Page 88 - PROGRAM PERFORMANCE PROFILE (PPP)

b. Peer Reviewers

The quality of research outputs is judged by the peer review mechanism. The scientific and academic advancements of
academic and research institutions and scientists are based on peer-reviewed publications. Unknown to each other, the peer
reviewers shall be selected through invitations from research institutions/agencies other than the author(s). Each of the peer
reviewers must be a recognized scientist through his/her publications in international peer reviewed journals. A statistician may
be added as a member of the panel of reviewers when necessary, as evaluated by the editor in chief. The reviewers shall have
responsibilities towards:
1) The authors by providing a written and unbiased feedback on the scientific merits of the work, its conciseness,
clarity and relevance, and the maintenance of confidentiality in the review process;
2) The editorial staff by providing informative, thoughtful, constructive and fair criticisms with respect to the
originality and scientific merits of the research work, including the standards of the research journal; and
3) The readers by protecting them from flawed researches that cannot be validated and ensuring that the article
citations are all relevant works of other scientists.

c. Timeliness of Publication
Research outputs and information must always be published as soon as possible. Since it usually takes several months in the
revise-and-submit cycles before the manuscripts get finally published in the journal, the Editors should be responsible for
timeliness in manuscript submission, providing prompt responses and decisions related to the journal, and acceptance of the
published articles.
d. Joint Authorship of Publications

Only those who have substantially contributed or made an important contribution to the research work should be listed as
authors. Substantial or important contribution refers involvement in the conceptualization, overall design, implementation,
completion and writing the research paper. To avoid administrative complexities, joint authorship resulting from the contribution
from various people should be stipulated in the research contract or agreement.

The test for the claim of joint authorship is the ability of any of the named authors to take responsibility for the publication. More
importantly, the field of specialization of each of the author shall have a bearing in the areas covered and tackled by the paper.
Usually the first named author in the manuscript is the senior author. It would be logical and fair that he/she the one who had
the most significant contribution in the content of the paper, having been involved in the conduct of the research project,
particularly in the conceptualization and writing of the scientific paper.
e. Research Misconduct

All authors submitting manuscripts for publications in the University R&D journal shall refrain from research misconduct such as
the following:

• Unethical treatment of research subjects;
• Fabrication of research data;
• Falsification of research data; and
• Plagiarism.
The unethical treatment of research subjects applies to obligation of the researchers relevant to the subjects of study,
whether human or animals, particularly adherence to ethical standards in experimentation such as care and use of human
beings and animals. On the other hand, fabrication and falsification of research data refers to the invention, recording, or
reporting of fraudulent data. Fabrication and falsification constitute the most serious forms of misconduct in research as they
result in scientific records that do not accurately reflect observed truth from research.