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Policies

  1. Adherence to Ethical Standards

    The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices regarding research integrity and peer review standards.

  2. Industry Endorsements

    To ensure the highest quality of scholarly reporting, the journal endorses and applies the following international standards:

  3. Submission Implications

    Submission of a manuscript to the journal implies that:

    1. The work is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
    2. All listed authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
    3. All authors agree to the journal’s open access and copyright policies.
    4. The manuscript strictly conforms to the journal’s ethical and technical policies.

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Acknowledgment

  1. Criteria for Acknowledgment

    Contributors who participated in the development of the manuscript but do not meet the full criteria for authorship must be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Examples of activities that alone do not qualify for authorship but should be acknowledged include:

    • Acquisition of funding or general supervision of the research group.
    • General administrative support.
    • Writing assistance, technical editing, language editing, and proofreading.
    • Technical help (e.g., laboratory technicians) or data collection.

  2. Mandatory Permission

    Because acknowledgment may imply endorsement by acknowledged individuals of a study’s data and conclusions, the corresponding author must obtain written permission to be acknowledged from all individuals named in this section.

  3. Disclosure of AI Assistance

    Authors must disclose the use of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models, chatbots, or image creators) used in the writing or editing process in this section. The statement should describe which tool was used and how it was applied (e.g., "ChatGPT was used to draft the introduction"). AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

  4. Funding and Support

    Organizations that provided support in terms of funding, equipment, drugs, or other resources should be acknowledged here, unless a separate "Funding" section is mandated by the journal.

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Advertisements

The journal currently does not accept commercial advertisements from third parties.

Editorial Independence: To ensure the integrity of the scholarly record, editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit and are never influenced by commercial, financial, or political considerations. If the journal chooses to accept advertising in the future, a comprehensive policy will be published ensuring that advertisements are clearly distinguishable from editorial content and do not influence editorial decision-making.

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Allegations of Misconduct

  1. General Policy

    The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards research and publication misconduct. We adhere to the COPE Core Practices and guidelines from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) to investigate all allegations of misconduct, whether they arise pre-publication or post-publication.

  2. Definition of Misconduct

    Misconduct constitutes a violation of the journal’s policies or applicable ethical standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:

    • Fabrication and Falsification: Making up data or results (fabrication) or manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes to inaccurately represent the research record (falsification). This includes the use of Generative AI to create fake data or images.
    • Plagiarism and Text Recycling: The appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. Text recycling ("self-plagiarism") involves the excessive reuse of one's own previous work without citation or justification.
    • Image Manipulation: Enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing features in an image to mislead the reader.
      • Adjustments: Brightness/contrast adjustments are acceptable only if applied linearly to the entire image and do not obscure information.
      • Generative AI: The use of Generative AI tools to create or alter scientific images (e.g., creating synthetic microscopy or blots) is strictly prohibited.
      • Verification: Authors must be able to provide the original, unedited source files upon request. Failure to provide these may result in rejection or retraction.
    • Systematic Manipulation (Paper Mills): Actions by individuals or groups to manipulate the publication process on a large scale, such as the use of "paper mills" to mass-produce manuscripts or sell authorship.
    • Peer Review Manipulation: Subverting the peer review process, such as suggesting fake reviewers, using fake email addresses, or "review rings" where authors agree to review each other's work positively.
    • Citation Manipulation: Excessive self-citation, honorary citations, or "citation stacking" (cartels) solely to increase citation counts.
    • Ethical Violations: Failure to obtain ethical approval, "ethics dumping" (conducting research in regions with lower standards to bypass regulations), or failure to disclose competing interests.

  3. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

    • Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration by any other journal. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is prohibited.
    • Redundant Publication: Dividing study outcomes into multiple articles ("salami slicing") to inflate publication counts is unacceptable. Authors must disclose any prior publication of the data (e.g., in conference proceedings).
    • Note: Preprints and translations are permitted if clearly declared and properly cited.

  4. Improper Authorship

    • Criteria: Authorship is limited to those who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work, drafted/revised it, approved the final version, and agreed to be accountable for it.
    • Non-Author Contributors: Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all authorship criteria (e.g., pure technical assistance, laboratory technicians, general supervision, or funding acquisition) should be listed in the Acknowledgments section, not as authors. Listing undeserving individuals constitutes "Gift Authorship" and is considered misconduct.

  5. Handling Allegations

    1. Investigation: The Editor-in-Chief will investigate all allegations that are supported by specific evidence, including those made anonymously.
    2. Due Process: The journal will generally contact the corresponding author to request an explanation and the underlying data.
    3. Institutional Contact: If the author’s response is unsatisfactory, or if there are concerns about data integrity, the journal may contact the author’s institution or funding body to request an investigation, in accordance with target=""_blank>CLUE (Cooperation and Liaison between Universities and Editors) guidelines.
    4. Sanctions: If misconduct is proven, the journal may reject the manuscript, issue a Retraction, or publish an Expression of Concern. The journal reserves the right to inform the authors' institutions and ban the authors from future submissions.

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Appeals and Complaints

  1. Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

    Authors who wish to ask the Editor to reconsider a rejection decision should contact the Editorial Office with a formal letter of appeal. Appeals will only be considered if the author provides:

    • Strong evidence of a significant technical error or misunderstanding by a peer reviewer or editor.
    • New information or data that addresses the concerns raised.
    • Evidence of a conflict of interest or bias in the peer review process.

    Appeals based solely on a difference of opinion regarding the novelty or interest of the manuscript will not be considered. The Editor’s decision following an appeal is final.

  2. Complaints (Process and Ethics)

    The journal takes complaints regarding the editorial process, publication ethics, or staff conduct seriously.

    • Procedure: Complaints should be addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor will investigate the claim, request information from all relevant parties, and propose a course of action in line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices.
    • Complaints against the Editor: If the complaint concerns the conduct of the Editor-in-Chief, it should be directed to the Publisher [or Journal Owner/Independent Ombudsperson] rather than the Editorial Board, to ensure an impartial investigation.
    • Escalation: If a complainant remains dissatisfied with the handling of their complaint, the issue may be escalated to the Publisher’s management team for further review.

  3. Investigation and Sanctions

    • Halting Process: Submissions may be halted in the review or publication process while an investigation is ongoing.
    • Resolution: Investigations into authorship or misconduct will be handled according to COPE flowcharts. This may result in correction, retraction, or other editorial expressions of concern.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Technologies

  1. Use of AI by Authors

    1. Authorship

      Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs) cannot be listed as authors. They cannot meet the requirements for authorship, such as accountability for the work, approval of the final version, and legal standing to sign copyright agreements.

    2. Disclosure and Transparency

      Authors must be transparent about the use of AI tools in the creation of the manuscript.

      • Writing Assistance: If AI was used to draft or edit the text, this must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments section or a specific "Declaration of AI Use" statement. Authors should specify the tool used and the nature of the assistance.
      • Exception: The use of basic technologies for checking grammar and spelling (e.g., standard spell-checkers) does not need to be declared.
      • Research Methods: If AI was used for data collection, data analysis, or generating scientific insights, this must be explicitly described in the Methods section, including the tool, version, and prompts used where applicable.
    3. Image Integrity
      • Prohibition: The use of Generative AI to create, alter, or manipulate original research data images (e.g., micrographs, gels, x-rays, or scientific figures representing data) is not permitted.
      • Illustrations: AI-generated images for purely illustrative purposes (e.g., graphical abstracts) may be allowed if clearly labeled as such, but authors must ensure they have the right to use them and that they do not misrepresent the science.
    4. Accountability

      Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of all content in their manuscript, including any parts generated or refined by AI. AI tools can generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased information ("hallucinations"). Authors must carefully review and verify all AI outputs.

      AI-generated material should not be cited as a primary source in the reference list.

  2. Use of AI in Peer Review

    1. Confidentiality Breach

      Reviewers and Editors are strictly prohibited from uploading manuscripts, data, or figures into public Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT). Doing so violates the author’s confidentiality and proprietary rights, as these tools may store and use the data for training purposes.

    2. Human Responsibility

      Peer review is a human endeavor involving critical thinking and accountability. Reviewers must not use AI tools to generate the review report. Reviewers remain solely responsible for the content and accuracy of their reports.

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Author Affiliations

  1. Primary Affiliation

    Authors must list the affiliation where the research was approved, supported, and conducted. This usually corresponds to the institution that provided the ethical approval or administered the funding for the study.

    • Non-Research Articles: For reviews, opinion pieces, or editorials, authors should list their current institutional affiliation.

  2. Change of Institution

    If an author moves to a different institution before the article is published, they should list the affiliation where the work was primarily conducted. The current affiliation should be listed in a footnote or the "Present Address" section to maintain contact.

    • Note: Affiliations reflect the historical record of the research; therefore, they will not be updated or changed after the article is published.

  3. Independent Researchers

    Authors who do not have a current relevant institutional affiliation should state their status as "Independent Researcher" or "Unaffiliated".

  4. Jurisdictional Neutrality

    The journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The naming conventions used for countries or regions in affiliations are left to the discretion of authors and do not imply endorsement by the journal.

  5. Integrity and Misrepresentation

    Affiliations must be an accurate reflection of where the study was conducted. The misrepresentation of affiliations (e.g., listing a prestigious institution where no work was performed) is considered a form of research misconduct. The journal reserves the right to contact institutions to verify affiliation claims if fraud is suspected.

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Authorship and Contributorship

  1. Authorship Criteria

    The journal strictly adheres to the criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To be listed as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following conditions:

    1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
    2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
    3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
    4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

  2. AI and Authorship

    Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs) cannot be listed as authors. These tools do not meet the criteria for authorship as they cannot share responsibility for the work or hold legal standing. If AI tools are used, their role must be disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgments section.

  3. Changes to Authorship

    Authors must determine the final author list and order before submission.

    • Post-Submission: Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list can be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the Journal Editor.
    • Requirement: To request a change, the Corresponding Author must supply: (a) the reason for the change, and (b) written confirmation (e-mail/letter) from all authors (including those being added or removed) that they agree to the change.
    • Post-Acceptance: Changes to authorship are generally not permitted after the manuscript has been accepted. In exceptional circumstances, a correction may be considered in line with COPE guidelines.

  4. Contributor Roles (CRediT)

    To ensure transparency, the journal adopts the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system. Authors must describe the specific contributions of each individual using the following roles: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review & editing.

    • Example: "A.B. contributed to Conceptualization and Writing; C.D. contributed to Data Curation and Software."

  5. Identifiers

    The journal strongly encourages all authors to provide their ORCID iD at submission to ensure unambiguous attribution of their work.

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Citation Policy and Standards

  1. General Requirements

    Authors should cite relevant, timely, and verified literature to support their claims.

    • Primary Sources: Citations should preferably reference original research articles rather than review articles or abstracts to ensure accuracy.
    • Verification: Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their references. We strongly recommend verifying citations against the original documents and ensuring the use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) where available.

  2. Prohibited Sources

    • Retracted Articles: Authors must verify that none of the cited references have been retracted (except in the context of referring to the retraction itself). Authors can identify retracted articles by searching PubMed or Retraction Watch.
    • AI-Generated Material: Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) and AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or cited as primary sources.

  3. Citation Manipulation and Misconduct

    Any attempt to manipulate citation indices is considered research misconduct. This includes:

    • Excessive Self-Citation: Citing one’s own work solely to increase citation counts without scientific justification.
    • Citation Cartels: Prearrangements among author groups to inappropriately cite each other’s work (citation stacking).
    • Coercive Citation: Editors and reviewers must not pressure authors to cite their own work or the journal’s publications to increase metrics. Authors should report such requests to the Editorial Office.

  4. Preprints

    Citations of preprints (manuscripts posted on servers like arXiv or bioRxiv) are permitted but must be clearly identified. The citation should indicate that the reference is a preprint.

  5. Non-Research Articles

    Authors of reviews or opinion pieces must ensure their reference selection provides a fair, balanced, and comprehensive overview of the field. References must not be unfairly biased toward a particular research group, organization, or journal.

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Digital Preservation and Archiving

To ensure the permanent availability of all published content and to secure the scholarly record, the journal utilizes a multi-layered archiving strategy:

  1. External Preservation: The journal is preserved in CLOCKSS, the leading third-party preservation archives. This guarantees persistent access to the content for the very long term, even in the event that the journal or publisher stops operating.
  2. Institutional Backup: All published articles are simultaneously archived in the King Abdulaziz University database, ensuring immediate accessibility and redundancy.
  3. Persistent Identifiers: All articles are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) from Crossref. This ensures that every article remains uniquely retrievable and citable regardless of changes to the journal's URL.

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Disclosure of Competing Interests

  1. Requirement to Disclose

    All authors are responsible for disclosing any relationships, activities, or interests that might bias; or be perceived to bias; their work.

    • Definition: A conflict of interest exists when professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as the validity of research) may be influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain).

  2. Types of Interests

    Authors must disclose interests relevant to the submitted work that occurred within the past 36 months.

    • Financial Interests: Research grants, honoraria, consultancies, employment, paid expert testimony, stock ownership/options, and patents.
    • Non-Financial Interests: Personal or professional relationships, academic competition, and strong intellectual, political, or religious beliefs.

  3. Mandatory Declaration Statement

    A "Disclosure" section will be published with the article.

    • If conflicts exist: Authors must describe the nature of the interest.
    • If no conflicts exist: Authors must explicitly state: “The authors declare no competing interests regarding the research, authorship, or publication of this article”.

  4. Failure to Disclose

    Undisclosed conflicts of interest discovered after publication are considered a form of misconduct. This may result in a correction, expression of concern, or retraction of the article, in line with COPE guidelines.

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I. Requirement for Consent

For any manuscript that includes details, images, or videos relating to an individual person, written informed consent for the publication of these details must be obtained from that person (or their parent/legal guardian in the case of children under 18).

  • Distinction: Consent for publication is separate from consent to participate in the research. Ethics committee approval does not cover the publication of identifiable images.
  • Standard: Informed consent for publication requires that the identifiable patient has been shown the manuscript (or the specific images/details) to be published and has been informed that the material will be available on the internet and in print.

II. Anonymization

Nonessential identifying details should be omitted. However, complete anonymity is difficult to achieve.

  • Ineffective Masking: Masking the eye region in photographs is not adequate protection of anonymity and is not accepted.
  • Generic Data: Formal consents are not required for entirely anonymized images (e.g., x-rays, ultrasound images, pathology slides) provided no identifying marks are present.

III. Vulnerable and Deceased Populations

  • Deceased: If the person has died, consent for publication must be obtained from their next of kin.
  • Vulnerable Groups: For individuals lacking the capacity to consent (e.g., unconscious patients, cognitive impairment), consent must be obtained from their legal representative.

IV. Documentation and Archiving

Authors must declare in the manuscript that written informed consent has been obtained.

  • Forms: Authors may use a Consent Form or their institution's form, provided it consents to publication under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
  • Archiving: To protect participant privacy, signed consent forms should be retained by the authors and not uploaded with the submission. However, authors must be prepared to provide the forms to the Editorial Office if specifically requested.

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Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure

  1. General Principle

    Manuscripts submitted to the journal are privileged communications and are treated as the private, confidential property of the authors. Editors and editorial staff will not share information about manuscripts, including whether they have been received, their content, or their status in the review process, with anyone other than the authors and reviewers.

  2. Prohibition on Generative AI

    To protect data privacy and proprietary rights, editors and reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading any part of a submitted manuscript into Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs). Doing so violates confidentiality as these tools may store data for training purposes.

  3. Usage of Unpublished Material

    Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be quoted or used in an editor’s or reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Reviewers must destroy copies of manuscripts after submitting their reviews.

  4. Reviewer Anonymity

    Unless the journal operates an Open Peer Review model, the identities of reviewers are kept confidential and will not be disclosed to authors or third parties without the reviewer's explicit permission.

  5. Exceptions for Misconduct

    Confidentiality may be breached if there is a suspicion of alleged dishonesty or fraud. In accordance with COPE and CLUE guidelines, the journal may share limited information with:

    • The author’s institution or ethics committee for investigation.
    • Other journal editors or publishers, if serial misconduct (e.g., paper mills or duplicate submission) is suspected.

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  1. Copyright Retention

    Authors transfer the copyright of their work to the publisher and grant the journal a license to publish. Authors are free to disseminate their work, including depositing versions in institutional repositories.

  2. Licensing

    All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  3. Author Rights and Self-Archiving

    Authors have the right to transmit, print, and share the first submitted copies with colleagues. Authors are permitted and encouraged to deposit any version of their article (including the final published PDF) in their personal websites, institutional repositories, or funder repositories immediately upon publication.

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Data Integrity, Falsification, and Fabrication

  1. Definitions of Misconduct

    The journal has a zero-tolerance policy for data misconduct. We adhere to the following definitions:

    • Fabrication: Construction of data or results and recording or reporting them. This includes the creation of fake data or images using Generative AI tools.
    • Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.

  2. Image Integrity

    Images (e.g., micrographs, electrophoretic gels, blots) must accurately represent the original data.

    • Allowed: Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only if applied to the entire image and do not obscure or eliminate important information.
    • Prohibited: Enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or introducing specific features within an image is considered falsification. Constructing composite images from different gels/fields without clear demarcation is prohibited.

  3. Data Retention and Access

    • Retention: Authors are required to retain all raw data and metadata associated with their manuscript for a minimum of 10 years after publication to ensure findings can be verified.
    • Audit: The Editor reserves the right to request raw, unprocessed data (including original image files) at any time during the peer review process or post-publication.

  4. Consequences

    If the original data cannot be produced upon request, the manuscript will be rejected or, if already published, retracted. In cases of suspected misconduct, the journal will follow COPE guidelines and reserves the right to contact the authors' institutions or funding bodies to request an investigation.

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Data Sharing and Reproducibility

  1. General Policy

    The journal is committed to the principles of Open Science and mandates that all articles include a Data Availability Statement (DAS). We strongly encourage authors to make the research data, code, and materials underlying their findings accessible to the public, in accordance with the FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).

  2. Data Availability Statement (DAS)

    All manuscripts must include a "Data Availability" section. This statement should describe how readers can access the data supporting the conclusions of the study.

    • Mandatory Requirement: A DAS is required for all research articles. If data cannot be shared for legal or ethical reasons, this must be explicitly stated.
    • Examples of Acceptable Statements:
      • Publicly Available: "The datasets generated during the current study are available in the [Name] repository, [Persistent Link/DOI]."
      • Upon Request: "The datasets are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."
      • No Data: "No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study."

  3. Deposition in Repositories

    • Preferred Method: We strongly recommend depositing data in recognized community repositories (e.g., GenBank, Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo) rather than providing them as supplementary files, to ensure long-term preservation and findability.
    • Clinical Trials: For clinical trials, a data sharing plan must be registered in an appropriate registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) prior to participant enrollment, in line with ICMJE recommendations.

  4. Data Citation

    All publicly available datasets used in the research (whether generated by the authors or others) must be cited in the Reference List. Citations should include the author(s), dataset title, data repository, and a persistent identifier (e.g., DOI or Accession Number).

  5. Peer Review

    Data must be made available to editors and reviewers upon request during the peer review process to facilitate the evaluation of the manuscript’s validity. Refusal to provide data for review may be grounds for rejection.

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Duplicate Submission and Redundant Publication

  1. Originality and Concurrent Submission

    Submission of a manuscript implies that the work is original and has not been published previously, and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.

    • Prohibition: Authors must not submit the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, simultaneously to more than one journal. This is considered unethical publishing behavior.
    • Disclosure: Authors must declare any potentially overlapping publications or manuscripts currently under review upon submission.

  2. Exceptions to Prior Publication

    The journal does not consider the following to be prior publication:

    • Preprints: Posting the manuscript on a non-profit preprint server (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv) prior to submission.
    • Academic Theses: Publication of the work in a PhD thesis or dissertation.
    • Abstracts: Publication in the form of an abstract or poster at a scientific meeting.
    • Clinical Trial Registries: Posting of results in clinical trial registries (limited to brief structured abstracts or tables).

  3. Acceptable Secondary Publication (Translations)

    Secondary publication, such as the translation of an article into English, may be justifiable if it meets the conditions outlined by the ICMJE. These conditions include:

    1. Approval: The authors have received approval from the editors of both journals (the original and the secondary).
    2. Citation: The secondary version prominently cites the primary reference and informs readers that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere.
    3. Fidelity: The secondary version faithfully reflects the data and interpretations of the primary version.

  4. Misconduct

    Any attempt to submit a manuscript that overlaps substantially with one already published, without clear reference to the previous publication (redundant publication), will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines. This may result in immediate rejection or retraction.

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Funding and Sponsorship

  1. Mandatory Declaration

    Authors must declare all sources of funding and support for the research and the publication of the article. This includes:

    • Direct Financial Support: Research grants, fellowships, and contracts.
    • Indirect/Material Support: Provision of drugs, equipment, data, or administrative/writing assistance (e.g., medical writers).
    • Article Processing Charges (APCs): If the funding grant covers the cost of publication, this must be disclosed.

  2. Format of the Funding Statement

    To ensure accurate indexing, authors should use the standardized spelling of funding agency names (preferably using the Open Funder Registry).

    • Required Format: Write the name of the funding body in full, followed by the specific grant number in square brackets.
    • Example: "This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant number xxxx] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [grant number zzzz]".

  3. Role of the Funder

    Authors must explicitly describe the role of the sponsor(s) in the:

    1. Study design;
    2. Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data;
    3. Writing of the report; and
    4. Decision to submit the article for publication.
    • No Role: If the funder had no such involvement, the authors must state: "The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results".
    • No Funding: If no funding was received, authors must state: "The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript".

  4. Editorial Independence

    Authors should avoid entering into agreements with study sponsors that interfere with their access to the data or their ability to analyze and interpret data independently. Authors may be asked to sign a statement confirming they had full access to all the data in the study and accept responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.

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Initial Editorial Screening and Desk Rejection

All submitted manuscripts are screened by the Editorial Office and the Editor-in-Chief prior to peer review. To ensure rapid decision-making, manuscripts may be desk rejected (returned to the author without external review) if they fail to meet the journal's standards.

  1. Scope and Novelty

    • Irrelevance: The topic does not fall within the specific Aims & Scope of the journal.
    • Lack of Novelty: The study does not contribute significant new knowledge to the field, is derivative of previous work, or represents "salami slicing" (incremental publication) of a single dataset.
    • Insufficient Impact: The research objectives are unclear, or the findings are of marginal interest to our international readership.

  2. Research Integrity and Ethics

    • Plagiarism: The journal uses iThenticate to screen for similarity. There is no "safe" percentage; manuscripts will be rejected if they contain unattributed copying of text, data, or ideas, regardless of the similarity score.
    • Integrity Breaches: Manuscripts showing signs of systematic manipulation (e.g., "paper mill" features such as tortured phrases, manipulated images, or suspicious authorship changes) will be rejected immediately.
    • Ethical Compliance: Failure to provide necessary statements regarding Ethics Committee approval, patient consent, or animal welfare compliance.
    • AI Policy: Failure to disclose the use of Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) in the writing or research process.

  3. Scientific Rigor

    • Methodological Flaws: The study design is fundamentally flawed, the sample size is clearly inadequate, or the statistical analysis is inappropriate to support the conclusions.
    • Reporting Standards: The manuscript does not adhere to international reporting guidelines relevant to the study type (e.g., CONSORT for trials, PRISMA for reviews which can access in Equator Network), making the work unverifiable.

  4. Presentation and Format

    • Language Quality: The manuscript contains severe grammatical or stylistic errors that impede scientific understanding. Authors are advised to use professional editing services if necessary.
    • Non-Adherence to Guidelines: The submission is incomplete (missing figures, affiliations, or data) or fails to follow the journal’s formatting and submission instructions.

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Images and Figures

  1. General Requirements and Permissions

    • Relevance: Images and figures should only be used if they are relevant and valuable to the work reported.
    • Permissions: Authors must obtain written permission to reproduce any material (text, illustrations, tables, data, audio, video) that is owned and held in copyright by a third party. This includes your own previously published work if you transferred the copyright.
    • Cultural Sensitivity: Authors should be aware of cultural sensitivities associated with images, particularly those of human remains or deceased individuals. Appropriate ethical guidelines and the views of affiliated communities must be respected.

  2. Image Integrity and Manipulation

    The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. We may use forensic software to screen images for manipulation.

    • Accuracy: Experimental images (e.g., microscopy, gels) must accurately reflect the original data. No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced.
    • Adjustments: Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only if they are applied uniformly to the entire image (including controls) and do not obscure or misrepresent information present in the original.
    • Splicing and Grouping: If images from different parts of the same gel/blot or different fields are grouped, this must be made explicit. Dividing lines (e.g., black or white lines) must be used to indicate where the image was spliced. Loading controls must be included on the same blot where possible.
    • Microscopy: All microscopy images must include scale bars. Authors should specify the equipment and acquisition settings in the Methods section.
    • Raw Data: Authors must retain the original, uncropped, unannotated, and unprocessed images and be prepared to share them with the editorial office upon request. Failure to provide raw data may result in rejection or retraction.

  3. Generative AI Policy

    • Prohibition: The use of Generative AI tools (e.g., Midjourney, DALL-E, ChatGPT) to create, alter, or manipulate original research data (such as images, blots, photographs, and x-rays) is strictly prohibited.
    • Exceptions: Generative AI may only be used for purely illustrative artwork (not representing data) if explicitly disclosed in the figure legend. AI tools used for standard image processing (e.g., noise reduction) must be documented in the Methods section.

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Open Access Policy

  1. Diamond Open Access

    The journal is a Platinum (Diamond) Open Access journal. This means:

    • Free for Readers: All articles are freely available immediately upon publication. There are no subscription fees or paywalls.
    • Free for Authors: The journal does not charge any Article Processing Charges (APCs), submission fees, or page charges.

  2. Licensing and Copyright

    • Creative Commons License: All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
    • Copyright Retention: Authors transfer the copyright of their work to the publisher and grant the journal a license to publish. Authors are free to disseminate their work, including depositing versions in institutional repositories.

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Publication Ethics

The journal and its editorial board fully adhere to and comply with the policies and principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

The Editor-in-Chief holds full authority and responsibility for the journal's entire editorial content and the timing of publication, ensuring that decisions to accept or reject manuscripts are based solely on their scientific merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope, completely independent of the publisher’s commercial interests or the authors' race, gender, or background. Editors must preserve the strict confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities (unless an open review model is utilized), and are explicitly prohibited from using unpublished materials for their own research or uploading manuscripts into Generative AI tools, as doing so violates authors' data privacy and proprietary rights. To maintain objectivity, editors must declare their own competing interests and recuse themselves from the review process of any manuscript where they have a conflict—including their own submissions—by delegating such decisions to an independent member of the editorial board. Furthermore, editors serve as guardians of the scholarly record by ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process, verifying ethical oversight (such as human or animal ethics approvals), avoiding the manipulation of journal metrics (e.g., coercive citation), and investigating all allegations of misconduct (such as plagiarism, data fabrication, or peer review manipulation) in accordance with COPE guidelines, which may result in the publication of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern.

Duties and Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers support the editorial board by contributing to editorial decisions through objective, constructive evaluations that help authors improve their manuscripts, ensuring that all comments are clearly supported by appropriate reasoning and free from personal criticism. Any invited reviewer who believes they are not qualified to assess the research or cannot complete the review in a timely manner must immediately notify the editor and withdraw from the process. Reviewers must also disclose any potential conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or personal relationships with the authors or institutions involved, and recuse themselves if they cannot evaluate the work impartially. To maintain the integrity of the process, reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents; they are strictly prohibited from sharing information, uploading manuscripts into Generative AI tools, or using privileged ideas obtained during peer review for personal advantage. Finally, reviewers should identify relevant published work that the authors have not cited and alert the editor to any ethical concerns, including suspected plagiarism or substantial overlap with other published works of which they are aware.

Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

Authors reporting original research must provide an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance, ensuring that underlying data are represented accurately and retained for at least two years, as fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unacceptable. Authors must guarantee that their work is entirely original, properly acknowledging the ideas or words of others to avoid plagiarism, and must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently. Furthermore, all authors are required to disclose any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript and report all sources of financial support. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors—and no inappropriate ones—are included, confirm that all co-authors have approved the final version and agreed to submission, and ensure that those who made significant contributions are listed as authors while others are acknowledged. Finally, if an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

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Peer Review Policy and Process

  1. Initial Editorial Assessment

    All submitted manuscripts are first screened by the Editorial Office to ensure compliance with the journal’s scope, formatting, and ethical policies.

    • Plagiarism Check: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate or similar software.
    • Desk Rejection: Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria, lack scientific merit, or are outside the journal's scope may be rejected by the Editor without external peer review.

  2. Peer Review Model

    Manuscripts passing the initial screen are assigned to a Handling Editor who selects independent experts for review.

    • Double-Blind Review: The journal operates a double-blind process. The identities of the reviewers are kept confidential from the authors, and the identities of the authors are anonymized to the reviewers to ensure impartiality.
    • Reviewer Selection: Reviewers are selected based on their expertise. The journal validates reviewer identities (e.g., via institutional email addresses or ORCID) to prevent peer review fraud.

  3. Use of Generative AI Strict Prohibition:

    Peer reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading any part of a submitted manuscript into Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs) to assist with the review or generate reports. This practice violates the confidentiality of the peer review process and the authors' proprietary rights.

  4. Confidentiality

    Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not share, discuss, or use the data/ideas contained in the manuscript for personal advantage or with third parties without the Editor's permission.

  5. Decision Making

    • Editor Authority: The final decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript rests solely with the Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor, based on the reviewers' recommendations and the journal's standards.
    • Specialized Review: As noted in your policy, the journal’s Research Integrity team may seek advice outside standard peer review for submissions with serious ethical, security, biosecurity, or societal implications.

  6. Appeals

    Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a formal letter detailing their rebuttal. Appeals are reviewed by a senior editor not involved in the original decision.

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Post-Publication Discussions, Corrections, and Retractions

  1. General Policy

    The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. Occasionally, it may be necessary to correct or retract articles. All such decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief, guided by the COPE Core Practices. Post-publication amendments are permanently linked to the original article.

  2. Corrections (Errata and Corrigenda)

    A Correction is issued when an error affects the interpretation of the article but does not invalidate its main conclusions.

    • Corrigendum: Used for errors introduced by the authors (e.g., omitting a funder, error in a figure).
    • Erratum: Used for errors introduced by the publisher during production.
    • Process: The original article remains accessible but is linked to the correction notice.

  3. Retractions

    A Retraction is issued when the findings are unreliable (due to major error or misconduct), or in cases of plagiarism, redundant publication, or unethical research.

    • Authority: The Editor-in-Chief has the final decision to retract an article. Retractions may be issued even if the authors do not agree.
    • Process:
      1. A "Retraction Notice" is published, clearly stating the reason (e.g., error, fraud) and who requested it.
      2. The original article is watermarked "RETRACTED" on every page of the PDF and in the HTML header.
      3. The article remains accessible (it is not removed) to ensure transparency.

  4. Retraction with Republication (Replacement)

    In cases of honest but pervasive error (e.g., a coding error) where the underlying science is valid but the data require major revision, the journal may choose to Retract and Replace. The original article is retracted, and a corrected version is published with a clear explanation of the changes.

  5. Expressions of Concern (EoC)

    An Expression of Concern is issued when serious concerns have been raised, but the investigation is inconclusive or ongoing. This alerts readers to potential issues while due process is followed. An EoC may be superseded by a Retraction or Correction once the investigation concludes.

  6. Article Removal

    In very rare circumstances, an article may be removed from the online platform if:

    • It is defamatory or infringes legal rights.
    • It is subject to a court order.
    • The content poses a serious health risk.
    • Note: In such cases, the text will be removed, but the bibliographic metadata (Title and Authors) will be retained to preserve the historical record.

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Plagiarism, Originality, and Duplicate Publication

  1. Plagiarism Policy

    The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. We define plagiarism as the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. This includes:

    • Verbatim Copying: Copying text, data, or images without attribution.
    • Paraphrasing: Using someone else's ideas with slight rewording without citation.
    • Translations: Publishing a translation of a previously published article (one's own or another's) without permission and clear acknowledgement of the original source.

  2. Screening and Similarity

    All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate).

    • No Fixed Threshold: There is no absolute "safe" similarity percentage. Editors analyze the report qualitatively. A manuscript with a low score may still be rejected if it plagiarizes a core hypothesis or data, whereas a higher score might be acceptable if it results from standard technical definitions or properly cited references.

  3. Redundant Publication and Self-Plagiarism

    • Duplicate Submission: Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.
    • Text Recycling (Self-Plagiarism): Authors should not reuse substantial parts of their own published work without reference. While limited reuse in the "Methods" section may be permissible if transparent, extensive reuse of text or data is unacceptable.
    • Salami Slicing: Inappropriately dividing study outcomes into several articles to increase publication counts is prohibited.

  4. Exceptions to Prior Publication

    The following are not considered duplicate publication and do not preclude submission:

    1. Preprints: Posting on preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv).
    2. Theses: Publication as part of an academic thesis or dissertation.
    3. Conference Materials: Abstracts, posters, or presentations at scientific meetings.
    4. Clinical Trial Registries: Posting results in public registries.

  5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    The use of Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) to create the manuscript text must be disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgments section. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Using AI to generate data or images is strictly prohibited.

  6. Consequences

    If plagiarism or misconduct is identified, the journal will follow the COPE guidelines. This may result in:

    • Immediate rejection of the manuscript.
    • Retraction of the article if already published.
    • Notification of the authors' institutions.

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Preprint Policy and Prior Publication

  1. General Policy

    The journal encourages the wider dissemination of research and supports the posting of manuscripts on recognized community preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv) prior to or during submission. Posting a manuscript on a preprint server is not considered duplicate publication and will not jeopardize consideration for publication.

  2. Submission Requirements

    • Disclosure: Authors must declare at the time of submission if the manuscript has been posted on a preprint server and provide the DOI or link to the preprint.
    • Anonymity: If the journal uses double-blind peer review, authors should be aware that a publicly available preprint may compromise their anonymity. However, authors should not use pseudonyms on preprints.

  3. Version Control and Updates

    • Linking: Upon publication, authors are responsible for updating the preprint record to include a link to the published article on the journal’s website and its Digital Object Identifier (DOI). This ensures readers can access the final, peer-reviewed Version of Record.
    • No Interim Versions: In accordance with the ICMJE guidelines, authors should not post the "Accepted Manuscript" or interim versions produced during the peer-review process (which incorporate journal feedback) to the preprint archive. The preprint should remain the pre-review version, linked to the final published article.

  4. Media and Embargoes

    Authors should not actively seek media attention for their preprint if they plan to publish the work in this journal. If contacted by the media, authors should clarify that the study has not yet undergone peer review. Premature media coverage may affect the journal’s ability to publish the work.

  5. Citation of Preprints

    Preprints may be cited in the reference list. The citation must clearly indicate that the source is a preprint.

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Protection of Patients’ Rights to Privacy

  1. Requirement for Consent

    Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent/guardian) gives written informed consent for publication.

    • Standard for Consent: Informed consent for this purpose requires that an identifiable patient be shown the manuscript to be published.
    • Deceased Patients: If the patient is deceased, consent must be obtained from the next of kin.

  2. Anonymization and Images

    Nonessential identifying details should be omitted. Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained.

    • Insufficient Masking: Masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity and is not accepted.
    • Scientific Validity: If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity (e.g., in genetic pedigrees), authors must provide assurance that such alterations do not distort scientific meaning.

  3. Archiving and Verification

    • Author Responsibility: To protect patient privacy and comply with data protection regulations, the journal does not collect signed consent forms as a standard practice. Authors are responsible for obtaining and archiving the written consent forms.
    • Verification: Authors must include a statement in the manuscript attesting that written informed consent for publication was obtained. However, the Editor reserves the right to request a copy of the consent form at any time (e.g., in the event of a legal dispute).

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Self-Archiving and Repository Policy

  1. Preprints and Submitted Manuscripts

    • Policy: Authors are permitted and encouraged to share their submitted manuscript (preprint) on personal websites, institutional repositories, or non-profit preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, RePEc) at any time, including prior to and during the submission process.
    • No Prior Publication: Posting a manuscript on a preprint server or repository does not constitute prior publication and will not prejudice the peer review process.

  2. Post-Publication (Version of Record)

    • Immediate Access: Upon publication, authors may deposit the final published PDF (Version of Record) in any repository, website, or social media platform immediately, without embargo.
    • Citation Requirement: When posting the published article, authors must provide a link to the formal publication on the journal’s website using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure the work is properly cited and usage is tracked.

  3. Theses and Dissertations

    • Authors may include their article (in any version) in a thesis or dissertation and deposit it in their institution’s repository, provided proper citation to the journal publication is included.

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Standards of Reporting and Reproducibility

  1. General Policy

    The journal advocates for complete and transparent reporting of research to facilitate verification and reproducibility. Authors must provide comprehensive descriptions of their rationale, protocol, methodology, and analysis. We strongly recommend that authors adhere to the minimum reporting guidelines hosted by the EQUATOR Network.

  2. Reporting Guidelines and Checklists

    Authors are encourage to use the appropriate reporting guideline for their study design. The relevant checklist must be completed and submitted with the manuscript. Key guidelines include:

  3. Sex and Gender in Research

    Authors should follow the SAGER Guidelines (Sex and Gender Equity in Research).

    • Definitions: Use the terms sex (biological attribute) and gender (socially constructed circumstances) carefully and correctly.
    • Reporting: Where appropriate, data should be disaggregated by sex and/or gender. If a sex/gender analysis was not conducted, the rationale must be provided in the Discussion.

  4. Statistical Methods

    Statistical methods should be described with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the results.

    • Quantification: Present findings with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (e.g., confidence intervals). Avoid relying solely on statistical hypothesis testing, such as P values.
    • Software: Specify the statistical software package(s) and versions used.

  5. Resource Identification and Cell Line Authentication

    • RRIDs: To enable effective tracking of key resources (antibodies, model organisms, software), we encourage the use of unique Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs).
    • Cell Lines: If human cell lines are used, authors must state the source, whether the line has recently been authenticated (e.g., by STR profiling), and whether it has been tested for mycoplasma contamination.

  6. Clinical Trials

    All clinical trials must be registered in a public registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP) at or before the time of first patient enrollment. The trial registration number must be included in the abstract.

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Sponsorship and Role of the Funding Source

  1. Industry Standards

    For research sponsored by pharmaceutical, medical device, or biotechnology companies, the journal requires authors to adhere to the Good Publication Practice (GPP 2022) guidelines. These guidelines ensure that company-sponsored research is published in a responsible, ethical, and transparent manner.

  2. Mandatory Declarations

    • Competing Interests: Authors employed by the sponsor or receiving funding/honoraria must declare this in the "Competing Interests" section.
    • Role of the Sponsor: Authors must explicitly describe the role of the study sponsor(s) in the:
      1. Study design
      2. Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data
      3. Writing of the report
      4. Decision to submit the article for publication.
      • If the sponsor had no involvement in these stages, authors must state: "The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results".

  3. Data Access and Freedom to Publish

    Authors must confirm that they had full access to all the data in the study and accept responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. The journal generally does not accept manuscripts where the sponsor holds a veto right over publication or controls the data analysis to the exclusion of the academic authors.

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Use of Third-Party Material and Copyright

  1. Requirement for Permission

    Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any material in which they do not own the copyright. This includes material created by the authors themselves if the copyright was transferred to another publisher (e.g., in a previous publication).

    • Scope: Permissions are required for:
      • Figures, tables, maps, and photographs.
      • Data sets, audio, video, and proprietary text.
      • Screenshots of software or websites.
    • Timing: Written permission must be obtained prior to submission. Authors should not assume that "fair use" or "fair dealing" applies to scholarly reproduction of figures.

  2. Licensing and Attribution

    • Attribution: The source of the material must be properly cited in the figure legend or acknowledgement, as specified by the copyright holder.
    • Open Access Compatibility: If the article is published under a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY 4.0), third-party content must be clearly identified if it is excluded from that license. Use a credit line such as: "Reprinted with permission from [Source]. Copyright [Year] [Owner]. This material is not included in the Creative Commons license of this article".

  3. Generative AI Images

    Due to unresolved legal issues regarding copyright and attribution, the journal does not permit the use of Generative AI tools (e.g., Midjourney, DALL-E) to create or alter images, figures, or artwork. Exceptions may be made for images that are directly referenced in an article specifically about AI, provided the use is transparently disclosed.

  4. Disclaimer

    The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.

Page updated Mar 2026

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