Ethics and Malpractices

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct in research, peer review, and scholarly publishing. The journal expects all participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—to uphold principles of integrity, transparency, accountability, and respect for the scholarly record.

JECA follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes allegations of research misconduct or publication malpractice seriously.

For further guidance, authors, reviewers, and editors are encouraged to consult:

1. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to JECA must ensure that their work complies with accepted standards of research and publication ethics.

1.1 Originality and Prior Publication

Authors must submit only original work. A manuscript submitted to JECA must not:

  • have been published previously, in whole or in part, except as disclosed by the authors;
  • be under consideration by another journal at the time of submission;
  • infringe the copyright or other rights of any third party.

Submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time constitutes unethical publishing practice and is not acceptable.

1.2 Plagiarism

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • copying text, ideas, images, or data from other sources without proper attribution;
  • paraphrasing the work of others without appropriate acknowledgment;
  • presenting another person’s work as one’s own;
  • self-plagiarism or inappropriate text recycling where not properly disclosed.

JECA may use similarity detection tools to screen submissions. Manuscripts containing suspected plagiarism may be rejected or investigated further.

1.3 Acknowledgement of Sources

Authors must appropriately acknowledge the work of others and cite all relevant publications that informed or influenced the reported study.

Relevant prior work should be cited accurately and fairly. Failure to acknowledge the contributions of others constitutes unethical conduct.

1.4 Data Integrity

Authors must ensure that all data presented in the manuscript are accurate, authentic, and honestly reported.

Data Fabrication

Data fabrication refers to the invention of data, results, or observations that were never obtained.

Data Falsification

Data falsification refers to the inappropriate manipulation of research materials, equipment, processes, images, or data such that the research record is misrepresented.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • altering or selectively omitting data;
  • manipulating images in a misleading way;
  • changing values or observations without scientific justification;
  • suppressing findings that are inconsistent with the desired outcome.

Fabrication and falsification are serious forms of research misconduct and are not tolerated.

1.5 Multiple, Redundant, or Duplicate Publication

Authors must not publish, or attempt to publish, substantially the same research in more than one journal without appropriate justification, disclosure, and editorial approval.

Duplicate submission, redundant publication, and salami publication are unacceptable and may result in rejection or retraction.

1.6 Citation Manipulation

Authors must not include citations primarily to increase citation counts of their own work, the work of colleagues, or the journal.

Citations should be included only where they are relevant and scientifically justified. Inappropriate citation practices may lead to editorial action, including rejection of the manuscript.

1.7 Authorship

All listed authors must meet JECA’s authorship criteria and must have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work. All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to be accountable for its content.

Guest authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are unacceptable.

1.8 Research Ethics

Authors must ensure that research involving human participants, animals, human tissue, human data, or biosafety-sensitive materials has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards and approved by the appropriate ethics committee where required.

Relevant approvals, informed consent statements, and ethical declarations must be included in the manuscript.

1.9 Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial competing interests that may influence, or appear to influence, their work.

All sources of funding and the role of the funder must be clearly stated.

1.10 Data Availability

Authors must comply with JECA’s Data Sharing Policy and provide a Data Availability Statement or Data Sharing Statement, as applicable.

1.11 Corrections and Retractions

If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a submitted, accepted, or published manuscript, the author must notify the Editor promptly and cooperate in issuing a correction, retraction, or other appropriate notice.

2. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play a central role in supporting the quality, integrity, and fairness of the editorial process.

2.1 Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts and all related materials as confidential documents. They must not disclose, discuss, or use any unpublished information from a manuscript for personal, professional, or financial advantage.

2.2 Objectivity and Fairness

Reviews must be conducted objectively, constructively, and respectfully. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts on the basis of scientific merit, originality, clarity, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal.

2.3 Timeliness

Reviewers who accept an invitation are expected to complete their review within the requested timeframe. If a reviewer cannot complete the review promptly, the Editor should be informed without delay.

2.4 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where impartial evaluation is not possible.

2.5 Supporting Revision

Reviewers should provide clear, specific, and evidence-based comments that assist the Editor in decision-making and help authors improve the manuscript where revision is appropriate.

Where reviewers recommend changes based on prior literature, they should provide sufficient detail to allow the authors and Editors to assess the relevance of the suggestion.

2.6 Ethical Concerns

Reviewers should alert the Editor to any suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, ethical concerns, or undisclosed competing interests.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining the academic quality, integrity, and fairness of the journal.

3.1 Editorial Decisions

Editors must make decisions on submitted manuscripts based on scholarly merit, originality, clarity, relevance to the journal, ethical compliance, and reviewer feedback, without discrimination or undue influence.

3.2 Fair and Unbiased Assessment

Editors must ensure that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and impartially, without regard to authors’ race, gender, nationality, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, or other non-scholarly considerations.

3.3 Confidentiality

Editors must protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, peer review reports, and author and reviewer information, except where disclosure is required as part of the editorial or ethical process.

3.4 Transparency and Reporting Standards

Editors should promote transparent reporting, complete disclosure, and compliance with the journal’s policies on authorship, ethics, funding, conflicts of interest, and data sharing.

3.5 Ethical Oversight

Editors must critically assess the ethical aspects of studies involving humans, animals, and sensitive data. Where ethical concerns arise, editors may request clarification or documentation and may reject manuscripts that do not meet JECA’s ethical standards.

3.6 Corrections, Retractions, and Misconduct

Editors are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the published record. Where necessary, they should issue corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other notices.

Editors should investigate suspected research or publication misconduct in accordance with JECA policy and COPE guidance and, where appropriate, involve authors’ institutions or relevant authorities.

3.7 Conflicts of Interest

Editors must declare and manage their own conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where an actual or perceived conflict exists.

3.8 Reviewer Management

Editors should ensure that reviewers are selected on the basis of relevant expertise and are informed of the journal’s expectations regarding confidentiality, objectivity, timeliness, and conflicts of interest.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

The publisher of JECA, acting in partnership with the journal and its editorial leadership, supports editorial independence, ethical oversight, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

The publisher should:

  • support the Editors in handling ethical concerns and allegations of misconduct;
  • ensure that editorial decisions are not influenced by commercial interests;
  • assist in the publication of corrections, retractions, and other post-publication notices when necessary;
  • help maintain systems and policies that support ethical publishing practice.

5. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

JECA will investigate suspected research misconduct or publication malpractice in accordance with its internal procedures and relevant COPE guidance.

Such concerns may include, but are not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • fabricated or falsified data;
  • duplicate submission or publication;
  • image manipulation;
  • unethical research involving humans or animals;
  • authorship disputes;
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest;
  • peer review manipulation.

Where concerns are substantiated, JECA may take one or more of the following actions:

  • request clarification or correction from the authors;
  • reject the manuscript;
  • inform the authors’ institution or relevant authority;
  • publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction;
  • suspend consideration of future submissions from the authors for a defined period, where appropriate.

6. Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, and readers may raise complaints or appeals regarding editorial decisions, publication ethics, or journal processes in accordance with JECA’s Appeals and Complaints Policy.

All such communications should be directed to the editorial office:

Email: jecajournal@gmail.com

7. Open Access and Copyright

JECA is an open access journal. Authors retain copyright in their work and, upon acceptance, grant JECA a non-exclusive license to publish the article.

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

For further details, please refer to the journal’s Open Access Policy and Copyright and Licensing Policy.