Publication Ethics

Our journals follow the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for managing potential conflicts of interest involving editors, authors, and reviewers. The editors-in-chief or handling editors, with support from the editorial board, are responsible for overseeing the peer-review process, making decisions, and selecting articles. Submissions from editors or editorial board members are assigned to unrelated editors to ensure unbiased reviews and decisions. Some of the details mentioned here may already be outlined in the "Instructions for Authors" section of each journal.

Editorial board members

Editors and editorial board members are expected to be familiar with and adhere to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics for best practices in publication ethics. They should also be fully aware of their roles and responsibilities within the journal.

Complaints handling

Our journals follow COPE guidelines when addressing potential cases of publication misconduct. Reports of misconduct can be sent directly to the chief editors or the editorial office via email or by completing the feedback form found on the journal's "Contact Us" page. Please identify yourself clearly when contacting us.

Ethical issues, complaints, or allegations of research misconduct are treated with utmost seriousness. Investigations are conducted by the editors, editors-in-chief, and/or the editorial office. The editors and editorial office may contact the authors' universities or institutions for further investigation and verification. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, actions may include rejection, withdrawal, the issuance of a correction or expression of concern, or retraction of the article, as per COPE guidelines.

Plagiarism

Our journals have a zero-tolerance policy regarding plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism before or during the publication process, and any instances found will result in rejection at any stage. We use iThenticate for plagiarism screening of manuscripts.

Archiving

Our journal is fully open-access, with articles freely available on the journal website, including PDF, XML, and supplementary materials (if applicable). All published articles are permanently archived by PubMed Central (U.S. National Library of Medicine) and Europe PMC. Authors are also encouraged to self-archive their published articles on their personal or institutional websites, as well as governmental or library platforms, without needing permission.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools

In accordance with COPE guidelines, if any AI tool (such as ChatGPT) is used in the manuscript—whether for writing, generating images, collecting data, or analyzing data—authors must fully disclose this in the Acknowledgements section. Additionally, the Materials and Methods section should specify how the AI tool was used, which tool was used, and which parts of the manuscript (text or images) were affected. Please note that AI tools cannot be listed as authors of the manuscript.

Ethics Committee Approval and Patient Consent

Experimental research involving humans or animals must be approved by the author’s institutional review board or ethics committee. This approval should be mentioned in the manuscript, including the name of the board/committee. Research involving human subjects must adhere to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors should also comply with the clinical trial registration requirements from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, providing the clinical trial registration number.

For research involving human subjects, informed consent must be obtained from each participant. The identities and privacy of patients or participants must be fully protected in the manuscript, in line with ICMJE guidelines on Protection of Research Participants.

The manuscript should indicate whether informed consent was obtained, either in the Methods section, Acknowledgements, or in a separate section. If informed consent was obtained orally or not obtained, the authors must clearly explain the reasons and provide approval from the institutional review board or ethics committee.

Competing Interests

Competing interests (also known as "conflicts of interest") that may influence the objective presentation of research findings should be disclosed in a paragraph titled "Competing Interests," placed after the Acknowledgments section and before the References.

According to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, financial relationships—such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership or options, honoraria, patents, and paid expert testimony—are the most easily identifiable and often considered potential conflicts of interest. These can undermine the credibility of the journal, the authors, and science itself. Other potential conflicts may include personal relationships, academic rivalries, intellectual beliefs, or competition. Authors should avoid agreements with study sponsors (both for-profit and non-profit) that restrict access to all study data or hinder the ability to analyze, interpret, and publish the data independently. Policies that limit where authors may publish their work violate academic freedom. Authors may be asked to provide these agreements confidentially.

Authors must fully disclose any conflicts of interest. If no conflicts exist, please state: "The authors have declared that no competing interests exist."

Data Availability

Authors are recommended to deposit large datasets in a public repository. Smaller datasets may be published as supplementary materials. Authors may provide the following:

The location and method for accessing the data. If all data are included in the manuscript or supplementary materials, please specify.
If the data will be shared upon request, provide detailed contact information.
If the data are deposited in a public repository, include the URLs (and DOIs, if available).
If the data cannot be shared openly, explain the reasons (e.g., to protect study participants or patient privacy).