Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

  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 (<20% similarity allowed)
  • Authors must properly cite and obtain permission for reproduced content

Authorship Criteria

  • Authorship requires substantial contributions to:
  • Study conception/design
  • Data acquisition/analysis
  • Drafting or critical revision
  • Final approval of published version
    • All authors must approve the final manuscript and be accountable for their contributions

Data Integrity

  • Fabrication or falsification of data is strictly prohibited
  • Raw data should be retained for at least 5 years post-publication
  • Clinical trials must be registered (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov)
  1. Peer Review Process

Confidentiality

  • Reviewers and editors must maintain confidentiality of manuscripts
  • Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest
  • Double-blind peer review process will be employed

Objectivity

  • Reviews should be objective and constructive
  • Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable
  • Reviewers should identify relevant published work not cited
  1. Editorial Responsibilities

Fair Evaluation

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content only
  • No discrimination based on race, gender, religion, etc.
  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with conflicts

Publication Decisions

  • Editors ensure all published work conforms to journal standards
  • Decisions to accept/reject are based on:
  • Originality
  • Importance
  • Study validity
  • Clarity of presentation
  1. Publisher Responsibilities

Editorial Independence

  • Publisher will not interfere with editorial decisions
  • Publisher ensures the integrity of academic record
  • Publisher will investigate ethical concerns thoroughly

Corrections and Retractions

  • Errors will be corrected promptly with clear notices
  • Retractions will be issued for:
  • Evidence of unreliable data/findings
  • Plagiarism
  • Unethical research
  • Duplicate publication
  1. Conflict of Interest

Disclosure Requirements

  • All authors must disclose financial/personal relationships
  • Funding sources must be declared
  • Reviewers must disclose conflicts
  • Editors must disclose conflicts

Management of Conflicts

  • Conflicted individuals will be excluded from review process
  • Conflicts will be published with the article if relevant
  1. Research Ethics

Human Subjects Research

  • Must comply with Declaration of Helsinki
  • Requires ethics committee approval
  • Must include informed consent statement
  • Patient confidentiality must be protected

Animal Research

  • Must follow ARRIVE guidelines
  • Requires institutional animal care committee approval
  • Must include animal welfare statement
  1. Post-Publication Discussions

Corrections

  • Readers may submit corrections via Letters to Editor
  • Significant errors will be corrected with erratum

Appeals

  • Authors may appeal editorial decisions with justification
  • Appeals will be reviewed by independent committee
  1. Violations and Sanctions

Possible Violations

  • Plagiarism
  • Data fabrication/falsification
  • Duplicate submission
  • Undisclosed conflicts
  • Authorship disputes

Sanctions

  • Rejection of manuscript
  • Retraction of published article
  • Notification of authors' institutions
  • Publication of notice of violation
  • Ban from future submissions (1-5 years)
  1. Compliance

This journal adheres to:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines
  • ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) recommendations
  • WAME (World Association of Medical Editors) policies

All participants in the publication process (authors, reviewers, editors) are expected to comply with these ethical standards.