Publication Ethics
Integrity and responsibilities for authors, reviewers, and editors
We follow COPE and ICMJE guidance. The principles below apply across all journals in our portfolio.
Author responsibilities
- • Submit original, unpublished work.
- • Secure approval and contribution statements from all co-authors.
- • Avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, or manipulation.
- • Disclose ethics approvals, funding, and conflicts of interest.
Reviewer and editor responsibilities
- • Provide objective, confidential, and timely evaluations.
- • Decline or recuse when conflicts of interest exist.
- • Focus feedback on methodology, data reliability, and originality.
- • Follow COPE flowcharts for potential ethics breaches.
Misconduct and corrections
- • Rapid editorial review of plagiarism, fabrication, or duplicate publication claims.
- • Corrigendum, retraction, or expression of concern issued when warranted.
- • Decisions are archived on the journal site for transparency.