Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics

1. Authorship Responsibilities

Originality and Plagiarism

  • All submitted manuscripts must be original works.

  • Text recycling (self-plagiarism) is not permitted without proper citation.

  • Plagiarism screening will be conducted using Turnitin/iThenticate (maximum 20% similarity allowed).

  • Authors must properly cite and obtain permission for any reproduced content.

Authorship Criteria
Authorship requires substantial contributions to at least one of the following:

  • Study conception and/or design

  • Data acquisition and/or analysis

  • Drafting the article or critically revising it

  • Final approval of the version to be published
    All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and be accountable for their contributions.

Data Integrity

  • Fabrication or falsification of data is strictly prohibited.

  • Authors are required to retain raw data for a minimum of 5 years post-publication.

  • Clinical trials must be registered in recognized trial registries (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov).

2. Peer Review Process

Confidentiality

  • Reviewers and editors must maintain strict confidentiality of the submitted manuscripts.

  • Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest.

  • A double-blind peer review process will be employed.

Objectivity

  • Reviews must be objective, constructive, and based on scholarly merit.

  • Personal criticism of authors is not acceptable.

  • Reviewers should identify relevant work not cited by the authors.

3. Editorial Responsibilities

Fair Evaluation

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts solely based on intellectual content.

  • No discrimination will be made based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political beliefs.

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Publication Decisions

  • Editors ensure that all published articles meet the journal’s academic and ethical standards.

  • Decisions to accept or reject manuscripts are based on:

    • Originality

    • Significance to the field

    • Validity of the study

    • Clarity of presentation

4. Publisher Responsibilities

Editorial Independence

  • The publisher will not interfere with editorial decisions.

  • The integrity of the academic record will be protected.

  • Ethical concerns raised about any article will be investigated thoroughly.

Corrections and Retractions

  • Errors in published articles will be corrected promptly with clear notices.

  • Retractions will be issued in cases of:

    • Proven unreliable data or findings

    • Plagiarism

    • Unethical research practices

    • Duplicate publication

5. Conflict of Interest

Disclosure Requirements

  • All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the research.

  • Funding sources must be declared in the manuscript.

  • Reviewers and editors must also disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Management of Conflicts

  • Individuals with conflicts will be excluded from the peer review and editorial process.

  • Relevant conflicts will be published alongside the article when necessary.

6. Ethics

Human Subjects

  • Research involving human participants must adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki.

  • Ethical clearance from an institutional review board (IRB) is required.

  • Manuscripts must include an informed consent statement.

  • Patient confidentiality must be strictly protected.

7. Post-Publication Discussions

Corrections

  • Readers may submit corrections via Letters to the Editor.

  • Significant errors will be corrected with an official erratum.

Appeals

  • Authors may appeal editorial decisions with a written justification.

  • Appeals will be reviewed by an independent editorial committee.

8. Violations and Sanctions

Possible Violations

  • Plagiarism

  • Data fabrication or falsification

  • Duplicate submission or publication

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

  • Authorship disputes

Sanctions

  • Rejection of the manuscript

  • Retraction of a published article

  • Notification to authors’ institutions

  • Public notice of violation

  • Ban from future submissions (1–5 years)

9. Compliance

This journal adheres to the ethical standards set by:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)

  • ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)

  • WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)

All participants in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and editors—are expected to comply with these ethical guidelines.