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Editorial Policies

The Journal is a member or follow of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and endorses the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals as well as the GPP3 guidelines regarding authorship.

Submission of a manuscript to the journal implies that all authors have read and agreed to its content and that the manuscript conforms to the journal’s policies.

Open Access Policy

Muthanna Medical Journal provides immediate and free access to all published content under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), allowing unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited. Authors may self-archive the final accepted version of their articles in any OAI-compliant institutional or subject-based repository.

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Affiliations

Authors are required to provide all relevant affiliations to accurately reflect where the research was approved, supported, and/or conducted . For non-research articles, authors should include their current institutional affiliation.

If an author changes institutions before publication, the affiliation associated with the work should be listed on the manuscript, while the current affiliation and contact details should be included in the acknowledgment section.

Please note that a change in affiliation alone does not constitute a valid reason for removing an author from a publication, provided they meet the established authorship criteria.

Appeals and complaints

All complaints, concerns, or appeals related to authorship or the peer-review process, including those raised after publication—must be directed to the Editors-in-Chief . The Editors-in-Chief will investigate by first requesting information from all parties involved and then recommending an appropriate course of action in accordance with academic ethical standards as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics(COPE).

The review or publication process may be paused until the matter is resolved.

If the Editors-in-Chief are themselves implicated in the complaint, the investigation will be conducted by members of the Editorial Board, led by the most senior member, who will determine and propose the appropriate course of action.

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Acknowledgment

Individuals who contributed to the development of the manuscript but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged . Additionally, any organization that provided financial support or other resources should also be recognized in the acknowledgments section.

Authorship

Listing authors on a manuscript is essential to properly acknowledge individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the work. It also promotes transparency by identifying those responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the published content.

To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all of the following requirements:

  • Have made a substantial contribution to the study, including its conception, design, execution, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Have written, substantially revised, or critically reviewed the manuscript.
  • Have agreed on the journal selected for submission.
  • Have reviewed and approved all versions of the manuscript, including the submitted version, revised versions, the final accepted version, and any major changes made during proofing.
  • Accept responsibility and accountability for the content of the article and participate in addressing any questions regarding its accuracy or integrity.

Any changes to the authorship list, whether before or after publication, must be approved by all authors, including those being added or removed. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written confirmation from all co-authors and providing a clear explanation for the requested change. If authorship changes are required after publication, they will be addressed through a formal post-publication notice. All changes must meet the journal’s authorship criteria, and requests for substantial authorship modifications after acceptance may be declined if adequate justification and evidence of contribution are not provided.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be based solely on substantial contributions to all three of the following areas:

  • Study conception and design, data acquisition, or data analysis and interpretation;
  • Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
  • Final approval of the version to be published.

Contributions limited to securing funding or collecting data alone do not qualify for authorship. Similarly, general supervision of a research group is insufficient. Each author must have contributed enough to take public responsibility for their part of the work. The order of authorship should reflect the relative level of contribution to the study and manuscript preparation. Once the manuscript is submitted, the order cannot be changed without written consent from all contributors. The journal sets limits on the number of authors based on the manuscript type, scope, and number of participating institutions. If these limits are exceeded, the authors must provide a justification.

Contribution Details

All contributors must provide a detailed statement describing their specific roles in the preparation of the manuscript. Contributions should be reported, as appropriate, under the following categories: study concept, study design, definition of intellectual content, literature review, clinical studies, experimental studies, data collection, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript drafting, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. These contribution statements will be published with the article. In addition, one or more authors must take overall responsibility for the integrity of the work from its initial development through to the final published version and be identified as the guarantor(s).

Citations

Both research and non-research articles must cite relevant, up-to-date, and verified literature (preferably peer-reviewed) to substantiate any claims made in the manuscript.

Authors should avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation, as well as any prearranged agreements among author groups to cite each other’s work. Such practices may constitute misconduct known as citation manipulation. For further guidance, refer to the COPE guidance on citation manipulation.

For non-research articles (e.g., Reviews or Opinions), authors must ensure that cited references are relevant and provide a fair, balanced representation of the current state of research or scholarly work on the topic. References should not exhibit undue bias toward a particular research group, organization, or journal. If you are uncertain about whether a source should be cited, please contact the journal’s editorial office for advice.

Conflicts of Interest/ Competing interests

All authors are required to disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest related to the publication of the manuscript. This includes relationships with institutions, organizations, or products mentioned in the manuscript, as well as any factors that could influence the interpretation or outcome of the study. Authors must also disclose any conflicts involving products or services that compete with those discussed in the manuscript. Conflicts of interest may include, but are not limited to:

  • Financial relationships (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, paid expert testimony, or grants)
  • Personal relationships (e.g., family or close professional ties)
  • Academic or intellectual conflicts (e.g., competing research interests or positions)
  • Institutional affiliations that could be perceived as influencing the work

Disclosures should be provided in a dedicated section of the manuscript titled “Conflict of Interest Statement” and must include a clear description of the nature of the conflict. If no conflicts exist, authors should explicitly state: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.” Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in rejection of the manuscript or retraction after publication, in accordance with ethical guidelines such as those outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions

Corrections to a published article may be made with the authorization of the journal’s editor. The editor will determine the extent and significance of the corrections.

Minor corrections will be applied directly to the original article. Major corrections will result in the original article remaining unchanged, while a corrected version will be published separately. Both versions will be linked, and a statement explaining the reason for the major correction will accompany the updated version.

When necessary, article retractions will be carried out in accordance with the COPE retraction guidelines.

Consent for Publication

For all manuscripts that include identifiable details or images of an individual, written informed consent for publication must be obtained from that person (or from a parent or legal guardian in the case of minors under 18). The consent must explicitly allow publication under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), acknowledging that the material will be freely accessible online.

If the individual is deceased, consent must be obtained from their next of kin. The manuscript must include a clear statement confirming that written informed consent for publication was obtained.

Authors may use the journal’s “consent form” or an appropriate form provided by their institution or region. The consent form must state that the details/images will be publicly available on the internet and may be viewed by anyone. Consent documentation must be provided to the Editor upon request and will be treated confidentially.

Confidentiality

Maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of the peer review and editorial decision-making process is essential at all stages, in full compliance with data protection regulations (including GDPR).

Academic Journals will not disclose submitted manuscripts to anyone except those directly involved in processing and preparing the manuscript for potential publication. These individuals include editorial staff, corresponding authors, potential and actual reviewers, and editors.

In cases of suspected misconduct, the manuscript may be shared with members of the journal’s ethics committee and relevant institutions or organizations as required to resolve the issue. Academic Journals will adhere to the appropriate COPE flowcharts in handling such situations.

Copyright Policy

Authors transfer the copyright and the commercial rights only to MMJ. All published articles are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Authors can use a copy of his article in his research activities, own websites, institutional and/or funder’s web sites by providing full citation to version published in MMJ. Authors have the right to transmit, print and share the first submitted copies with colleagues, professional positions, and career with citing to MMJ publication.

Data falsification/fabrication

Deliberate manipulation or fabrication of data is considered a serious form of misconduct. Such actions are intended to mislead others and compromise the integrity of the scholarly record, resulting in significant and long-lasting consequences. When submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that all data presented is accurate and faithfully represents their work. To support the journal’s evaluation process, authors are expected to retain all original (raw) data referenced in their manuscripts. If the original data cannot be provided upon request, the manuscript may be rejected, or a published article may be subject to retraction.

Data sharing policy

MMJ Journal encourages the sharing of research data to promote transparency, reproducibility, and the advancement of knowledge within the academic community. We recognize the importance of making data accessible to other researchers while respecting ethical and legal considerations. To this end, we have established the following guidelines for the inclusion of research data statements in submitted manuscripts:

Data Sharing Expectations:

Authors are strongly encouraged to make their research data publicly accessible whenever possible, except in cases where privacy, confidentiality, or legal restrictions apply. Data should be shared in a way that enables verification of the reported results and facilitates its reuse for future research.

Data Availability Statements

  1. Data Available in a Public Repository: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in public repositories. All articles are archived with the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research of Iraq throughIraqi Academic Scientific Journals archiving system (IASJ), Crossref.
  2. Data Available on Request: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
  3. No Data Available: No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Desk rejection policy

  1. The topic / scope of the study is not relevant to the field of the Journal.
  2. There are publication ethics problems, non-adherence to international standard guidelines, and plagiarism (set at a similarity index of higher than 35%).
  3. The topic does not have a sufficient impact, nor does it sufficiently contribute new knowledge to the field.
  4. There are flaws in the study design.
  5. The objective of the study is not clearly stated.
  6. The study of the organization is problematic and/or certain components are missing.
  7. There are problems in writing or series infelicities of in the style of grammar.
  8. The manuscript does not follow the submission guideline of the Journal.

Duplicate submission/publication

Authors must declare at the time of submission that the manuscript is not under consideration by any other journal. Detection of duplicate submission or publication is generally regarded as a deliberate breach of ethical standards. This includes articles previously published in another language.

For acceptable forms of secondary submission or publication (such as an article translated into English), authors must comply with ICMJE guidelines. This requires obtaining permission from the publisher and copyright holder of the original article and informing the Editor of the receiving journal about the article’s prior publication history.

Additionally, it must be clearly indicated to readers that the article is a translated version, and a proper citation to the original article must be provided.

Funding

Authors are required to disclose all sources of funding, including financial support, within their manuscript. The statement should clearly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in any stage of the research process, from study design to manuscript submission. If the sponsor(s) had no involvement, this must also be explicitly stated. Please ensure that this information is accurate and complies with your funder’s requirements.

Images and figures

Images and figures should only be included if they are directly relevant and add significant value to the work being reported. Avoid incorporating content that is purely decorative or does not contribute to the scholarly merit of the article. As part of the Journal Author Publishing Agreement, authors must obtain written permission to include any material owned or copyrighted by a third party. This includes, but is not limited to, proprietary text, illustrations, tables, data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, musical notation, and any supplemental material.

Misconduct

The journal treats all forms of misconduct with utmost seriousness and will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines, to safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record. Examples of misconduct include, but are not limited to:

  • Misrepresentation of affiliation
  • Breach of copyright or use of third-party material without permission
  • Citation manipulation
  • Duplicate submission or publication
  • “Ethics dumping”
  • Image or data manipulation/fabrication
  • Peer review manipulation
  • Plagiarism
  • Text recycling/self-plagiarism
  • Undisclosed competing interests
  • Unethical research practices

Duplicate Submission

Manuscripts that have been published elsewhere or are under review by another journal will be subject to sanctions for duplicate submission/publication. If authors use previously published work or work currently under review as the basis for a new manuscript, they must cite the original work and clearly explain how the new submission provides novel contributions beyond the prior publication.

Citation Manipulation

Manuscripts containing citations intended primarily to increase the citation count of a specific author or journal will be subject to sanctions for citation manipulation.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Manuscripts found to contain fabricated or falsified experimental results, including manipulated images, will incur sanctions for data fabrication and falsification.

Improper Author Contribution or Attribution

All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research and approved all claims in the manuscript. It is essential to include everyone who contributed substantially, including students and laboratory technicians.

Redundant Publications

Redundant publication refers to the inappropriate division of study outcomes into multiple articles. Such practices are considered unethical and will be addressed accordingly.

Image manipulation

Misconduct constitutes a violation of this editorial policy, journal policies, publication ethics, or any applicable guidelines established by COPE, WAME, ICMJE ,and STM. Any activity that threatens or compromises the integrity of the research or publication process is considered potential misconduct. Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines and flowcharts (COPE) , ensuring a fair, transparent, and systematic process.

Publication Ethics

The Muthanna Medical Journal (MMJ) is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal and its editorial board follow the principles and best practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure transparency, fairness, and responsibility in all aspects of publishing.

All parties involved in the publication process— authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers—are expected to act with honesty and professionalism. Authors must ensure that their work is original, accurately represented, and free from plagiarism or data manipulation. Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality, provide objective and constructive feedback, and declare any conflicts of interest. Editors must make unbiased decisions based solely on the scientific merit of submissions. MMJ is dedicated to addressing any ethical concerns or allegations of research misconduct according to COPE’s internationally recognized guidelines. When necessary, the journal will issue corrections, retractions, or statements of concern to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.

Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions by evaluating submissions in consultation with reviewers and the editorial board, ensuring decisions are guided by legal requirements and free from bias related to authors’ nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion. They must maintain strict confidentiality during the review process, avoid using unpublished material for personal research without written consent, and disclose funding sources and their role in the research. Editors should foster fair, unbiased, and timely peer review, implement policies for handling submissions from board members, and provide clear authorship guidelines. They are expected to encourage reviewers to identify ethical concerns, plagiarism, and redundant publication, share reviewer comments with authors (excluding offensive remarks), and acknowledge reviewers’ contributions while discontinuing those who provide poor or discourteous reviews. To uphold quality, editors must ensure published research meets ethical standards, has appropriate approvals, and address intellectual property issues, correcting errors promptly and prominently when identified.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Reviewers assist the editorial board in making editorial decisions. Reviews should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments so that authors can use them for improving the paper. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Qualification of reviewers

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Acknowledgment of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. References to the ideas of others should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for presenting an accurate and objective account of their research, ensuring that underlying data is correctly represented and retained for at least two years after publication, and making raw data publicly accessible when required. They must guarantee originality, properly acknowledge the work or words of others, and avoid plagiarism or submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently. All financial support and any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of the work must be disclosed. The corresponding author should confirm that all individuals who made significant contributions are listed as co-authors, that all co-authors approve the final version, and that others involved are appropriately acknowledged. If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication, authors are obliged to promptly inform the editor and cooperate in correcting or retracting the paper.

Plagiarism

The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. Using others’ ideas, words, or work without proper acknowledgment is strictly prohibited. Submissions containing any form of plagiarism—whether in whole or in part, will be rejected. This includes:

  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Self-plagiarism, whether in the same or a different language

Please note that posting a manuscript on a preprint archive is not considered duplicate publication.

The corresponding author bears full responsibility for the manuscript throughout the evaluation and publication process and is authorized to act on behalf of all co-authors.

All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using professional plagiarism-checking software. Manuscripts with an unacceptable similarity index due to plagiarism will be immediately rejected.

The journal follows COPE guidelines in handling plagiarism cases. Any manuscript found to contain plagiarized material will not be considered for publication under any circumstances.

Preprints policy

Authors can share their preprint anywhere at any time. If accepted for publication, we encourage authors to link from the preprint to their formal publication via its Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Authors can update their preprints on arXiv or RePEc, etc. with their accepted manuscript.

Repository Policy

Authors are advised not to post manuscripts in institutional repositories or on websites before or during the submission process. However, after publication, authors may post the publisher’s final PDF version without any embargo period.

Protection of Patients’ Privacy

Identifiable information must not be published in written descriptions, photographs, sonograms, CT scans, pedigrees, or similar materials unless it is essential for scientific purposes and informed consent has been obtained from the patient (or parent/guardian, where applicable).

Authors should remove patient names from figures unless explicit consent has been granted. The journal adheres to ICMJE guidelines, which include:

  1. Consent Responsibility: Authors, not the journal or publisher, must obtain and properly archive patient consent forms prior to publication. These forms should not be uploaded with the cover letter or sent via email to editorial or publisher offices.
  2. Consent Statement: If the manuscript contains patient images that preclude anonymity or descriptions that clearly identify the patient, a statement confirming informed consent must be included in the manuscript.

Research Ethics and Consent

Studies Involving Humans, Animals, and Plants

All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological materials, protected or non-public datasets, collections, or sites must include an Ethics Approval section containing:

  • The name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s) involved
  • The approval number or ID
  • A statement confirming that human participants provided informed consent prior to participation

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with ethical standards for animal welfare. All original research papers involving animals must:

  • Follow international, national, and institutional guidelines for humane treatment
  • Obtain approval from an ethics review committee at the institution or practice where the research was conducted, and provide details including committee name(s) and approval number or ID
  • Justify the use of animals and the species selected
  • Provide information on housing, feeding, environmental enrichment, and measures taken to minimize suffering
  • Specify the mode of anesthesia and euthanasia used

Research that does not meet these ethical requirements will be rejected.

Research involving humans

If the study involves human participants, authors must ensure that the research was conducted in compliance with the The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans. Manuscripts should adhere to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and strive to include representative human populations (considering sex, age, and ethnicity) as per these guidelines. The terms sex and gender must be used accurately and appropriately.

All research protocols must have prior approval from the authors’ institutional or relevant ethics committee (Institutional Review Board, IRB) to confirm compliance with national and international standards. Details of this approval—including the institution name, ethics committee name, and approval number(s)—must be provided at the time of submission. Ethics approval must be obtained before the research begins; retrospective approval is generally not accepted and may prevent publication.

Authors must include a clear statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained from all human participants. The privacy and confidentiality rights of participants must always be respected.

Research involving animals

All animal experiments must comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and be conducted in accordance with recognized standards, such as:

Authors must clearly state in the manuscript that these guidelines were followed. The sex of the animals should be reported, and where relevant, the potential influence or association of sex on study outcomes should be addressed.

Experiments involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must adhere to the ethical requirements of the authors’ institution and applicable national or international regulations. Where relevant, include a statement confirming ethics approval or animal licenses.

In all cases, authors must confirm that every effort was made to minimize animal suffering and provide details of the measures taken to achieve this.

Informed Consent

Patients have a fundamental right to privacy, which must not be violated without their informed consent. Identifiable information—such as names, initials, or hospital numbers—should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless it is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or their parent or guardian) has provided written informed consent for publication.

Informed consent requires that the identifiable patient review the manuscript prior to publication. Authors must inform patients if any potentially identifiable material will be accessible online as well as in print after publication. Written consent should be obtained and archived by the journal, the authors, or both, in accordance with local regulations or laws.

Nonessential identifying details should be omitted. If there is any doubt about maintaining anonymity, informed consent must be obtained. For example, masking the eye region in patient photographs does not adequately protect anonymity. If identifying characteristics are modified to preserve anonymity—such as in genetic pedigrees, authors must confirm, and editors should note, that these alterations do not distort scientific meaning. When informed consent has been obtained, it should be clearly stated in the published article.

Special Issues

Special Issue topics are determined by the editorial team of Muthanna Medical Journal (MMJ) and are typically announced at the end of June each year. Submissions for Special Issues follow the same process and author guidelines as regular issues. Potential authors are encouraged to review all submission guidelines and adhere to the outlined process.

A call for submissions for Special Issues is usually included in the current year’s announcement.

Appointment of Guest Editors

Guest Editors for Special Issues are selected based on their expertise, academic reputation, and prior editorial experience. Nominations may come from the journal’s editorial board, existing editors, or through self-nomination. All nominations are reviewed by the editorial board and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

Guest Editors are responsible for:

  • Defining the scope of the Special Issue
  • Drafting the call for papers
  • Managing manuscript submissions
  • Overseeing the peer review process
  • Ensuring quality and originality
  • Making final acceptance decisions in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief

Setup of Special Issues

To initiate a Special Issue, a detailed proposal must be submitted, including:

  • Theme and objectives
  • Target audience
  • Potential Guest Editors
  • Timeline

The proposal is reviewed and approved by the editorial board and the Editor-in-Chief. Once approved, a call for papers is announced and promoted through various channels. A clear timeline for submission, peer review, and publication is established to align with the journal’s regular schedule.

Editorial and Review Process

Manuscripts for Special Issues are submitted through the journal’s online system and undergo initial screening by Guest Editors to ensure relevance and quality. Submissions then proceed through a double-blind peer review process, with reviewers selected based on expertise.

Authors revise their manuscripts based on reviewer feedback and resubmit if necessary. The Guest Editors recommend acceptance or rejection, with final approval by the Editor-in-Chief. Accepted manuscripts are formatted, proofread, and published according to journal guidelines. The Special Issue is promoted through the journal’s distribution channels, and post-publication metrics are monitored to inform future issues.

Review Process and Guidelines for Special Issues

All submissions, including those for Special Issues, follow the same submission process and author guidelines as regular issues. Special Issues are reviewed and published in the same manner as other journal issues.

Standards of reporting

Research should be communicated in a manner that supports verification and reproducibility. Authors are encouraged to provide comprehensive descriptions of their research rationale, protocol, methodology, and analysis.

Use of third-party material

Authors must obtain permission to reuse third-party material in their articles. This includes, but is not limited to, text, illustrations, photographs, tables, data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, or musical notation.

Limited use of short text extracts and certain other materials is generally permitted for criticism and review without formal permission. However, if you wish to include material for which you do not hold copyright and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Writing

This policy applies exclusively to the writing process and does not cover the use of AI tools for data analysis or generating insights during the research phase.

Generative AI (GenAI) tools cannot independently initiate a new, original research without human guidance. They lack accountability for published work and research design—both essential requirements for authorship as outlined in these guidelines. Additionally, AI tools do not have legal standing or the ability to hold or assign copyright. Therefore, in accordance with COPE’s position statement on Authorship and AI tools, these technologies cannot be credited as authors of an article.

Authors who use AI or AI-assisted technologies in their writing should limit their application to improving readability and language, rather than replacing critical authoring tasks such as generating scientific, pedagogic, or medical insights, drawing scientific conclusions, or making clinical recommendations. The use of these tools must always occur under human oversight, with all content carefully reviewed and edited. While AI can produce text that appears authoritative, it may also be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased; thus, authors remain fully responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their work.

Authors are required to disclose any use of AI or AI-assisted technologies when submitting their manuscripts. Transparency fosters trust among authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors, and ensures compliance with the terms of use for these tools.

AI should never be attributed authorship or listed as a co-author, as authorship entails responsibilities that only humans can fulfill. Each author must address questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of the work, approve the final version, and consent to its submission. Authors are also responsible for ensuring the originality of their work, confirming that all listed authors meet authorship criteria, and verifying that the work does not infringe upon third-party rights.

Use of AI in peer review

To safeguard authors’ rights and maintain research confidentiality, this journal currently prohibits the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies—such as ChatGPT or similar services—for peer review. We are actively assessing compliant AI tools and may update this policy in the future.