The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. It is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the society of society-owned or sponsored journals.
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright holder. For the policies on the research and publication ethics not stated in this instruction, ‘‘Guidlines on Good Publication (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines)’’ can be applied. When the journal faces suspected cases of research and publication misconduct such as redundant (duplicate) publication, plagiarism, fraudulent or fabricated data, changes in authorship, an undisclosed conflict of interest, ethical problems with a submitted manuscript, a reviewer who has appropriated an author’s idea or data, complaints against editors, and so on, the resolution process will follow the flowchart provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). The discussion and decision on the suspected cases are carried out by the Editorial Board.

Duties of Editors

• - Publication decision
• - Fair play
• - Confidentiality
• - Disclosure and Conflicts of interest
• - Involvement and cooperation in investigations

Duties of Reviewers

• - Contribution to Editorial Decision
• - Promptness
• - Confidentiality
• - Standards of Objectivity
• - Acknowledgement of Source
• - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Duties of Authors

• - Reporting standards
• - Data Access and Retention
• - Originality and Plagiarism
• - Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication
• - Acknowledgement of Sources
• - Authorship of the Paper
• - Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects
• - Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
• - Fundamental errors in published works

*Authorship of the Paper:

Authorship should be limited to the researchers who contributed significantly in the areas of conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the submitted study and must fulfill the following conditions; (1) substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work, (2) Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content, (3) Final approval of the version to be published, and (4) Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Other contributors should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgement.

*Research Misconduct:

All research misconducts including falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, and improprieties of authorship done in a submitted manuscript must be investigated by the committee of ethics consisting of minimum three members including the editor-in-chief as the chair and selected associate editors. The investigation committee members sincerely take actions and not to disclose all the information obtained in the process of investigation. Investigation follows the standard procedure in the ICMJE.

Duties of the Publisher

We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. In addition, we will assist in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful to editors. Finally, we are working closely with other publishers and industry associations to set standards for best practices on ethical matters, errors and retractions, and are prepared to provide specialized legal review and counsel if necessary.