About the Journal

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi (P-ISSN 2715-1999, E-ISSN 2829-0909) is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by Universitas Nias Raya. The journal serves as a platform for disseminating research findings and scholarly knowledge in the field of Biology Education. It is published twice a year, in April and October.

Types of Manuscript

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi publishes original research articles presenting scientific research findings in the field of Biology Education, covering both theoretical aspects and their applications in biology education and learning.

Ownership and Management

The Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Universitas Nias Raya, Indonesia, publishes and manages the journal. The editorial team handles initial manuscript screening, reviewer selection, coordination of the peer review process, editorial decision-making, implementation of publication ethics, and preparation of articles for publication. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with publication ethics. The publisher supports journal operations while respecting editorial independence.

Peer Review Process Policy

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi applies a double-blind peer review process to evaluate the originality, scholarly quality, methodology, relevance, and contribution of submitted manuscripts.

Authorship Criteria

Each author must meet all four of the following criteria:

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of authorship information and all statements made in the manuscript. Contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria must be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section. Gift authorship, ghost authorship, and the use of fictitious author identities are prohibited.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi addresses allegations of research and publication ethics violations objectively, fairly, and confidentially. Alleged misconduct includes plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate publication, authorship misconduct, citation manipulation, peer review manipulation, and violations of research ethics or third-party rights. Allegations may be submitted through the journal’s official editorial contact, with supporting evidence where available. The editor conducts an initial assessment and may request clarification, consult independent experts, or coordinate with relevant institutions, as necessary. The parties concerned are given a reasonable opportunity to respond. Based on the assessment and available evidence, the journal may request corrections, suspend editorial processing, or reject manuscripts that have not yet been published. For articles that have already been published, the journal may issue an expression of concern or retract the article in accordance with the journal’s policies and applicable publication ethics guidelines.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that may influence, or be perceived to influence, the research or editorial decisions. Authors must disclose information regarding funding, employment relationships, financial interests, personal relationships, collaborations, and other interests that may affect the objectivity of the research. If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must explicitly declare this. Reviewers must decline review assignments when conflicts of interest may compromise the objectivity of their assessments. Editors who have conflicts of interest concerning a manuscript must not handle that manuscript. The manuscript must be assigned to another editor who has no conflict of interest. Disclosure of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in manuscript rejection. The editorial team will take appropriate measures to safeguard fairness and editorial independence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi permits the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including generative AI, in research activities and manuscript preparation. Such use must uphold originality, research integrity, confidentiality, information accuracy, and publication ethics. AI cannot replace human intellectual contributions or accountability in scholarly work.

Use of AI by Authors

Authors may use AI tools to aid manuscript preparation and editing, provided such use does not compromise the originality and integrity of scholarly work. Authors must not use AI to fabricate or falsify data, research findings, information, or references. AI use must not replace the authors’ intellectual contributions or violate copyright, confidentiality, or research ethics. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors must disclose any use of AI that has materially contributed to the research or manuscript preparation, including the name of the AI tool and the purpose of its use. The disclosure must be included in an appropriate section of the manuscript, such as the Methods, Acknowledgments, or a dedicated AI Use Statement. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, validity of information, citations, references, and all content of the submitted manuscript. Authors must review and verify any AI-generated output used.

Use of AI by Editors

Editors may use AI to aid editorial activities, provided it does not replace scientific judgment or editorial decision-making. Editors must maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and editorial information and must not enter manuscripts or confidential information into AI applications that do not ensure data security and confidentiality. Editors remain responsible for the entire editorial process and all editorial decisions. Editors must disclose any use of AI in accordance with the journal’s procedures.

Use of AI by Reviewers

Reviewers are prohibited from using AI to analyze or evaluate manuscripts, prepare comments, or provide recommendations on manuscripts under review. Reviewers are also prohibited from uploading or entering manuscripts, or any part thereof, into AI applications. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and provide objective assessments based on their own expertise and scholarly judgment.

Violations of the AI Policy

Any alleged violation of the AI Policy will be handled in accordance with the journal’s publication ethics policy and procedures for handling allegations of research misconduct.

Post-publication Discussion

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi encourages constructive, evidence-based scholarly discussion of published articles. Readers and researchers may submit comments, questions, or scientific criticisms through the journal’s official editorial contact. Each submission must identify the article being discussed, clearly explain the issue raised, and include supporting evidence where available. The editor reviews each submission based on its relevance, clarity, accuracy, and compliance with publication ethics. Where necessary, the editor may request clarification from the parties concerned or provide the authors of the article with an opportunity to respond. Further action is determined based on the assessment and editorial judgment. Issues concerning substantial errors or suspected research misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal’s applicable publication ethics, correction, and retraction policies.

Corrections and Retractions

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record by publishing corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions, where necessary. Corrections are issued to address errors that require clarification but do not affect the validity of the article’s overall findings. Expressions of concern may be issued when credible concerns have been raised. The investigation remains unresolved, or readers need to be alerted to a potential problem in an article. Retractions may be issued when reliable evidence indicates that the research findings are substantially unreliable or that serious misconduct has occurred, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or violations of research ethics. The editor evaluates each request and the available evidence and may consult with authors, independent experts, or relevant institutions. Every notice of correction, expression of concern, or retraction must explain the reason for the action, identify the affected article, and provide a link to the original publication. Retracted articles remain accessible and are clearly marked as retracted, except where exceptional legal circumstances or other justified reasons require otherwise.

Open Access Policy

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi provides immediate open access to all published articles without subscription fees for readers or institutions. Readers may read, download, copy, print, and share the full text of articles in accordance with applicable copyright and licensing terms. This policy is based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports the wider dissemination and exchange of scholarly knowledge. Open access for readers does not mean that the publication process is entirely free of charge for authors. Applicable publication fees are specified separately in the journal’s Publication fees policy.

Copyright

Copyright in articles published in the journal remains with the authors. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication. Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts do not infringe third-party rights and that any necessary permissions have been obtained.

License

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. This license permits anyone to copy, redistribute, adapt, and use the articles for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given, the source publication and applicable license are identified, and any changes to the original work are indicated.

Electronic Archiving

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi is committed to preserving published content and ensuring long-term access to scholarly articles. It uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) archiving system and performs routine electronic data backups through its hosting/server infrastructure. The editorial team and publisher maintain article files, bibliographic metadata, and publication records. Archiving and backup practices are reviewed periodically to reduce the risk of data loss and support continued access to published articles.

Plagiarism Policy

TUNAS: Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi does not accept manuscripts containing plagiarism, unattributed use of others’ work, unauthorized reproduction, or improper attribution. Submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software, with an initial similarity threshold of 20%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be subject to further assessment, revision, or rejection, depending on the nature and extent of the similarity. A similarity score alone does not automatically establish plagiarism. Editors assess the screening report in context, including source overlap, quotations, references, and attribution. Authors are responsible for properly citing all sources and obtaining permissions where required. Suspected plagiarism identified after publication will be investigated and may result in a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may submit complaints concerning editorial procedures, publication ethics, or journal operations through the journal’s official editorial contact. All complaints are handled objectively and confidentially. Complaints involving the Editor-in-Chief will be referred to an independent and authorized representative of the publisher or institutional management. Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing clear scientific arguments or supporting evidence. Appeals may be reviewed independently, and additional expert advice may be sought where necessary. Submitting a complaint or appeal does not guarantee a change in the editorial decision.