Zero Tolerance for Research Misconduct

The journal maintains zero tolerance for research misconduct and publication malpractice. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency, and academic integrity. The journal strictly prohibits any of the following ethical violations:

• Fabrication or falsification of research data and findings.
• Inappropriate manipulation or alteration of research data, tables, figures, or other research materials.
• Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate submission, and redundant publication.
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest or competing interests.
• Honorary, gift, or ghost authorship.
• Misrepresentation of research methods, results, affiliations, or sources of funding.
• Manipulation of the peer-review or publication process.

Authorship, Funding & Disclosures

All listed authors must have made a substantive intellectual or scholarly contribution to the research and must accept responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work. Authors are expected to accurately report individual contributions, disclose all relevant sources of funding, declare competing interests, and acknowledge individuals or institutions that have contributed to the research where appropriate. Any changes to authorship after submission must be justified and approved by all affected authors and the editorial team.

Ethical Conduct of Research

Research involving human participants, patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare facilities, or health-related data must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements. Where applicable, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board and obtain informed consent from participants. Authors must ensure the confidentiality and privacy of participants and must not disclose personally identifiable or sensitive health information without appropriate authorization. Ethical approval, informed consent, data protection measures, and other relevant ethical considerations should be clearly reported in the manuscript when required.

Data Integrity & Confidentiality

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and appropriate management of research data. Health-related information and other sensitive data must be handled responsibly and in accordance with applicable privacy, confidentiality, and data protection requirements. Where appropriate, datasets should be securely stored and made available for verification or further scholarly research in accordance with ethical, legal, institutional, and data-sharing requirements.

Handling Misconduct Allegations

Allegations of research or publication misconduct raised before or after publication are investigated by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the relevant editors and, where appropriate, independent experts. Investigations are conducted in accordance with applicable COPE guidance and the principles of fairness, confidentiality, impartiality, and due process. Confirmed violations may result in rejection of the manuscript, correction of the published article, issuance of an expression of concern, retraction, or notification to the author's affiliated institution or other relevant authorities, depending on the nature and severity of the violation.