- Authorship and Contributorship

1. Authorship Criteria: All listed authors must adhere to the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Each author must have made substantial contributions to the study’s conception and design, data collection and analysis, manuscript drafting, or critical revision. Additionally, all authors must take responsibility for the final version and its entire content.

2. Contribution Statement: Every submitted manuscript must include a detailed Authorship Contribution Statement that clearly defines each author’s specific responsibilities, including research design, data collection, analysis, manuscript drafting, and review. Using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) standard is recommended to ensure transparency and traceability in contribution allocation.

3. Authorship Norms: The journal’s editorial office will carefully review authorship listings to prevent “honorary authorship” or “ghost authorship.” If non-compliance with authorship criteria is identified, the editorial office will take appropriate measures, which may include requesting corrections, revoking improper authorship, or taking further action in cases of severe violations. 

4. Changes to Author Information: If an adjustment to the author list is required—whether by adding or removing authors or changing the authorship order—a written consent statement from all involved authors must be submitted along with appropriate supporting documentation. This requirement ensures compliance with academic standards and helps prevent misconduct.

5. Originality and Responsibility Statement: All authors are required to provide a written statement affirming that the manuscript is an original work that has not been submitted or published elsewhere and will not be submitted or published in any other journal. Furthermore, the statement must confirm that no undisclosed conflicts of interest, funding issues, or other circumstances exist that could compromise the manuscript’s academic integrity.

- Complaints and Appeals

1. Complaints Handling Procedure: The journal has established an open, transparent, and fair procedure for handling complaints to ensure that any legitimate grievances raised by authors, reviewers, and readers are independently and impartially investigated and appropriately addressed.

2. Appeals Mechanism: In cases where authors object to manuscript review outcomes (such as manuscript rejection or certain editorial decisions), the journal offers a transparent and standardized appeals process. An appeal application must include a detailed explanation of the objections along with all relevant supporting materials. The journal will review the appeal within a specified timeframe, and arrange for an independent review by a designated committee to ensure fairness and transparency in the decision-making process. All appeal decisions will be promptly communicated to the applicant, accompanied by comprehensive feedback that details the rationale behind the decision and any further recourse available.

 - Handling Allegations of Research Misconduct

1. Definition and Scope: Research misconduct is defined as actions that violate academic integrity, including (but not limited to) data fabrication, data falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, improper authorship, image manipulation, and any other actions that breach established ethical research standards.

2. Investigation Procedure: The journal ensures that all allegations are reviewed thoroughly and objectively. The investigation process consists of an initial assessment, a formal investigation, and a decision-making phase. When necessary, the journal may consult an ethics committee, independent review bodies, or experts in the relevant field to further guarantee the scientific rigor and fairness of the investigation. Throughout the entire process, strict adherence to the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, and due process will be maintained.

3. Remedial Measures: If an investigation confirms that research misconduct has occurred, the journal will implement appropriate remedial measures proportional to the severity of the misconduct. Such measures may include (but are not limited to) the retraction of the publication, the issuance of a correction or an expression of concern, restrictions on future submissions, and notification to the authors’ institutions and/or funding agencies. All decisions will be made in strict accordance with recognized publishing ethics guidelines, relevant laws and regulations, and the journal’s internal policies, to uphold academic integrity and ensure the accuracy and credibility of the scholarly record.

 - Conflicts of Interest

1. Declaration Requirements: All authors, reviewers, editors, and other personnel involved in the submission, review, and publication processes are required to fully and accurately disclose any conflicts of interest that may influence their judgment or decision-making, including but not limited to financial interests (e.g., funding support, investments, patent rights, or other monetary benefits), non-financial interests (e.g., competing academic interests, institutional affiliations, or involvement in rival research projects), and personal or professional relationships (e.g., collaborations, close personal relationships, or competitive relationships with any research stakeholders). This requirement is intended to promote transparency, prevent bias, and uphold fairness and academic integrity throughout the publication process.

2. Funding Sources: Upon manuscript submission, authors must provide complete and detailed disclosure of all relevant funding sources—including grants, institutional funding, commercial sponsorships, and any other financial support—to ensure transparency regarding the research background and to prevent any potential conflicts of interest from undermining the objectivity and credibility of the research findings.

3. Disclosure and Management: If potential or actual conflicts of interest exist, a conflict of interest statement must be provided upon publication of the article. The editorial office will thoroughly review and assess all submitted disclosures and, when appropriate, may engage independent experts free from conflicts of interest to participate in the review process, thereby ensuring the fairness of peer review and safeguarding the academic integrity and quality of the publication.

 - Data Sharing and Reproducibility

1. Data Sharing Policy: The journal encourages authors to provide the original data, research code, and other related materials along with their manuscript submission and recommends that these materials be archived in a recognized public data repository. For data involving sensitive information, raising ethical concerns, or subject to confidentiality requirements, authors must either provide a reasonable explanation or apply for an exemption to ensure that data sharing complies with all applicable legal and privacy protection regulations.

2. Reproducibility Requirements: The journal requires authors to provide a comprehensive and detailed description of their research methods to ensure that other researchers can replicate the study results accurately. Authors should include all relevant information, such as experimental procedures, data processing methods, algorithms used, statistical analysis techniques, software versions, and any other pertinent details (e.g., experimental conditions, materials, and equipment specifications), thereby enhancing the transparency and reproducibility of the research.

3. Data Citation and Linking: All datasets used or generated in the study must be identified and properly cited in the manuscript, with appropriate details provided in the data management section. Authors are strongly encouraged to assign persistent identifiers—such as DOIs or accession numbers—that conform to international standards to ensure the data’s traceability and long-term availability.

4. Preprint Policy: The journal accepts manuscripts previously posted on preprint platforms and requires that authors provide a clear explanation of the relationship between the preprint and the formally published version—detailing any differences in content, data, or conclusions—at the time of submission to promote the early dissemination of research findings and foster academic discussion.

 - Ethical Oversight

1. Ethical Statement: All manuscripts involving human subjects, animal experiments, or environmentally sensitive research must include documentation of ethical approval or the necessary permits and explicitly indicate adherence to internationally recognized ethical guidelines (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki, CIOMS Guidelines, ARRIVE Guidelines, or other applicable national or regional regulations). In addition, the research must strictly comply with the relevant scientific and ethical standards to ensure that the dignity, rights, safety, and privacy of all subjects are fully protected.

2. Collaboration with Ethics Committees and Institutions: In cases of serious ethical disputes or concerns, the journal will collaborate with designated ethics committees or nationally recognized independent review bodies to ensure that the research complies with ethical standards and best practices. When necessary, the journal may also invite qualified ethical experts or scholars from related fields—whose independence and expertise are ensured—to conduct an independent review and provide professional guidance and recommendations.

3. Gender-based Analysis Reporting: The journal encourages authors to integrate gender-based analysis into their research design and data analysis to identify potential gender differences, enhance the comprehensiveness and applicability of the research findings across diverse populations, and ultimately provide more precise scientific evidence for various gender groups.

4. Use of Inclusive Language: The journal strongly recommends the use of inclusive language in academic writing, urging authors to avoid forms of discrimination, bias, or stereotypes. Authors are encouraged to respect diversity in their research reports and data presentation by considering various factors—such as gender, sexual orientation, race, cultural background, and other relevant characteristics—to foster a fair, equitable, and inclusive academic environment that supports rigorous scholarship.

 - Intellectual Property

1. Ownership and License to Use: Authors retain full copyright of their work while granting the journal a non-exclusive license to publish and disseminate the article—meaning that while the authors maintain all copyright privileges, the journal is authorized to publish the content on its platform and in affiliated databases. The journal employs the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits any user to copy, distribute, display, and adapt the article as long as proper credit is given to the original author and source in a manner specified by the license. This approach ensures open access to research outcomes, thereby promoting academic dissemination and facilitating knowledge sharing.

2. Handling of Plagiarism and Infringement: The journal enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of academic misconduct and intellectual property infringement—such as unauthorized mass reproduction, plagiarism (including uncredited copying), data falsification, or improper citation of another’s research findings. All submitted manuscripts will be subjected to rigorous checks for academic misconduct (e.g., using plagiarism detection software). In cases where potential issues are detected, the journal will collaborate with the authors’ institutions, academic ethics committees, and relevant agencies to investigate and resolve any disputes, thereby ensuring academic integrity and originality.

3. Jurisdiction Statement and Sensitive Content Handling: For manuscripts involving geographically, politically, or legally sensitive content (e.g., maps, place names, boundary disputes, or territorial sovereignty claims), all information must comply with international standards (such as the guidelines established by the United Nations and relevant international organizations) as well as all applicable domestic and international laws and regulations. Sensitive information should be marked with its data source, the official stance, and sufficient academic justification, along with a detailed explanation of the original data source, its background, and its significance in academic research to ensure accuracy and neutrality. Additionally, authors must provide appropriate explanations and risk warnings (e.g., via footnotes or dedicated sections) for any content that might provoke controversy, to prevent misinterpretation or escalation of disputes. The journal’s editorial office will thoroughly review such manuscripts and may require authors to modify or supplement their explanations as necessary to maintain fairness and authority in academic communication.

 - Post-publication Discussions

1. Open Discussion Platforms: The journal offers multiple communication channels—such as online comment sections, academic forums, social media, and mailing lists—to foster interaction among authors and readers while encouraging in-depth discussions on published research, including debates over academic issues, suggestions for methodological improvements, sharing of additional data, and proposals for theoretical extensions, all intended to promote knowledge sharing and advance academic progress.

2. Management Principles and Response Mechanism: Discussions and comments must be fact-based, respectful of differing viewpoints, and strictly adhere to academic ethics, with zero tolerance for misinformation, personal attacks, or malicious remarks. For constructive academic criticism and suggestions, the journal will invite authors to respond and, if necessary, issue errata, supplements, or correction statements to ensure the accuracy of the academic record and to foster the continuous improvement of research outcomes.

 - Corrections and Retractions

1. Corrections/Errata: For non-critical errors in published articles that may affect comprehension—such as data omissions, mislabeling of figures or tables, spelling mistakes, or wording errors—the journal will issue a correction notice (Corrigendum/Erratum) that identifies the affected content, provides detailed correction information and explanations, and is formally linked to the original article to ensure the integrity and traceability of the research record.

2. Retractions: When it is confirmed that a manuscript involves serious academic misconduct—such as data fabrication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or ethical violations—or contains major errors in its conclusions, such as misused statistics or irreproducible experiments, the journal will initiate the retraction process by the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The retraction notice will detail the reasons for the retraction, the scope of the issues, and their potential impact on the academic community, and will be permanently retained on the journal’s website and in relevant databases to ensure that the process remains transparent, fair, and traceable.

3. Reader Notification and Information Disclosure: After issuing a correction or retraction notice, the journal will promptly notify authors, reviewers, and the broader academic community via multiple channels—such as the official website, email notifications, social media, and academic databases—to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and transparency of the scholarly record.

 - Ensuring the Integrity of the Scholarly Literature

1. Prevention and Detection Mechanisms: The journal employs a rigorous peer review process, advanced misconduct detection tools, comprehensive internal editorial reviews, and expert evaluations to ensure that manuscripts are original, that the data are authentic and reliable, and that the research methods are scientifically sound. This approach effectively prevents academic misconduct—including plagiarism, data fabrication, and duplicate publication—thereby ensuring the integrity of the scholarly literature.

2. Generative AI Usage Statement: When generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI) is employed in research design, data analysis, writing, or other aspects of a study, authors must explicitly disclose its purpose, scope, and specific contributions to ensure that AI-generated content does not compromise the academic integrity, reproducibility, or scientific validity of the research. Authors are strongly encouraged to adhere to the guidelines provided by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) to ensure that AI usage aligns with the ethical standards of academic publishing.

3. Transparent Procedures and Continuous Improvement: The journal maintains transparency in its investigation process for academic misconduct and regularly reviews and updates its ethical policies to ensure fairness and clarity. By incorporating the latest international standards and feedback from the academic community, the journal continually refines these procedures to uphold a trustworthy and rigorous platform for scholarly exchange.

4. Training and Support: To promote a strong understanding of academic integrity, data sharing, peer review, and research ethics, the journal organizes periodic training activities for editors, reviewers, and authors. These initiatives aim to standardize the review process, improve data management practices, and uphold publication standards, ultimately fostering high-quality academic publishing.