The journal adheres to ethical guidelines based on COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, promoting ethics and quality in publications. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to follow these guidelines. Some key points are highlighted below.

Plagiarism Policy:

The journal has a strict no-plagiarism policy. Submissions are checked using Turnitin and a reviewer check before being sent for review. Self-plagiarism is also considered a violation as it does not contribute to the advancement of research.

Each manuscript is checked for originality using Turnitin to maintain high standards of originality.

Authorship:

Authors should meet the authorship criteria set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), listing all contributors who made significant contributions to the study.

Data Integrity and Fabrication:

Authors must report their research results accurately, avoiding data fabrication, falsification, or manipulation. Any errors or inaccuracies must be promptly addressed.

Informed Consent:

Authors must obtain necessary consents and permissions for using personal data. They should provide a declaration confirming that informed consents have been acquired, with documentation available upon request.

Research on Live Subjects:

Authors must comply with the WMA Declaration of Helsinki and ensure ethical approval and participant consent when involving live subjects in research.

Funding:

Authors should disclose all funding sources, including any involvement by sponsors in the research design or execution.

Vulnerable Groups and Individuals:

Special care must be taken when involving vulnerable groups or individuals in research. Participation should only occur if indispensable and beneficial to these groups.

Citation:

Authors should avoid excessive self-citation and only cite works they have personally read. Advertisements should not be cited.

Confidentiality:

The journal uses a double-anonymized peer review process, requiring strict confidentiality from all involved parties.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works:

Authors must inform the journal of any significant errors in their published work, working with editors to correct or retract the paper if necessary.

Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions:

Corrections are issued for published articles with errors, and retractions are made if serious misconduct like plagiarism is confirmed, following COPE guidelines.

Discrimination Policy:

Researchers should be treated fairly and with respect, free from discrimination based on personal or demographic characteristics.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Author's Responsibilities

By submitting a work to the journal, authors confirm that the submission is their original work and has not been published or is under review elsewhere. If the manuscript or parts of it, including supporting data, have been previously published or presented, this should be disclosed to the editors during submission. Authors must ensure compliance with the journal's ethical policies, openly disclose any potential conflicts of interest, and adhere to rules and regulations, including obtaining necessary ethical approvals and participant consents when involving living subjects. Proper citation of others' work, transparency in funding sources, and acknowledgment of contributions by non-authors are required. Authors should promptly inform the editor of any significant errors or inconsistencies found in their manuscript or published work.

2. Reviewer's Responsibilities

Researchers invited to review a manuscript must inform the editor if they feel unqualified to review or have a conflict of interest. All manuscript-related information should be treated as confidential. Reviews should be fair, objective, and completed in a reasonable timeframe.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining ethical standards for manuscripts submitted to the journal. Their responsibilities include:

• Subject Expertise: Accepting manuscripts only within their area of expertise for a thorough evaluation.
• Confidentiality: Keeping the review process confidential and not disclosing any manuscript details.
• Conflict of Interest: Declaring any personal or professional relationships with the author that might affect impartiality and returning the manuscript if necessary.
• Professionalism: Providing accurate personal and professional information and avoiding impersonation.
• Plagiarism and Falsification: Supporting any claims of plagiarism or data issues with clear explanations and references.
• Timeliness: Completing reviews promptly while respecting the author's work.

3. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors, selected for their expertise in specific scientific fields, oversee the editorial process for manuscripts. They seek additional expert opinions through external reviewers to assist in decision-making. Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on reviews and their assessments, treating all submissions equally without bias, and maintaining strict confidentiality. If a conflict of interest arises, editors must inform the managing editor to remove themselves from the decision-making process. Editors are also responsible for correcting the literature if errors are found in published articles, including issuing retractions if necessary. Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members are handled by another editor to maintain objectivity.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are tasked with upholding the highest ethical standards throughout the publication process. Their responsibilities include:

• Confidentiality: Protecting the confidentiality of the review process and not disclosing manuscript details without the author's consent.
• Conflict of Interest: Ensuring reviewers disclose any potential conflicts of interest and considering this information carefully.
• Citations: Requesting authors add citations only when there is a legitimate scholarly need.
• Reviewer Selection: Allowing authors to suggest potential reviewers or exclude certain individuals from the review process.
• Quality Control: Monitoring the performance of peer reviewers and addressing substandard, delayed, abusive, or non-constructive reviews.

4. Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher supports the journal by providing essential resources, such as a submission and publication platform, tools for checking plagiarism, DOI assignment, hosting, and content preservation. The publisher should take reasonable measures to safeguard editorial independence.