowledgment of Non-Authors

Individuals who have contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. This may include those who provided technical assistance, general supervision, funding acquisition, or other support. All individuals mentioned must have given their consent to be acknowledged.

1.1.3. Responsibilities of Corresponding Author

Primary contact with the journal editorial office for the manuscript.
Ensures all authors’ information (names, affiliations, emails) and order is accurate.
Handles the submission of the manuscript and any required forms.
Acts as the point of contact for queries from the journal, including editorial decisions, reviewer comments, and requests for revisions.

1.1.4. Deceased or Incapacitated Authors

If an author becomes deceased or incapacitated before the manuscript is submitted or published, their contribution should still be recognized. The corresponding author must ensure that any statements attributed to the deceased or incapacitated author are accurate, and, where necessary, obtain consent from the author’s legal representative or institution.

1.1.5. Author Affiliation

Each author should list the institution where most of their work was conducted as their primary affiliation. If an author has changed institutions since completing the research, a current address may also be included as an additional note. Affiliations provided at the time of submission will remain unchanged after the article is published.

1.1.6. Author Identification

The journal encourages all authors to register for and provide an ORCID iD to ensure unambiguous identification. ORCID identifiers help link authors to their scholarly output and ensure proper attribution of contributions.

1.1.7. Author Contribution (CRediT Taxonomy Includes 14 Different Roles)

The journal uses CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to describe the key types of individual contributions. We require the corresponding author to submit a separate credit authorship contribution statement form stating the co-authors' contribution to the work. More details can be found at https://credit.niso.org/.

1.1.8. Changes to Authorship

Once a manuscript has been submitted, the journal will generally not accept requests to modify the list or order of authors. Any proposal to add or remove an author after submission may result in the withdrawal of the article. Authors are therefore required to determine and confirm the complete, final list of contributors, along with the order of authorship, before the initial submission.

Authorship change requests at the revision stage should send the Authorship change request form [link] to the journal manager and editors for further approval.

If your manuscript has already been accepted and published, an Erratum or Corrigendum will be required.

1.1.9. Authorship Disputes

Disputes regarding authorship should be resolved before submission whenever possible. The journal will not adjudicate authorship conflicts but may request documentation or statements from all involved parties. If a dispute arises after publication, the journal may publish a corrigendum or retraction depending on the circumstances. Authors are expected to follow institutional and COPE guidelines in resolving disputes.

1.2. Ethical Responsibilities and Allegations of Misconduct of Authors

1.2.1. Ethical Responsibilities

This journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scientific integrity and adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any potential allegations of misconduct will be taken seriously and duly recorded. Authors are expected to uphold scholarly integrity and avoid any actions that could undermine trust in the journal. Scholarly integrity can be achieved by following these rules:

All submissions must represent original work. By submitting a manuscript, authors affirm that the content has not been previously published, except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture, or an academic thesis, and that the manuscript is not under consideration by any other journal or publisher. Exceptions may be made for substantially revised and extended versions of conference or workshop papers, provided that appropriate permissions have been obtained and the journal grants final approval. Any violation of this policy will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript and a six-month ban on future submissions to Tbench. The journal employs plagiarism-detection software to screen all submissions.
Authors must ensure that all text, data, images, and other research outputs are original and have not been obtained through fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. Proper citation of relevant literature is required where appropriate, and authors must obtain permission for any copyrighted material used from external sources. For studies involving animal subjects, human participants, or associated biological materials and data, a statement confirming ethical approval or exemption from the relevant institutional or national ethics committee is mandatory, with the name of the approving committee explicitly provided.
Submitted manuscripts must not contain false or defamatory statements directed at individuals or groups, nor should they include content that poses a threat to national security or public health.
All authors must be aware of and agree to the authorship details prior to submission, including author names, affiliations, order of authors, and the designated corresponding author. Once a manuscript has been originally submitted, changes to authorship are generally not permitted. In exceptional cases, a formal request must be submitted, including a completed authorship change form and a detailed explanation, which will be reviewed by the journal. The journal reserves the right to reject a manuscript if changes to authorship are deemed inappropriate during the revision process, and changes to authorship will not be accepted after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication.

1.2.2. Allegations of Misconduct

In cases where potential misconduct is suspected, the journal will conduct an investigation in accordance with the COPE guidelines. If the investigation indicates that the concern is substantiated, the author(s) in question will be contacted and provided an opportunity to respond.

Should misconduct be confirmed, the Editor-in-Chief may implement one or more of the following actions, as appropriate:

If the manuscript is under review, it may be rejected and returned to the author(s).
If the article has already been published, corrective action will be taken depending on the severity of the misconduct. This may include the publication of an erratum or, in serious cases, full retraction of the article. The reasons for such action will be clearly stated in the erratum or retraction notice.
The author’s affiliated institution may be notified.

1.3. Corrections and Retractions

1.3.1. Corrections

Post-publication errors reported by authors may be corrected following a full review by the journal’s editorial team.

The journal distinguishes between major and minor errors. Such errors may affect the interpretation of the article but do not compromise its scholarly integrity or original findings. Authors may be asked to provide additional information before a correction is approved.

Major errors identified after publication will result in a separate erratum notice, whereas minor errors will be corrected by means of a footnote in the published article.

1.3.2. Retractions

If serious errors or ethical issues are identified that cannot be corrected through a notice, the article may be retracted or withdrawn. TBench will follow the COPE guidelines in such cases.

1.4. Appeals and Complaints

Tbench journals follow COPE guidelines in handling appeals and complaints. Authors may submit one formal appeal per article if they believe an editorial decision was made in error. Appeals must include a clear explanation, responses to reviewer or editor comments, and any supporting evidence. All appeal decisions are final.

Complaints regarding publication ethics or the editorial and peer review process should be sent to the editorial office. These will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor, who may consult the publisher or follow COPE guidance before deciding on appropriate action.