ENT Discovery (this journal) adhere to a unified policy framework to ensure consistency, transparency, and high ethical standards across the series. Our policies are grounded in the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE, https://publicationethics.org/), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, https://www.icmje.org/), and the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers (STM, https://www.stm-assoc.org/).
We ensure transparency, integrity, and ethical conduct throughout the entire publication lifecycle.
1. Publication Ethics and Integrity
This journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward research misconduct. All parties involved in the publication process, including authors, editors, and reviewers, must adhere to the ethical principles outlined by COPE (https://publicationethics.org).
l Plagiarism & Originality: All submitted manuscripts must be original work that has not been published previously or simultaneously submitted to other journals. Plagiarism, including the use of others’ ideas, words, or intellectual property without proper citation, and text recycling (self-plagiarism) are strictly prohibited. Manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate/Crossref.
l Screening for Misconduct: We follow COPE guidelines for investigating any suspected research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. If misconduct is detected, corrective actions will be taken, which may include rejecting the manuscript or retracting the published article.
l Ethical Oversight: The journal is committed to maintaining high ethical standards throughout the publication lifecycle, and authors are encouraged to consult COPE guidelines for detailed ethical advice.
2. Authorship and Contributorship
This journal follows ICMJE authorship criteria (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html) to ensure that all contributors receive proper credit.
l Authorship Criteria: An author must fulfill all four of the following criteria:
—Significant contributions to the conception, design, or data acquisition/analysis/interpretation;
—Drafting or revising the manuscript for important intellectual content;
—Final approval of the version to be published;
—Accountability for all aspects of the work.
l Acknowledgments: Individuals who do not meet the authorship criteria but contributed to the study (e.g., technical support, funding acquisition) should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgments" section of the manuscript.
l Changes to Authorship: Any changes to authorship (addition, deletion, or rearrangement) must be approved by all authors and the Editor-in-Chief.
3. Ethical Oversight: Human and Animal Rights
This journal adheres to ethical standards in all human and animal research.
l Human Subjects: Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/). Authors must provide evidence that the study was approved by an institutional review board (IRB) or an equivalent ethics committee.
l Informed Consent: Authors must state that informed consent was obtained from all participants and that identifying information will only be published with explicit patient consent.
l Animal Subjects: Studies involving animals must comply with ethical guidelines such as the ARRIVE guidelines (https://arriveguidelines.org), and approval from an ethics committee must be stated.
4. Conflict of Interest
Transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest is essential for credibility.
l Mandatory Disclosure: All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the research. This includes relationships with funding agencies, personal affiliations, or professional interests.
l Conflict of Interest Statement: Authors are required to include a conflict of interest statement in their manuscript. If no conflict exists, the statement should read: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
5. Editorial and Peer-Review Process
This journal employs a robust editorial and peer-review process to ensure the highest scientific quality.
l Peer Review Model: The journal uses a Single-Blind Peer Review process, where reviewers know the authors’ identities, but authors do not know the identities of the reviewers.
l Reviewer Selection: Reviewers are selected based on expertise, objectivity, and absence of conflicts of interest.
l Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, and relevance. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over all editorial content and the timing of publication.
l Confidentiality: Manuscripts and reviewer comments are treated as confidential.
6. Data Availability and Reproducibility
The journal supports the FAIR Data Principles (https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
l Data Availability Statement (DAS): Authors must include a clear DAS indicating where the data supporting the results can be accessed. The options include:
—Data available in public repositories (e.g., Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo) (highly recommended).
—Data available upon reasonable request from the authors.
—Data cannot be shared due to privacy or ethical restrictions, with reasons stated.
7. Research Misconduct Handling
In cases of suspected research misconduct, we follow COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts).
l Investigation: The Editorial Board will investigate allegations confidentially.
l Actions: If misconduct is confirmed, appropriate actions will be taken, including manuscript rejection, retraction, and notification to the authors’ institution.
8. Copyright, Licensing, and Open Access
This journal operates under a full Open Access model.
l Copyright: Authors retain copyright to their work.
l Licensing: Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which allows redistribution, remixing, and building upon the material for any purpose, provided proper citation is given.
l Article Processing Charges (APCs): The journal charges an APC upon manuscript acceptance. Waivers or discounts are available for authors from low-income countries or those experiencing financial hardship.
9. Preprint Policy
This journal supports the early dissemination of research.
l Preprint Submissions: Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts that have been previously posted on non-commercial preprint servers (e.g., bioRxiv, medRxiv, arXiv, HEP Preprint). Preprint submissions will not be considered prior publications.
l Disclosure: Authors must disclose the preprint details (DOI/URL) during submission.
10. Correction and Retraction Policy
We are committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record.
l Corrections: If an error is identified that does not affect the validity of the results, a corrigendum or erratum will be issued.
l Retractions: If significant issues arise (e.g., invalid results or ethical violations), the article will be retracted, following COPE retraction guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/resources/retraction-guidelines).