Publication Ethics

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Future Journals is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics. All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, editors, peer reviewers, and the publisher — are expected to adhere to these ethical standards. Our policies are based on the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

1. Duties of Authors

  • Originality: Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent their own original work and have not been published elsewhere in any language, either in full or in part.
  • No Plagiarism: Authors must acknowledge the work of others and not present the ideas or language of others as their own. All submissions are screened using iThenticate.
  • No Simultaneous Submission: Manuscripts under review at Future Journals may not be simultaneously submitted to another publication.
  • Authorship: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the work. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for the work.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must not fabricate, falsify, or selectively report data. Raw data must be available for review by editors upon request.
  • AI Disclosure: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot) must be disclosed in the Methods section or Acknowledgements. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose all financial or personal relationships that could influence the work.
  • Ethical Approval: Research involving human subjects, animals, or identifiable patient data must include a statement of ethical approval from an appropriate ethics committee.
  • Errors in Published Work: If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they have an obligation to promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

2. Duties of Editors

  • Fair treatment: Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on academic merit, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
  • Confidentiality: Editors must not disclose manuscript information to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisers, as appropriate.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest (personal, financial, or intellectual).
  • Publication Decisions: The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which manuscripts should be published, guided by the journal’s editorial policies and legal requirements.

3. Duties of Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not show or discuss them with others except as authorized by the editor.
  • Objectivity: Reviews must be conducted objectively. Personal criticism is inappropriate.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors.
  • Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.

4. Post-Publication Policies

  • Corrections (Corrigenda/Erratum): Minor errors in published papers that do not affect conclusions will be corrected via a formal Corrigendum.
  • Retractions: Articles with major errors, fabricated data, or ethical violations will be retracted following COPE guidelines. Retracted articles remain online but are clearly marked.
  • Expressions of Concern: Published when an investigation is underway regarding a potential ethics violation.
  • Complaints: Complaints about published material or editorial decisions should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at editorial@futurejournals.org. COPE mediation is available for unresolved disputes.

5. Research Involving Human and Animal Subjects

All research involving human participants must have been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee. Informed consent must be documented. For animal research, compliance with institutional and national guidelines must be declared. Case reports involving patient data require written informed consent from the patient or legal guardian.

6. Allegations of Misconduct

Allegations of misconduct (including plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, authorship disputes) are investigated following COPE flowcharts. The publisher will cooperate with investigations conducted by institutions, funding bodies, or regulatory authorities.

Contact: For ethics-related inquiries, email ethics@futurejournals.org

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