PUBLICATION ETHICS

Reporting Standards: Authors must present accurate, objective, and significant research findings in the discussion section. The data used must be published either online or in print. Articles must include detailed references to enable others to replicate the study. Inaccurate or unethical statements, as well as invalid data, are unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention: Authors are requested to provide raw data related to the paper for editorial purposes and must be prepared to grant public access to such data.

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that the article is entirely original work. If authors use the work and/or words of others, these must be properly cited.

Duplicate, Redundant, and Concurrent Publication: An author must not generally publish a manuscript that essentially describes the same research in more than one journal or major publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical and unacceptable publishing behavior.

Acknowledgment of Sources: Proper acknowledgment of others’ work must always be provided. Authors must cite publications that have influenced the nature of the reported work.

Article Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, conduct, or interpretation of the reported research. All those who have made significant contributions must be listed as co-authors. Where others have participated in specific substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included on the manuscript and that no inappropriate co-authors are listed, and that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosures and Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose in their manuscript any conflicts of interest—whether substantive or financial—that might be interpreted as influencing the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the manuscript.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects: If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that pose unusual hazards associated with their use, the author must clearly identify these in the manuscript.