Dear Readers,
As Editor-in-Chief of Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology, I wish to inform readers that the editorial office has received a concern from a whistleblower (#638767) regarding the article entitled: “Chemical Compositions and Antimicrobial Activities of Ocimum sanctum L. Essential Oils at Different Harvest Stages” published in Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology in 2013 (1).
The whistleblower has alleged that the plant material reported in the article as Ocimum sanctum L. may have been incorrectly identified. According to the concern raised, the material analyzed in the study may instead correspond to an Ethiopian ecotype of Ocimum bisabolenum, based on the reported essential oil composition, including the presence of bisabolene together with eugenol, estragole, eucalyptol, and other related constituents.
The case is currently under assessment by the Editorial Board of the journal and the journal’s Publication Ethics Committee. The journal is reviewing the matter in accordance with the relevant guidance and flowchart of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including the COPE flowchart for concerns about fabricated data in a published article: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/flowchart/fabricated-data-published-article
This expression of concern is issued to alert readers that questions have been raised about the article and that an editorial and publication ethics assessment is ongoing. The journal will update the scholarly record as appropriate once the assessment has been completed, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Sincerely Yours,
Ali Zarei Mahmoudabadi
The Editor-in-Chief of Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology
Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
