Publication Ethics

Our journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and adheres to the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers—are expected to uphold these ethical standards.

Author Responsibilities

Originality and Plagiarism

  • Original Work: Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original research
  • No Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts should not be under consideration by any other journal simultaneously
  • No Plagiarism: All content must be the authors' own work or properly attributed with citations
  • Self-Plagiarism: Authors must not republish substantial portions of their own previously published work without clear citation
  • Proper Attribution: All sources must be appropriately cited, including direct quotes, paraphrased content, and ideas

Plagiarism Detection: All submissions are screened using Turnitin or similar software. Manuscripts with similarity scores above 15% will be flagged for editorial review.

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be based on the following criteria (all must be met):

  1. Substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis and interpretation
  2. Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  3. Final approval of the version to be published
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Additional Requirements:

  • All persons designated as authors must qualify for authorship
  • Contributors who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged but not listed as authors
  • The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors have approved the final manuscript
  • Changes to authorship (additions, deletions, or order) after submission require written consent from all authors
  • Ghost authorship (failure to list qualifying contributors) is prohibited
  • Gift authorship (listing individuals who do not meet criteria) is prohibited

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all financial and personal relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest, including but not limited to:

  • Employment or consultancy relationships
  • Stock ownership or equity interests
  • Grants or funding from organizations with interests in the results
  • Patents or patent applications
  • Honoraria or speaking fees
  • Expert testimony
  • Personal relationships with relevant individuals or organizations

If no conflicts exist, this must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.

Research Ethics Approval

Human Subjects Research

  • All research involving human participants must have approval from an appropriate ethics committee
  • Ethics approval number and committee name must be included in the Methods section
  • Informed consent must be obtained from all participants
  • Participant privacy and confidentiality must be protected
  • Vulnerable populations require additional protections

Animal Research

  • Must comply with institutional and national guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE guidelines)
  • Ethics approval and protocol number must be provided
  • Justify the use of animals and the number used
  • Describe measures taken to minimize suffering
  • Report on efforts to use alternatives (3Rs: Replace, Reduce, Refine)

Data Integrity and Availability

  • Accurate Reporting: Results must be reported honestly and accurately
  • Data Fabrication: Creating or manipulating data is strictly prohibited
  • Data Falsification: Manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes to misrepresent results is prohibited
  • Image Manipulation: Images should not be manipulated in ways that could misrepresent the data
  • Data Retention: Authors should retain raw data for at least 5 years after publication
  • Data Sharing: Authors should be prepared to provide data upon reasonable request
  • Data Availability Statement: Include a statement describing how data can be accessed

Reporting Errors

  • Authors who discover significant errors in published work must promptly notify the editor
  • Authors should cooperate with editors to publish corrections, clarifications, or retractions
  • Intentional concealment of errors constitutes misconduct

Editor Responsibilities

Fair Review Process

  • Ensure all manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit
  • Provide fair, unbiased, and timely peer review
  • Make decisions based on reviewers' reports and the manuscript's quality
  • Not discriminate based on author characteristics (gender, nationality, institution, etc.)

Confidentiality

  • Treat all manuscripts as confidential documents
  • Not disclose manuscript details to anyone except authorized parties
  • Not use unpublished information for personal advantage

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

  • Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have conflicts
  • Editorial decisions must not be influenced by commercial interests
  • Editors should not use their position for personal gain

Maintaining Integrity of Literature

  • Publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions when necessary
  • Investigate allegations of misconduct
  • Follow COPE guidelines for suspected research or publication misconduct
  • Maintain the integrity of published articles through appropriate versioning

Reviewer Responsibilities

Objectivity and Fairness

  • Provide objective, constructive, and respectful feedback
  • Evaluate manuscripts based on academic merit alone
  • Support comments with clear reasoning and evidence
  • Avoid personal criticism of authors

Confidentiality

  • Treat reviewed manuscripts as confidential documents
  • Not share manuscripts or discuss them with others without permission
  • Not retain manuscript files after completing review
  • Not use unpublished data or ideas from reviewed manuscripts

Disclosure of Conflicts

  • Decline to review when conflicts of interest exist
  • Inform editors of any relationships with authors that could bias review
  • Recuse themselves if they feel unable to provide objective review

Timeliness

  • Only accept review requests if qualified and able to complete review on time
  • Inform editors promptly if unable to complete review by deadline
  • Complete reviews within agreed timeframe

Identifying Misconduct

  • Alert editors to suspected plagiarism or duplicate publication
  • Report concerns about ethical aspects of the research
  • Identify potential authorship or conflicts of interest issues

Research and Publication Misconduct

Types of Misconduct

The journal considers the following as research or publication misconduct:

  • Plagiarism: Using others' work without proper attribution
  • Data Fabrication: Making up data or results
  • Data Falsification: Manipulating data, images, or equipment to misrepresent results
  • Duplicate Publication: Publishing substantially the same work in multiple journals
  • Salami Slicing: Splitting research into multiple papers to inflate publication count
  • Author Disputes: Inappropriate authorship claims or exclusions
  • Conflicts of Interest: Failure to disclose relevant conflicts
  • Ethics Violations: Conducting research without appropriate approval
  • Peer Review Manipulation: Suggesting biased or fake reviewers

Investigation Process

When misconduct is suspected:

  1. Initial Assessment: Editor-in-Chief reviews allegation and evidence
  2. Author Response: Authors given opportunity to respond to allegations
  3. Investigation: Detailed review of evidence and responses
  4. Institutional Notification: Author's institution may be contacted
  5. Decision: Determination made based on investigation findings
  6. Action: Appropriate measures taken (rejection, retraction, correction, etc.)
  7. Documentation: Process and outcome documented following COPE guidelines

Consequences

Proven misconduct may result in:

  • Rejection of submitted manuscript
  • Retraction of published article
  • Publication of notice of concern or retraction
  • Ban from submitting to the journal (temporary or permanent)
  • Notification to author's institution
  • Notification to funding agencies
  • Report to professional organizations
  • Legal action in cases of serious misconduct

Retraction Policy

Articles may be retracted if they contain:

  • Evidence of unreliable data (fabrication or falsification)
  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication
  • Unethical research practices
  • Failure to disclose major conflicts of interest that would have affected interpretations or recommendations
  • Major errors that invalidate the conclusions

Retraction Process:

  1. Retraction notice published indicating reason for retraction
  2. Original article marked as "RETRACTED" in database
  3. Article remains accessible with prominent retraction watermark
  4. All authors notified of retraction (may be with or without author agreement)
  5. Indexing services notified to update records

Corrections and Expressions of Concern

Corrections

Published for errors that do not invalidate main conclusions:

  • Minor errors in data or figures
  • Errors in author names or affiliations
  • Citation or reference errors
  • Typographical errors affecting interpretation

Expressions of Concern

Published when:

  • There is evidence of possible misconduct but investigation is ongoing
  • Evidence is inconclusive
  • Concerns about research or publication ethics require reader awareness

Appeals Process

Authors may appeal editorial decisions under the following circumstances:

  • Procedural errors in the review process
  • Reviewer bias or misconduct
  • New data or information that addresses reviewer concerns

To submit an appeal:

  1. Submit written appeal to Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of decision
  2. Provide clear rationale and supporting evidence
  3. Appeals will be reviewed by independent editorial board members
  4. Decision on appeal is final

Compliance and Standards

Our journal adheres to guidelines from:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
  • ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)
  • DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
  • WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)

Questions and Concerns

For questions about ethics policies or to report concerns:

  • Email: ethics@yellowmark.org
  • Subject: "Ethics Inquiry" or "Misconduct Report"
  • Confidentiality: All reports handled confidentially