Publishing ethics policy

The journal adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

1. Authorship and Ethics

1.1. Authorship Criteria

To be recognized as an author, a person must meet all three criteria:

 1. Significant Contribution: Substantial contributions to conception, design, execution or analysis and interpretation of data;
 2. Manuscript Drafting: Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 
 3. Final Approval: Final approval of the version to be published and agreement to be accountable for the entire work.

1.2. Authorship Order

  • The First Author is the primary contributor to the work;
  • The Contributing Authors are listed in order of their contributions;
  • The Corresponding Author is responsible for all communication with the journal.

1.3. Corresponding Author

  • Must provide a current and valid email address;
  • Is responsible for responding to all editorial queries and requests in a timely manner;
  • Maintains communication with co-authors throughout the publication process.

2. Originality

Manuscripts must be original and must not have been previously published, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

3. Disclosure of AI Use

When using generative AI tools or chatbots:

  • Authors must disclose any use of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini).
  • The disclosure must specify the tool used, version (if applicable), purpose, and extent of use.

Example: “ChatGPT-4 was used to generate an initial draft of the Introduction. The authors reviewed and edited the content to ensure accuracy and integrity.”

  • AI tools must not be listed as authors.
  • Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscript.

4. Publication Misconduct

The following practices are prohibited:

  • Plagiarism – Copying from previously published work or using others’ ideas without proper citation.
  • Excessive self-citation – Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without appropriate justification.
  • Data fabrication – Inventing data or results.
  • Data falsification – Manipulating data or results to fit a hypothesis.
  • Authorship disputes – Adding or omitting authors without their consent.
  • Citation manipulation – Engaging in reciprocal or coordinated citation practices to inappropriately increase citations.
  • Duplicate submission – Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

Consequences may include:

  • Immediate rejection of the manuscript;
  • A submission ban of up to five years;
  • Notification to the authors’ affiliated institutions;
  • Public disclosure of the misconduct, where appropriate.

5. Rights and Responsibilities

5.1 Authors

Rights:

  • Retain copyright of their work.
  • Reuse their work in future publications, books, or theses, with proper citation.
  • Deposit and share their work on personal websites, institutional repositories, or preprint servers.
  • Request corrections or retractions if errors are identified.
  • Access the final published version of their article.

Responsibilities:

  • Ensure that their manuscript is original and has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.
  • Disclose all sources of funding and any conflicts of interest.
  • Comply with applicable research ethics standards.
  • Cooperate with the editorial and publication process.
  • Respond to revision requests in a timely manner.

5.2 Reviewers

Responsibilities:

  • Provide fair, objective, and constructive evaluations.
  • Complete reviews within the assigned timeframe (typically 3–4 weeks).
  • Maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and its content.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • Not use information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.
  • Provide clear, detailed, and evidence-based feedback.
  • Respect the confidentiality of the peer review process.
  • Report any concerns regarding potential ethical misconduct.
  • Notify the editor of any substantial similarity with previously reviewed or published work.

Rights: 

  • Anonymity is protected.
  • May decline to review in cases of conflict of interest or insufficient expertise.
  • Review reports may be published with the reviewer’s consent.

5.3 Editors

Responsibilities:

  • Evaluate manuscripts fairly based on academic merit.
  • Ensure transparency in editorial decision-making criteria.
  • Maintain the confidentiality of reviewers in accordance with the double-blind review model.
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest.
  • Recuse themselves from decisions involving their own work.
  • Safeguard the privacy and integrity of all parties involved.
  • Address all allegations of ethical misconduct.
  • Issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.

Rights:

  • Reject manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s standards.
  • Request revisions from authors.
  • Suspend publication to investigate ethical concerns. 
  • Use plagiarism detection tools to screen submissions.