Honesty: All researchers, authors, and reviewers must present their data and findings honestly and ethically (i.e., without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation).
Integrity: Authors should ensure the research submitted is their own original work, has not been previously published elsewhere, and is not under consideration for publication by any other journal.
Objectivity: The process of peer review and editorial decision-making should be free from bias. All decisions to accept or reject a manuscript must be based solely on the paper's importance, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope.
Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat the review process as confidential, and should not discuss any aspect of the work without the permission of the editor.
Conflict of Interest: Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any relationships or interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the conduct and reporting of the work.
Publishing Ethics: The journal will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred and does not allow plagiarism or other unethical behavior.
Accountability: Authors and reviewers are accountable for the content they provide. Editors are responsible for the timely management of the review process and have the final responsibility for the decision to publish.
Respect for Intellectual Property: Citation to other works must be accurate and duly acknowledged. Authors must not use the work of others without permission and should not engage in excessive self-citation.
Human and Animal Rights: If the work involves the use of human participants, animal models, or biological material, the author should ensure that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines.
Informed Consent: For studies involving human participants, informed consent must be obtained and all participants' rights to privacy must be observed. The ethical principles described in the Declaration of Helsinki must be applied in the study’s procedure.
The principal researcher of the study involving human participants is responsible for seeking a research ethics committee review and obtaining their approval. The information on the approval should be included in the manuscript, stating which committee issued the approval, its date and form (e.g. written form or other).
Publication Corrections: When an error is identified in a published work, the journal will take prompt action to correct the record, including issuing a retraction or erratum, as appropriate.
