Policies
Policies
Affiliations
Authors are required to include all relevant institutional affiliations that indicate where the research was carried out, approved, or supported. For non-research articles, authors should provide their current institutional affiliation. If an author changes affiliation prior to publication, the institution where the work was originally conducted should be listed as the main affiliation, while the new affiliation and contact information may be mentioned in the acknowledgments. A change in affiliation alone does not justify the removal of an author, as long as the individual meets the established authorship criteria.
Appeals and Complaints
Any complaints, concerns, or appeals related to authorship or the peer-review process, including those arising after publication, should be directed to the Editors-in-Chief. They will conduct an investigation by gathering information from all relevant parties and determining an appropriate course of action in accordance with the ethical standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The review or publication process may be paused until the matter is fully resolved. In cases where the Editors-in-Chief are directly involved, the responsibility for the investigation will be delegated to the Editorial Board, led by its most senior member.
Acknowledgment
Individuals who contributed to the article in capacities such as general oversight, funding acquisition, study design, data collection or analysis, technical support, formatting or writing assistance, or scholarly discussions that shaped the manuscript but do not fulfil authorship criteria should be acknowledged by name and institutional affiliation in the “Acknowledgments” section. Authors must inform these individuals and obtain their consent to be mentioned.
Groups whose contributions were substantial but did not meet authorship requirements may be listed under designations like “clinical investigators” or “participating investigators,” with a brief description of their role. Because such acknowledgments might imply endorsement, written permission from each individual must be secured.
Any use of AI-based content generation tools must be clearly disclosed. Authors are fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of all content, and must ensure such tools are used in a manner consistent with the journal’s authorship guidelines and ethical publishing standards.
Citations
Articles must cite relevant, up-to-date, reliable literature—preferably peer-reviewed—to substantiate claims. Excessive self-citation, citation rings, or other forms of citation manipulation are prohibited (see COPE guidance). Non-research articles (e.g., reviews, viewpoints) should present balanced, comprehensive citations and avoid bias toward specific groups or journals. If in doubt, authors should consult the editorial office before submission.
Conflict of Interest / Competing Interest
A conflict of interest (COI) arises when external factors could be perceived to influence the neutrality of the research or its evaluation. Authors must disclose all potential COIs—financial, institutional, intellectual property, personal relationships, academic competition—regardless of perceived impact. Non-disclosure may lead to sanctions, rejection, or post-publication notices (e.g., corrections or retractions).
Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions
Post-publication changes follow COPE standards. Corrections (Corrigendum/Erratum) address errors not affecting overall validity. Retractions address serious issues (e.g., flawed methods, fabrication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, lack of ethics approval). Retraction notices are linked to the original article, mark the article as retracted, explain the reason, and identify the requesting party. Expressions of Concern may be issued while investigations are ongoing. In rare legal/ethical cases, a Removal Notice may be published.
Consent for Publication
For manuscripts including identifiable information or images, authors must obtain written informed consent from the individual (or legal guardian for minors). Consent should authorize publication under CC BY-SA 4.0. If the individual is deceased, consent must be obtained from next of kin. Authors may use the journal’s consent form or an equivalent institutional form. Editors may request copies for confidential review.
Authors must disclose that identifiable material will be publicly available online and in print. The manuscript should clearly state that written informed consent for publication has been obtained.
Confidentiality
All submissions are treated as confidential and shared only with those involved in the editorial workflow (editors, authors, reviewers). In cases of suspected misconduct, information may be shared with relevant bodies for investigation following COPE flowcharts.
Copyright Policy
Who Can Submit?
Any author who owns the copyright or is authorized by the rights holder may submit original work.
User Right
This journal is Open Access under CC BY-SA 4.0. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to full texts and use them for lawful purposes under the license terms.
Author Right
Authors retain copyright and publishing rights without restrictions.
Data Falsification / Fabrication
Intentional manipulation or fabrication of data is a serious breach of ethics. Authors must ensure accuracy and retain original/raw data. Failure to provide original data upon request may lead to rejection or retraction.
Desk Rejection Policy
- Out of scope or disciplinary relevance.
- Ethical issues, non-adherence to standards, or high similarity (>30%).
- Insufficient novelty/significance.
- Methodological weaknesses/inconsistencies.
- Unclear objectives or incomplete components.
- Serious language or structural issues.
- Non-compliance with formatting/submission guidelines.
Duplicate Submission / Publication
Submissions must not be under review elsewhere. Publishing the same work in multiple venues (or languages) is misconduct. Secondary/translated publications require permission from the original rights holder, disclosure to the editor, clear indication of translation, and citation of the original work.
Funding
Authors must disclose all sources of funding and the role of the funder(s), if any, in study design, data handling, and manuscript preparation. If there was no involvement, this should be stated explicitly.
Images and Figures
Identifiable media require explicit written consent to publish (from the subject or legal representative). Faces should be masked unless full disclosure consent is granted. Cultural sensitivities must be respected. Scientific images must faithfully reflect original data; any modifications must be disclosed. Upon request, authors must provide original, unedited files. Reuse of published figures requires permission and citation.
Misconduct
The journal follows COPE guidance for all forms of misconduct (e.g., affiliation misrepresentation, copyright breach, citation manipulation, duplicate submission/publication, ethics dumping, image/data manipulation, peer-review manipulation, plagiarism, text recycling, undisclosed competing interests, unethical research). Sanctions may include rejection, retraction, or other necessary actions to protect the scholarly record.
- Duplicate Submission: Previously published or concurrently reviewed works are not permitted unless transparently justified and clearly differentiated.
- Citation Manipulation: References added primarily to inflate counts may trigger sanctions.
- Data Fabrication/Falsification: Altered or fabricated data/images are prohibited.
- Improper Author Contribution: All listed authors must have meaningful scientific contributions and approve the content.
- Redundant Publications: Splitting one study into multiple articles without justification is not allowed.
- Image Manipulation: Only minor, uniform adjustments are acceptable; composites must be clearly indicated.
Open Access Policy
The journal provides immediate open access to all content, consistent with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI). Open access increases visibility and equity. Strategies include self-archiving and open-access journals.
Peer Review Process
All submissions undergo double-blind peer review. Initial editorial screening checks alignment with aims and scope. At least two expert reviewers evaluate qualifying manuscripts. Final decisions consider reviewers’ recommendations, academic merit, relevance, and contribution.
When ethical or contextual concerns arise (e.g., vulnerable populations), additional expert input may be sought or review may be declined to uphold ethical and social responsibilities.
Plagiarism Policy
The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate/redundant publication, or self-plagiarism. All manuscripts are checked with professional tools. Submissions with unacceptable similarity are rejected. Preprint posting is not considered duplicate publication.
Preprints Policy
Authors may share their preprints at any time. If accepted, they are encouraged to link the preprint to the final article via DOI and update the preprint with the accepted manuscript where appropriate.
Protection of Patients’ Rights to Privacy
Identifying information should not be published unless essential for scientific purposes and written informed consent is obtained. Names should be removed from figures unless explicit consent is provided. The journal adheres to ICMJE guidance.
- Authors obtain and archive consent forms; do not upload forms to the journal system unless requested.
- If anonymity cannot be guaranteed, include a statement confirming informed consent for publication of identifiable information.
Research Ethics and Consent
Studies in Humans and Animals
Human studies must follow the Declaration of Helsinki and ICMJE recommendations, with correct use of sex/gender terminology. Include a statement confirming informed consent and respect for privacy rights.
Animal research must follow ARRIVE, UK Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, EU Directive 2010/63/EU, or relevant national guidelines. Indicate the sex of animals and consider sex influences where appropriate.
Informed Consent
Patients’ privacy must be protected; identifiable details require written consent and disclosure that the patient has seen the manuscript. Consent should be archived with the authors and/or journal according to regulations.
Standards of Reporting
Research should be communicated with sufficient detail to support verification and reproducibility. Provide comprehensive descriptions of rationale, protocol, methods, analysis, and reporting standards relevant to the study design.
Use of Third-party Material
Authors must obtain permission to reuse third-party material (e.g., text, images, tables, data, audio/video). Limited quotation for criticism/review may be allowed under fair dealing/fair use, but otherwise written permission is required prior to submission.
Use of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in Writing
This policy concerns written composition (not analytical use of AI in research). AI tools may enhance readability and language but must not substitute essential author tasks (e.g., generating scientific insights or clinical recommendations). Human oversight is required, and authors are responsible for accuracy, completeness, and bias mitigation.
Use of AI/AI-assisted technologies must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript, and a statement will appear in the published work. AI cannot be an author or co-author. Human authors must approve the final version, consent to submission, address inquiries about integrity, and ensure originality and rights compliance.
