Publication Ethics
- Authorship and Contributorship: Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work. All authors must agree to submission and publication and should be listed in the manuscript. Any individual who contributed significantly to the work but does not meet criteria for authorship should be acknowledged.
- Originality and Plagiarism: Submitted manuscripts must be original and should not have been published previously or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors should ensure that they have properly cited all sources and avoided plagiarism in any form.
- Conflict of Interest: Authors should disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest. This includes financial support from pharmaceutical companies, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, or other relationships that could influence the work.
- Data Integrity and Reproducibility: Authors should ensure the accuracy of their data and provide sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data is unethical and unacceptable.
- Ethical Treatment of Human Subjects and Animals: Research involving human subjects or animals must adhere to ethical standards and obtain appropriate approvals from institutional review boards or ethics committees. Informed consent must be obtained from human subjects, and procedures should minimize discomfort, harm, or stress to animals.
- Confidentiality: Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and not disclose any information about them to anyone outside of the peer review process.
- Peer Review Process: The peer review process should be fair, unbiased, and timely. Editors should select competent and knowledgeable reviewers and ensure that their identities are kept confidential. Reviewers should provide constructive feedback and recommendations for improvement.
- Correction and Retraction: Authors are obligated to promptly retract or correct any errors discovered in their published work and cooperate with editors to publish corrections, clarifications, or retractions as necessary.
- Editorial Independence: Editors should base their decisions solely on the scientific merit of the manuscripts and not be influenced by factors such as the authors' reputation, nationality, or institutional affiliation.
- Publication Policies and Guidelines: Authors should adhere to the journal's policies and guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission. Any deviations from these policies should be clearly justified.
