Cover Letter:
We encourage authors to upload a Cover Letter. That will help authors let editors quickly obtain information and evaluate the scientific value of their research correctly.
The Cover Letter should explicitly outline the research's key aspects:
l Novelty: The submission should present a unique perspective, and deliver fresh insights that distinguish it from prior work.
l Scientific Importance: The submission is of notable significance, targeting critical voids in existing knowledge and offering discoveries that enhance our field's comprehension.
l Scientific Value: The manuscript is pioneering in its area, poised to garner widespread interest due to its pertinence and consequences for the scientific community at large.
Article Structure:
l For review articles, the main text typically adheres to a structure that may vary by review type (systematic, narrative, scoping, etc.).
l The manuscripts should be carefully structured into clear, comprehensive sections, including the Title, Author Information, Abstract, Keywords, Background, Main Body, Conclusions, References, Figure and Table Legends, Author Contributions, Acknowledgments, Financial Support, and Conflict of Interest Disclosure.
Abstract:
The abstract, limited to 300 words, is compactly organized into four sections: Background, Objectives, Findings, and Conclusion, formatted as a single, unified paragraph.
Keywords:
Beneath the abstract, provide a list of 5 to 10 keywords.
Background:
Authors in this section define the review's goal, which could involve synthesizing existing research, identifying knowledge gaps, or evaluating the effectiveness of interventions or treatments. This section underscores the topic's significance, summarizes the current knowledge base, clarifies the review's intent, organizes the presented information, and establishes the study's boundaries and scope.
Main text:
l The main text details the literature search approach, including databases and keywords used, along with the criteria for including or excluding studies, such as study types, languages, and periods. It concisely describes the review methods, selection process, and procedures for data extraction and synthesis.
l Within this section, authors condense and appraise the review's findings, dividing the content into distinct segments that each delve into a central concept and its relevance to the research question. Organization can follow a chronological, thematic, or other logical structure.
Conclusion:
The conclusion draws together the main points from each section, linking them to broader research imperatives and emphasizing their significance for the design of future studies. It offers a succinct summary of the review's implications, often underscoring the results' importance and suggesting avenues for subsequent research or practical application.
References:
While there's no strict limit on the number of references (though typically fewer than 200), they must adhere to the formatting standards of PubMed and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Authors are tasked with linking each reference to its DOI; any exceptions should be annotated in the document. The tool at https://apps.crossref.org/SimpleTextQuery facilitates the swift matching of references to their DOIs.
Citation Requirements:
Overzealous self-citation, co-citation among multiple authors, needless citation of articles from the journal to which the manuscript is being submitted, and any other form of citation manipulation are deemed unacceptable. Such practices can lead to the manuscript's rejection and potential notification to the author's institution. Self-citation should constitute less than 10% of all citations.
When crafting the manuscript, authors should adhere to these principles:
l Cite any information derived from external sources, excluding personal insights, discoveries, or common knowledge.
l Refrain from citing secondary works instead of the original contributions.
l Ensure the precision and correctness of all citations.
l Avoid citing works that have not been personally reviewed.
l Do not over-rely on citations to substantiate a point.
l Authors should cite articles from peer-reviewed sources whenever possible.
Visual Abstracts:
Authors are invited, though not required, to submit a visual abstract. A visual abstract serves as a pictorial overview of the article's principal findings, paralleling the role of a textual abstract.
Image Specifications: Authors should provide an image with dimensions not less than 531 x 1328 pixels, at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.
Font: Arial
File Format: TIFF
Figure Data:
Authors are to upload figures to the submission platform, ensuring they either created the figures or hold the copyright for them. The figures must contain clear text, and authors should be open to editorial modifications to align with publication standards.
Image Specifications: Submit images with at least 531 x 1328 pixels, at a resolution of no less than 600 dpi.
Font: Arial
File Format: TIFF
Table Data:
Tables should be succinct and accompanied by a title formatted in a three-line black table style. Use Arabic numerals for numerical data within the table. Any abbreviations present in the table must be fully explained in the notes.
Additional Files:
Supplementary materials often encompass relevant content that is not included in the main article body, such as extra data, computer code, extensive tables, or appendices.
Author Contributions Clarification:
Adhering to the ICMJE's four criteria, only those who make significant contributions to the following aspects may be recognized as authors:
1. Playing a substantial role in the work's conception, design, or data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation; AND
2. Contributing to the drafting or critically revising the work for intellectual content; AND
3. Approving the final version for publication; AND
4. Taking responsibility for the work's integrity, ensuring any questions about the accuracy or integrity of the work are addressed.
Financial Support Disclosure:
Authors must disclose all funding sources for their research, detailing both the funding organization and grant numbers. If the research did not receive financial support, this should be stated explicitly.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
Authors are required to reveal any financial or personal relationships that could potentially bias their work, under the 'Conflict of interest statement' section. This includes but is not limited to, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, expert testimony fees, patent applications or registrations, and grants.
Originality Requirement:
Manuscripts submitted must be original works not previously published, with approval from all contributing authors. The manuscript's uniqueness will be confirmed through originality detection services.
Ethics and Policy
Ethical Utilization of AI-Language Tools (ChatGPT):
l Our journal highly values the integrity and accuracy of scholarly work and encourages the adoption of diverse tools and methods to boost research productivity and excellence. With the use of AI language models like ChatGPT, it is imperative for authors to be vigilant regarding the semantic accuracy and potential cultural misinterpretations these tools might introduce, ensuring that their utilization does not compromise the study's quality or dependability.
l Consequently, our publication permits the use of ChatGPT for enhancing translation, summarization, and linguistic refinement, but prohibits its application in crafting the core content of research papers. Any infringement of this policy will lead to the paper's rejection and a two-year ban on further submissions from the offending author.
l Submissions with a significant portion (over 20%) generated by AI will either be rejected or sent back for amendments.
Editorial policy:
In line with the principles of COPE, ICMJE, and DOAJ, we strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in publication practices. Our journal employs an online monitoring system to ensure adherence to the ethical guidelines and policies as outlined on our website.
Plagiarism, Data Fabrication and Image Manipulation:
l Plagiarism, copying content without citation, is prohibited, including self-plagiarism. Proper citation is mandatory for all borrowed material.
l Data Fabrication: We follow COPE guidelines for addressing data falsification.
l Suspected Data Fabrication: We investigate suspected fabricated data in both submissions and published works.
l Image Manipulation Guidelines: Authors must supply original images for all figures and file results. Adjustments for brightness, contrast, or color balance are not allowed. No image features can be altered or added.
Citation Policies:
l Avoid excessive self-citation, co-citation, or unnecessary journal-specific citations; manipulation leads to rejection and institutional reporting.
l Cite external information used in the manuscript.
l Prefer original works over derivatives.
l Ensure citations are precise.
l Do not cite unread sources.
l Avoid over-citing to bolster arguments.
l Do not cite retracted sources.
l Authors should cite articles from peer-reviewed sources.
Transparency Principles:
Adhering to the sixteen transparency principles established by COPE, our journal is committed to maintaining the utmost openness in all publication activities.
Updating Published Works:
Our policy and procedures for updating published papers are designed with openness and transparency in mind.
Updates Without Correction Notices:
During the proof stage, authors must verify their details. Unless there's an issue with the author's name spelling, these details won't be altered by the editor. Editorial approval is required for changes, and once granted, the article will be updated and re-posted on our site. We'll also inform the relevant databases to update their records.
Correction Notices Required:
1. If there's an error in a publication's critical section, if data or interpretation are wrong (but don't affect conclusions), or if figures/tables are missing or unclear.
2. If an author's name needs to be added or removed, including affiliations.
3. If references need to be added or removed.
4. If text needs to be added or removed.
5. If there are changes to funding, contributions, or acknowledgments. Post-approval, the article will be updated, and the correction will be published online. The correction is a distinct piece, linked to the article, with its DOI, appearing in the latest issue. We'll also alert the databases to update their versions.
Retractions:
Retractions occur for various reasons, including:
1. Research errors, ethical breaches, falsified data, plagiarism, and more. These compromise the scientific record.
2. Fabricated Data.
3. Errors: Mistakes leading to unreliable results.
4. Plagiarism: Unauthorized use of others' work.
5. Duplicate Publication: Publishing the same study in multiple journals without proper reference.
6. Authorship Issues: Disputes over contributions.
7. Ethical Violations: Failure to follow procedures, improper authorship, etc.
8. Scientific Misconduct: Including fraud and related issues.
We adhere to COPE's guidelines for retractions. A retracted article is marked "Retracted" but remains accessible for reference. Retracted articles shouldn't be cited. The retraction notice, separate and linked to the original, will be published with its DOI in the latest issue. Partial retractions may apply if only some results are incorrect. In rare cases, an article may be fully removed from our site and databases.
Comments and Complaints:
When readers encounter issues with an article, they are encouraged to reach out to the authors in question to seek a resolution before involving the editorial team. Should direct contact be unsuitable, unresponsive, or unsuccessful, the editorial office is ready to step in. We will work in conjunction with those raising concerns, the authors, and the Editor-in-Chief or relevant editorial board members, adhering to the COPE guidelines, to thoroughly investigate and address all complaints or concerns.
Authorship Adjustments:
l Upon initial submission, authors are expected to provide a definitive list of contributors. Any alterations to the author order post-submission require prior approval from the editorial office. Authors must correspond with the editorial office via email, outlining the rationale for the change in order. The editor will then verify with all authors via email, ensuring unanimity in agreement before approving any adjustments.
l Generally, requests for author removal are not entertained once a manuscript is submitted, and additions are only considered following substantial revisions and resubmission. It is important to note that any new authors must align with the journal's Authorship criteria, mirroring the ICMJE's four criteria, and must be consented to by all existing authors.
l The editorial office will only entertain requests to add or rearrange authors post-acceptance under extraordinary circumstances, with the understanding that manuscript processing will be on hold during the review. Such requests are not entertained for manuscripts already published online or officially.
Privacy Policy:
Our journal adheres to a centralized Privacy Policy.