Journal Policies
Table of Contents
- 1. Open Access Policy
- 2. Publication and Research Ethics
- 3. Peer Review Process
- 4. Human & Animal Research
- 5. Patient Privacy
- 6. Data Availability & Reproducibility
- 7. Editorial Policies
- 8. Ethical Oversight
- 9. Copyright & Licensing
- 10. Conflict of Interest
- 11. Authorship Policy
- 12. Misconduct Policy
- 13. Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal
- 14. Preprints
- 15. Article Processing Charges (APC)
- 16. Advertisement Policy
- 17. Special Issue Policy
- 18. Archiving Policy
- 19. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
- 20. Privacy Statement
- 21. Appeals & Complaints
1. Open Access Policy
This journal publishes all articles under Open Access. Articles are freely available to users worldwide without subscription or access charges. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) unless otherwise specified.
2. Publication and Research Ethics
This journal adheres to internationally recognized ethical standards in scholarly publishing, including principles stipulated by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. All research must comply with applicable research ethics and legal regulations. Ethical oversight is conducted by the Editor‑in‑Chief and editorial team to ensure fairness, impartiality, and integrity.
3. Peer Review Process
All submissions undergo a rigorous peer review process. Manuscripts are first screened for originality, relevance, and compliance with journal scope. Qualified manuscripts are then sent to independent peer reviewers. The final editorial decision is made by the Editor‑in‑Chief.
4. Human & Animal Research
For research involving human participants, authors must include an ethical approval statement from an appropriate review board and evidence of informed consent. For animal studies, authors must indicate ethical approval details and comply with recognized animal welfare guidelines.
5. Patient Privacy
This journal protects participant privacy. Identifiable patient information should not be disclosed without explicit written consent. Authors should conceal any identifying details in text or images unless essential for scientific purposes and permitted by the participant.
6. Data Availability & Reproducibility
Authors are encouraged to provide a data availability statement identifying what data are accessible, where they can be found, and terms of access. Where relevant, datasets should be deposited in recognized repositories with persistent identifiers.
7. Editorial Policies
Authors should follow This journal’s submission and formatting requirements. Manuscripts are treated as confidential and will only be shared with those directly involved in the review and editorial process.
8. Ethical Oversight
This journal follows COPE’s core practices and ethical guidelines. Editors, reviewers, and authors must adhere to publication ethics. Any activities contrary to these principles, including unethical experiments or misconduct, will result in editorial action.
9. Copyright & Licensing
Authors retain copyright of their work and grant This journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise arranged. Third‑party copyrighted material must be used with permission.
10. Conflict of Interest
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose potential conflicts of interest (financial, personal, or academic) that may influence research or editorial decisions.
11. Authorship Policy
Authorship should reflect significant contributions to conception, design, data analysis, or manuscript writing. Individuals who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged.
12. Misconduct Policy
Behavior such as plagiarism, duplicate submissions, data fabrication, peer‑review manipulation, or citation manipulation is strictly prohibited. This journal uses screening systems (e.g., Crossref Similarity Check) to detect misconduct and follows COPE guidelines in handling cases.
13. Correction, Retraction & Withdrawal
Corrections may be published when errors are identified that do not affect scientific results. Retractions occur for unreliable findings, ethical issues, or misconduct. This journal will not remove retracted articles but will clearly mark them as retracted.
14. Preprints
This journal recognizes the value of preprints. Authors may submit articles previously shared as preprints, provided they are not under formal peer review elsewhere. Authors should disclose preprint DOIs and update preprint records once published.
15. Article Processing Charges (APC)
This journal operates under Open Access, requiring APCs to cover editorial and publication costs. APC amounts and waiver/discount options (e.g., for low‑income countries) are stated clearly on the journal website.
16. Advertisement Policy
Advertisements may be accepted but must not influence editorial decisions. Ads should be clearly distinguishable from scholarly content and comply with applicable laws and standards.
17. Special Issue Policy
Special issues focus on emerging topics. Proposals must include themes, keywords, guest editors’ profiles, and deadlines. Guest editors are expected to promote submissions and maintain peer‑review quality.
18. Archiving Policy
This journal ensures long‑term preservation via digital archiving networks and encourages authors to self‑archive final published versions in institutional repositories.
19. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
Authors must disclose use of AI tools in manuscript preparation, specifying versions and purposes. AI cannot be listed as an author and should not replace human intellectual contribution in data interpretation or conclusions.
20. Privacy Statement
Personal information collected for manuscript submission and review will be used exclusively for journal operations. This journal will not share personal data with third parties without consent, except where required by law.
21. Appeals & Complaints
Authors may appeal editorial decisions. Complaints must be detailed and will be handled according to established procedures, with opportunities for authors to respond.