Ethical Guidelines and Submission Requirements
1. Ethics in Publishing
Authors are required to adhere strictly to the ethical guidelines outlined in the journal’s Publishing Ethics Policy. These principles encompass scientific integrity, transparency, respect for the rights of researchers, and full compliance with international standards of research ethics.
2. Submission Declaration
By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors implicitly confirm that:
• The work has not been previously published, except in the form of a preprint, abstract, published lecture, academic thesis, or registered report.
• The manuscript is not currently under consideration for publication by any other journal.
• The submission has been approved by all co-authors and by the responsible authorities at the institution where the research was conducted.
• If accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or any other language, including electronically, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
• The journal reserves the right to utilize screening tools to verify compliance with its publishing policies.
3. Authorship
All listed authors must have made a substantial and meaningful contribution to:
• The conception and design of the study, data collection, or data analysis and interpretation.
• Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
• Final approval of the version to be submitted.
A corresponding author must be designated to manage all communications with the journal. All authors share collective responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work and must fully cooperate in resolving any concerns or inquiries that may arise.
4. Changes to Authorship
The journal generally does not permit changes to the authorship list after the initial submission. Authors must ensure that the final list and the order of authors are carefully determined prior to submission.
Journal policies regarding authorship changes include:
• All authors must be explicitly listed in the manuscript and entered into the online submission system.
• Any addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors is only permitted prior to formal acceptance and must be explicitly approved by the Editor-in-Chief.
• Requests must be submitted by the corresponding author and must include a detailed justification for the change, accompanied by written confirmation from all authors (including those being added or removed).
• All requests must be submitted using the journal’s designated Authorship Change Form.
• In exceptional circumstances, changes may be considered after acceptance.
• If changes are approved post-publication, a formal corrigendum will be issued.
• Unauthorized changes to authorship may result in the immediate rejection or retraction of the article.
5. Declaration of Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any financial and non-financial interests that could potentially influence their work. Disclosures include, but are not limited to:
• Employment
• Consultancies
• Stock ownership
• Honoraria
• Expert testimony
• Patent applications
• Grants or funding
• Editorial board memberships
• Institutional relationships
• Recent collaborations (within the past three years)
• Any personal or professional interest related to the research
If no competing interests exist, authors must include the following statement: *"The authors declare no competing interests."*
*Note: Legitimate salaries, grants, consultancy payments, or industry funding are permitted and must be disclosed. The journal does not require authors to state that they "have not been paid for their work."*
5.A. Reviewer Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must decline the invitation to review if they have any conflict of interest, including:
• Recent collaboration with the authors.
• Financial or institutional relationships.
• Personal or academic competition.
• Any interest that may impair impartial judgment.
The journal will promptly assign an alternative reviewer in such cases.
5.B. Editor and Editorial Board Conflict of Interest
Editors and editorial board members must disclose any conflicts of interest and are strictly prohibited from participating in editorial decisions regarding manuscripts for which they have a conflict.
• Board Member Submissions: Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members are handled by an independent editor and external reviewers.
• Editor-in-Chief Submissions: Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief are managed by an independent guest editor with no affiliation to the journal.
5.C. Staff and Publisher Conflicts
Journal staff and publisher representatives must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the publication process. They are excluded from participating in decisions where such conflicts exist.
5.D. Recent Collaborations and Institutional Relationships
Any collaboration or institutional relationship within the past three years that may influence the evaluation process must be disclosed by authors, reviewers, and editors.
5.E. Post-Publication Conflict-of-Interest Corrections
If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after publication, the journal will issue a correction, addendum, or—when necessary—an expression of concern or retraction. Indexing services and Crossref will be notified accordingly.
6. Funding Sources
Authors must disclose all financial support received for conducting the research or preparing the manuscript. The role of the funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, and submission must be clearly stated.
If no funding was received, the following statement must be included: "This research received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."
7. Declaration of Generative AI Use
The Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, and journal staff.
• Authors: The responsible use of generative AI tools is permitted; however, AI must not replace human scientific judgment. All AI use—including writing assistance, image generation, coding, or data analysis—must be explicitly disclosed. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. The AI declaration must appear in a separate section immediately preceding the references.
• Reviewers: Uploading confidential manuscripts or review materials to public AI systems is strictly prohibited. Any AI-assisted evaluation requires explicit prior approval from the journal and must utilize secure, non-public tools. Reviewers remain fully responsible for confidentiality and the protection of proprietary information.
• Editors and Journal Staff: Manuscripts under review must not be uploaded to public AI platforms. AI may be used exclusively for administrative or language-related tasks where confidentiality is strictly preserved. All editorial decisions must be made by humans.
• AI-Generated Content: AI-generated images, figures, or text must be clearly identified. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all AI-generated data, code, and references.
• Consequences of Misuse: Undisclosed or inappropriate AI use—including the uploading of confidential material—may result in manuscript rejection, the withdrawal of accepted papers, or formal notification to the author’s institution.
8. Preprints
Authors may post their manuscripts on recognized, non-commercial preprint servers prior to submission, provided that the preprint is disclosed during the submission process and subsequently updated with the final article DOI upon publication.
9. Inclusive Language
Authors must utilize language that:
• Reflects diversity.
• Is respectful and unbiased.
• Avoids stereotypes, discriminatory expressions, and unnecessary references to personal attributes.
The use of gender-neutral terms and the avoidance of unnecessary gendered pronouns are highly recommended.
10. Sex- and Gender-Based Analyses
For studies involving humans, animals, or eukaryotic cells, sex- and gender-based analyses should be incorporated into the study design and reporting, or explicitly acknowledged as a limitation. Authors must clearly define the terms "sex" and "gender" in accordance with scientific standards.
11. Jurisdictional Claims
The journal maintains strict neutrality regarding territorial or jurisdictional claims. Maps must depict only the actual study area and must include a disclaimer noting that map boundaries do not necessarily represent official national borders. Institutional affiliations must be stated in their official, verifiable form.
12. Studies Involving Human Participants
Human studies must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and ICMJE guidelines. Manuscripts must explicitly include:
• Ethical approval (including the date and reference number).
• Measures taken for the protection of participants’ rights and privacy.
• Documentation of informed consent.
The journal will not accept manuscripts utilizing human tissues or organs obtained through unethical means.
13. Studies Involving Animal Subjects
Animal studies must comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and relevant national or international regulations. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming compliance and must specify the sex of the animals used.
A dedicated Human, Animal, and Sensory Research Ethics Policy has been established. Authors are required to provide comprehensive ethical documentation, including committee identification, approval codes, welfare protocols, humane endpoints, anesthesia/euthanasia procedures, 3Rs compliance, and relevant permits. Ethical approval cannot be confirmed through a simple "yes/no" declaration.
14. Sensory Studies
Sensory studies require a formal ethical statement. If ethical approval is not required, the exemption must be scientifically justified. If no formal ethics committee exists, authors must explicitly explain how participants’ rights and privacy were protected. For studies involving vulnerable populations, informed consent from parents or legal guardians is mandatory.
15. Delayed Publication
If authors require a delay in publication, they must contact the journal office as early as possible. While the journal will make every effort to honor such requests, it cannot guarantee that publication will be postponed beyond the scheduled date.