Publication Ethics

The International Journal of Clinical Neurosciences (IJCN) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. The journal adheres to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process.

Editorial Responsibilities

  • Editors are responsible for ensuring that all published content meets the journal’s standards of quality, originality, and ethical integrity.

  • Editorial decisions are based solely on the manuscript’s scholarly merit, relevance, and contribution to the field, without discrimination based on gender, nationality, race, or institutional affiliation.

  • Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and must not use unpublished material for personal research without the author’s written permission.

  • All editorial team members must disclose and appropriately manage any conflicts of interest.

Author Responsibilities

  • Authors must ensure that their submissions are original and have not been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

  • Proper acknowledgment of others’ work through correct citation and referencing is mandatory.

  • All listed authors must have made substantial contributions to the research and approved the final manuscript for submission.

  • Authors must clearly disclose all funding sources and any potential conflicts of interest.

  • Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions for copyrighted materials, patient data, or confidential information.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Peer reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of manuscripts.

  • Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and must not share or use manuscript content for personal benefit.

  • Any conflict of interest that may compromise impartial judgment must be declared; if necessary, the reviewer should decline the review request.

Ethical Considerations in Research

  • Research involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical standards (e.g., Declaration of Helsinki) and include evidence of informed consent and approval from an ethical review board.

  • Studies involving animals must follow internationally accepted guidelines for humane treatment.

  • Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and unethical manipulation of images or data are strictly prohibited.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, academic, or personal relationships that may influence their contributions or decisions. Conflicts will be evaluated and managed according to COPE recommendations.

Handling of Misconduct

In cases of suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data manipulation, unethical authorship):

  • The journal will conduct an investigation following COPE procedures.

  • Depending on the findings, actions may include rejection, publication of correction, retraction, notification to author’s institution, or blacklisting in severe cases.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

  • Corrections will be issued for minor errors that do not compromise study validity.

  • Retractions will be issued in cases of confirmed ethical violations or unreliable findings.

  • Expressions of Concern may be published when investigations are ongoing.

Policy Review

This policy is reviewed annually and updated as necessary to ensure continued alignment with internationally accepted publication ethics standards. Any revisions will be made publicly available on the journal website.