Spectra Clinical Case Reports Journal (SCCRJ) follows guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee for Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) in facing all aspects of publication ethics and how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct.

All studies must be conducted to a high ethical standard and must adhere to local regulations and standards for gaining scrutiny and approval. We encourage the work described in your article to be carried out following The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans.

SCCRJ has implemented the COPE guidelines to ensure that editors, authors, and reviewers meet ethical standards at a high level of quality. The importance of publication ethics cannot be overstated, as it is essential to enhancing the quality of research on a global scale.

Responsibilities for Authors, Reviewers, and Editors

Authors’ Responsibilities

Originality, plagiarism, and the acknowledgment of sources.

Authors must submit only original works and be sure to properly cite or quote any work of others. It is necessary to cite publications that significantly influenced the nature of the reported work.

Risks associated with human or animal subjects

Authors must identify any unusual hazards associated with the use of chemicals, procedures, or equipment in the manuscript. When the research involves animals or human participants, authors must confirm that all procedures adhere to applicable laws and institutional guidelines and that the relevant institutional committee(s) have granted approval; the manuscript should include a statement reflecting this compliance.

Informed consent

Informed consent refers to the process by which individuals are provided with comprehensive information regarding a procedure or treatment, enabling them to make an educated decision about their participation. This process is fundamental in ensuring ethical standards in research and medical practices.

All research studies must provide patients and participants with thorough information about the study's objectives and any potential adverse effects related to the medications and interventions. Acquiring written informed consent from participants or their legal guardians is crucial for all research activities of such type. SCCRJ reserves the right to request pertinent documentation in this context. Authors must include a statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained for experimentation involving human participants. The privacy rights of human participants must be strictly upheld.

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient’s legal guardian for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor in Chief of this journal.

Declarations for Ethics approval and consent to participate

The authors confirm that all appropriate patient consent forms have been attained. The patient and his guardians consented for images and other deidentified clinical information to be published. The patient understands that his name and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal his identity, but anonymity cannot be guaranteed. The patient and his guardians completed and signed an informed consent. The ethical standards outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki were upheld.

Manuscript authorship

Only individuals who fulfill the specified authorship criteria should be designated as authors in the manuscript, as they must assume public responsibility for the content. (1) contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, or analysis/interpretation of the study; (2) drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for significant intellectual content; (3) reviewed and approved the final version of the paper and consented to its submission for publication.

Individuals who provided significant contributions to the work detailed in the manuscript, including technical assistance, writing and editing support, and general aid, but do not fulfill the complete criteria for authorship, should not be listed as authors. Instead, they should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgments" section, contingent upon obtaining their written consent to be named. The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate coauthors, as defined above, are included in the author list while excluding any inappropriate coauthors. Additionally, the corresponding author should verify that all coauthors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have consented to its submission for publication.

Furthermore, SCCRJ evaluates authorship based on the declaration provided on the Title Page; therefore, it is the author's responsibility to submit the final sequence of the complete author names. Requests for changes in authorship, including the removal or addition of authors and alterations in order, following submission require editorial approval. The Editorial Board will examine such cases and proceed following COPE flowcharts.

Requests for changes in authorship must be directed to the Editorial Office accompanied by an official letter outlining the rationale for the modification. All authors must sign the letter, indicating their approval of the change in authorship.

Standards for reporting

Authors of original research reports must provide a precise account of the conducted work and an unbiased discussion of its significance. The article must accurately represent the underlying data. An article must include adequate detail and references to enable others to replicate the research. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements represent unethical behavior and are deemed unacceptable.

Access to data and its retention

Authors may be required to submit the raw data of their study alongside the manuscript for editorial review and should be ready to make the data publicly accessible if feasible. Authors must ensure that data is accessible to other qualified professionals for a minimum of 10 years post-publication, ideally through an institutional or subject-specific data repository or another data center, if participant confidentiality is maintained and legal rights regarding proprietary data do not prevent its release.

Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication.

Papers presenting essentially identical research should not be published in multiple journals or primary publications. Therefore, authors must refrain from submitting a manuscript for consideration if it has already been published in another journal. The concurrent submission of a manuscript to multiple journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is deemed unacceptable.

Critical inaccuracies in published literature

Upon discovering a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, an author is obligated to promptly inform the journal editor or publisher and to collaborate with the editor to retract or correct the paper through an erratum or corrigendum.

Evaluation by experts in the field

Authors must engage in the peer review process and fully cooperate by promptly responding to editors' requests for raw data, clarifications, and evidence of ethics approval, patient consent, and copyright permissions. When receiving a first decision of "revisions required" or "resubmit," authors must address the reviewers' comments systematically and point by point. It is essential to revise and resubmit the manuscript to the journal by the specified deadline.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Authors should submit a statement disclosing any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project must be disclosed.

Declaration regarding the utilization of AI in scientific writing

Authors utilizing generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process should do so solely to improve the readability and language of their work. The deployment of these technologies necessitates human oversight and control, as authors must meticulously review and edit the output due to its potential incompleteness, inaccuracies, or biases. The authors bear responsibility and accountability for the content of their work. Authors are required to include a statement at the end of their manuscript in a section titled "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process," prior to the References list, to disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.

Reviewers’ Responsibility

Confidentiality

Confidentiality refers to the ethical and legal duty to protect private information from unauthorized access or disclosure. It is a fundamental principle ensuring that sensitive data is handled with care and respect for individuals' privacy rights

All manuscripts submitted for review are to be regarded as confidential documents. Disclosure or discussion with others is prohibited unless authorized by the editor.

Involvement in editorial decision-making

The peer-review process aids editors in making editorial decisions and can also assist authors in enhancing their manuscripts.

Availability

Referees who believe they are unqualified to assess the research in a manuscript or anticipate that a timely review is unfeasible should promptly inform the editors and decline the review invitation, allowing for the identification of alternative reviewers.

Criteria for objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively, and observations should be articulated clearly with supporting arguments to enable authors to enhance their manuscripts. Criticism directed at the authors on a personal level is deemed inappropriate.

Recognition of sources

Reviewers must identify pertinent published research that the authors have not referenced. All observations, derivations, or arguments reported in prior publications must include the appropriate citation. A reviewer must inform the editors of any significant similarity or overlap between the manuscript being evaluated and any other manuscript, whether published or unpublished, of which they are aware.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

Disclosure and conflict of interest are critical components in maintaining transparency and integrity within research and professional practices.

Confidentiality must be maintained regarding privileged information or ideas acquired through peer review, and such information should not be utilized for personal gain. Reviewers must refrain from evaluating manuscripts if they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any authors, companies, or institutions linked to the papers.

Editors’ Responsibilities

Confidentiality

Editors are prohibited from disclosing any information regarding a submitted manuscript to individuals other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as applicable.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Editors shall not utilize unpublished information from a submitted manuscript for personal research purposes without obtaining explicit written consent from the authors. Editors will maintain the confidentiality of privileged information or ideas acquired through their management of the manuscript and will not utilize them for personal gain. Editors will withdraw from the evaluation of manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any party.

The Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, International Editorial Advisory Board members, and Editorial Board Members function as ambassadors for the journal and provide advisory support to the in-house editorial team as needed.