Integrity at every stage
Research responsibility begins before submission and continues after publication.
Authorship and responsibility
Authorship requires meaningful scholarly contribution and accountability. All authors must approve the manuscript and final version. Describe contributions and identify the corresponding author. Honorary, purchased or undisclosed ghost authorship is unacceptable. Changes in authorship require an explanation and agreement of the affected authors.
Research safeguards
Studies involving people, animals or sensitive records should provide appropriate approval and consent documentation. Identifiable case information requires explicit permission for publication. Do not disclose confidential personal information in supplementary files. Editors may request verification without publishing private documents.
Misconduct assessment
Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, undisclosed duplicate publication and citation coercion are unacceptable. Allegations should be assessed confidentially with documented evidence and a fair opportunity to respond. Where warranted, editors may contact relevant institutions. Decisions must address the scholarly record and avoid retaliation against those raising concerns.
Artificial intelligence disclosure
AI tools cannot assume authorship or responsibility. Authors disclose the tool and its purpose, verify generated text, citations and analysis, and remain accountable. Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts to external AI tools without authorization and suitable confidentiality protections.
Conflicts of interest
Authors, editors and reviewers disclose relationships that may affect judgement. Relevant conflicts may lead to recusal or reviewer replacement. Financial support, fee waivers and sponsorship must not determine acceptance.
Editorial framework prepared for formal adoption. See the transparency page for confirmed operating information.