Research and Publication Ethics
AUCTORES Statement Publication Ethics Statement Ethical Guidelines for Authors Authorship Artificial Intelligence Plagiarism, Data Fabrication, and Image Manipulation Research Involving Human Subjects Registration of Clinical Trials Research Involving the Use of Animals in Research Research Involving Cell Lines Research Involving Plants Dual-Use Research of Concern Sex and Gender in Research Borders and Territories
Potential Conflicts of Interest Intellectual Property i.a. Copyright, Patent and Licensing Citation Policies AUCTORES Research Data Policies Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers and Editors Comments and Complaints Updating Published Papers Contact AUCTORES Publication and Ethics Statement
General Statement
All submitted manuscripts must comply with AUCTORES’s editorial and ethical policies. AUCTORES strictly follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, which provide guidance on conflicts of interest, authorship, contributorship, misconduct, plagiarism, data integrity, and peer review ethics. Editorial Boards at AUCTORES operate independently. The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions, except in cases where ethical or legal concerns arise. Manuscripts that violate ethical policies may be withdrawn, and acceptance may be rescinded. AUCTORES performs compliance checks on all manuscripts, using both automated tools via SuSy and manual assessments by the Editorial Office. Potential issues flagged are confirmed by human decision-makers, and Academic Editors are consulted when necessary.
Publication Ethics
AUCTORES is a member of COPE and adheres fully to its Core Practices. Our journals maintain rigorous peer review and clear ethical standards to ensure the integrity of the scientific record.
Principles include:
• Prevention: Early detection of potential ethical issues through automated and manual checks.
• Neutrality: Fair and objective assessments to correct the literature when necessary.
• Transparency: Keeping all parties informed when appropriate, allowing responses.
• Consistency: Applying standard investigation procedures and COPE guidelines consistently.
Ethical Guidelines for Authors
Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are ethically sound and comply with recognized
publishing standards. Key requirements include:
• Accurate presentation of research findings with objective discussion.
• Correct authorship information reflecting substantial contributions.
• Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest at submission.
• Detailed reporting of methods and data, with raw data made publicly available unless restricted (e.g., patient confidentiality).
• No simultaneous submission to multiple journals.
• Original, unpublished research results; translations must comply with policy.
• Permission for any previously published material (figures, tables, quotations).
• Prompt reporting of errors after publication.
Authorship
AUCTORES follows ICMJE guidelines, requiring authors to meet all four criteria:
1. Substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis.
2. Drafting or critical revision of the work.
3. Approval of the final version for publication.
4. Accountability for all aspects of the work.
• Contributors who do not meet these criteria should be listed in Acknowledgments.
• Authorship changes during or after submission require the consent of all authors and may be requested via an authorship change form.
• Disputes are handled according to COPE guidelines, and institutions may be involved if necessary.
Author Contributions:
Manuscripts should include a contributorship statement (CRediT taxonomy), e.g.: Conceptualization, X.X. and Y.Y.; methodology, X.X.; formal analysis, X.X.; writing—original draft, X.X.; writing—review & editing, X.X.; supervision, X.X.; funding acquisition, Y.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version.
• Corresponding authors manage communication and decisions with the Editorial Office.
• Joint first authors and student thesis authors should be clearly indicated.
• Consortium/group authorship should clarify individual contributions and list members separately in Acknowledgments or Supplementary Materials.
• Deceased authors must be noted, with contributions confirmed by the co-authors.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Generative AI (GenAI) Policy
• Use of GenAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, LLMs) for manuscript preparation must be disclosed in Materials & Methods and Acknowledgments.
• Recommended statement: “During preparation of this manuscript, [Tool Name, Version] was used for [Purpose]. The authors reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content.”
• GenAI tools cannot be listed as authors.
• Reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts or confidential content to AI tools; limited use for grammar/formatting may be disclosed.
• Authors remain fully responsible for content generated via AI, ensuring compliance with AUCTORES ethics policies.
Plagiarism, Data, and Image Integrity
• Plagiarism (text, data, images) is prohibited. Proper citation of reused material is required.
• All submissions are screened with iThenticate. Detection may lead to rejection or post- publication investigation.
• Authors may be asked to provide original images and raw data. Images must not be manipulated in ways that misrepresent results.
• Data fabrication, selective reporting, or manipulation (including p-hacking) is strictly prohibited.
• Authors are encouraged to archive raw data and metadata for at least five years. Research Involving Human Subjects
Ethics and IRB Approval:
• Studies must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. IRB/Ethics Committee approval, including project ID, approval date, and committee name, must be provided.
• Non-interventional studies require participant consent and ethical approval if applicable.
Informed Consent:
• Manuscripts must include consent statements for participation and publication of identifiable data.
• Verbal consent may be acceptable if justified. Blank consent forms should be provided during submission.
Vulnerable Groups and Organ Transplants:
• Additional review may be required. Ethical sourcing and legality of human organs must be documented.
Clinical Trials:
• Trials must be registered in recognized registries (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, EU Clinical Trials Register).
• CONSORT 2025 checklist and flow diagram are required for randomized trials.
Research Involving Animals
• Studies must adhere to the 3Rs principle: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement.
• Details on housing, husbandry, and pain management must be provided.
• Ethical approval is required where national legislation mandates it. Exemptions must be documented.
• ARRIVE guidelines should be followed; checklists may be requested by editors.
Research Involving Cell Lines and Plants
• Cell lines: Provide origin, provenance, and approval details if human-derived.
• Plants: Follow institutional, national, or international guidelines, including CBD and CITES. Voucher specimens should be deposited for non-model or rare species.
Dual-Use Research and Safety Concerns
• Manuscripts with potential threats to public health, security, or military applications must clearly indicate risks and justify benefits to the public.
Sex and Gender in Research
• Authors are encouraged to follow SAGER guidelines, clearly distinguishing sex (biological) and gender (social/cultural) where relevant.
• Disaggregated data and analysis by sex/gender should be reported, or rationale for omission provided.
Borders and Territories
Authors should be mindful of potential disputes regarding borders and territories when describing research or listing institutional addresses. Editorial decisions on content are at the discretion of the journal. In cases of potential or perceived disputes or complaints, the Editorial Office will seek a resolution that respects all parties. AUCTORES maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must disclose any personal or financial interests that could be perceived as influencing
their research. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Financial interests: employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, grants, paid expert testimony, or patent/licensing arrangements.
• Non-financial interests: personal or professional relationships, affiliations, or personal beliefs. Funding sources must be clearly declared, including any role in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions. If the funder had no role, include: “The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.” Authors should disclose conflicts during submission via the online system or the AUCTORES disclosure form. A summary must appear in a separate Conflicts of Interest section before the references.
Example:
“Conflicts of Interest: Author A has received research grants from Company A. Author B has received a speaker honorarium from Company X and owns stocks in Company Y. Author C has acted as a consultant and expert witness for Company Z. Author D is the inventor of patent X.” If no conflicts exist: “Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”
Special Policy: AUCTORES does not publish studies funded fully or partially by the tobacco industry. Other private funding (e.g., pharmaceutical or food industries) must clearly state the funder’s role.
Intellectual Property: Copyright, Patents, and Licensing
Copyright: Authors retain copyright for all AUCTORES publications. Articles are published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, allowing free download, reading, and reuse with proper citation. Exceptions require prior discussion with the Editorial Office. Previously Published Content: Permission must be obtained for reproducing any non-public
domain material, including:
• Previously published work where copyright is held by another publisher
• Substantial extracts from other authors’ work
• Tables, figures, or artworks (unaltered or slightly modified)
• Photographs for which copyright is held by others Permission is not required for:
• Reconstructed tables of your own data
• Very short quotations
• Fully redrawn figures or charts
Recommended Acknowledgment Statement:
“Reproduced with permission from [author], [book/journal title]; published by [publisher], [year].”
Preprints
AUCTORES accepts manuscripts previously posted as preprints (unreviewed). Authors must disclose DOI and licensing information. Preprint versions should not be updated during peer review. Relevant preprints cited in the research must be acknowledged. Translations Translated works may be considered if:
• Clearly stated as a translation in the cover letter
• All original authors are listed
• Permissions from original publisher/authors are obtained
• Permissions documentation is uploaded with submission
• Original publication is cited in Acknowledgments
Example Statement:
“This is a translation/reprint of [title], originally published in [language] by [publisher], [journal name, year, issue/volume, pages]. Translated by [translator] with support from [funding source]. Permission granted by [publisher/author].”
Patents
Authors are responsible for resolving all patent and intellectual property matters before publication. Patent applications should be declared in accordance with the Conflicts of Interest Policy. Citation Policies
• Properly cite all sources, including your own prior work.
• Avoid excessive self-citation or citing unread material.
• Do not cite advertisements or favor certain authors or institutions.
• Use quotation marks for exact wording from other sources, including your own. Research Data Policies AUCTORES supports open data sharing:
• Data should be FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable
• Deposit in recognized repositories (e.g., re3data.org, fairsharing.org)
• If sharing is restricted (privacy, legal, ethical), clarify in the Data Availability Statement Recommended Data Availability Statements:
Status Example Statement
Public repository “The original data are openly available in [repository] at [DOI/URL].”
Status Example Statement
Available on
“Data are available on request from the corresponding author due to [reason].”
request
“Restrictions apply. Data obtained from [third party] and available with permission 3rd party data
of [third party].”
Commercial “Data will be available in [repository] after an embargo to allow
embargo commercialization.”
No new data “No new data were created or analyzed. Data sharing is not applicable.” Data Preservation: Authors should retain datasets for at least five years. Repositories should provide persistent identifiers (DOIs), public access, and confidentiality during review. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers and Editors
• Oversee integrity in peer review.
• Report any ethical concerns to the Editorial Office.
• Check ethics approvals, plagiarism, permissions, and trial registrations.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, including personal, collaborative, financial, or professional relationships.
• Maintain confidentiality and anonymity during review. Comments, Complaints, and Corrections Complaints:
• Contact corresponding authors first.
• If unresolved, contact the Editorial Office.
• Investigations are confidential; decisions made by Editors-in-Chief or Editorial Board. Updates to Published Papers:
• Minor corrections: Do not affect scientific content; footnote added.
• Major corrections: Affect interpretation; separate correction notice published. Name Changes: Authors can request updates confidentially; no correction notice published.
Retractions: For serious ethical breaches or errors. Retracted papers remain online with a “RETRACTED” watermark. Complete removal only in exceptional legal or safety cases. Expressions of Concern: Issued for ongoing or inconclusive investigations, linked to the original publication. Comments and Replies: Readers may submit comments on published articles; authors can respond with a Reply. Only one round per reader; tone must remain professional. Contact For ethical concerns, complaints, or questions: Research Integrity and Publication Ethics Team
publication.ethics@AUCTORES.com
AUCTORES follows COPE guidelines to ensure transparency and integrity in publication.