Pharmaceutical Papers adheres to publication ethics principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors are required to ensure that their submissions are free from plagiarism. In addition, authors must declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to the research reported in their manuscripts.
Duties of editors
Publication decision
The Editor-in-Chief holds ultimate responsibility for deciding whether a submitted manuscript should be published. Decisions are made in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards, and with due consideration of legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may delegate responsibilities and provide guidance to editors and reviewers in the editorial decision-making process.
Review of manuscript
The Editor-in-Chief holds ultimate responsibility for deciding whether a submitted manuscript should be published. Decisions are made in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards, and with due consideration of legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may delegate responsibilities and provide guidance to editors and reviewers in the editorial decision-making process.
Disclosure and conflict of interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in anyone’s own research by individuals who have access to the manuscript, without the explicit written consent of the author.
Fair play
Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their intellectual content, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
Confidentiality
The Editor-in-Chief, editors, and all editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.
Duties of Reviewer
Promptness
Any reviewer who feels unable to complete the review process within the specified time frame should promptly inform the editor so that an alternative reviewer may be appointed.
Confidentiality
Authors are required to maintain the confidentiality of their submitted manuscripts and must not disclose or discuss the manuscript with any third party without prior permission from the editor.
Standard of objectivity
Reviewers must conduct evaluations in an objective and constructive manner. Personal criticism of authors is unacceptable, and all comments should be clearly articulated and supported by appropriate arguments.
Acknowledgement of source
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statements or findings that have been previously reported elsewhere must be appropriately cited. Reviewers should also bring to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published works of which they have personal knowledge.
Conflict of interest
Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.
Duties of authors
Reporting standards
Authors of original research reports should present an accurate and transparent account of the work performed, along with an objective discussion of its significance. The underlying data must be reported accurately, and the manuscript should include sufficient detail and appropriate references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be requested to provide raw data related to a manuscript for editorial review and should be prepared to make such data publicly accessible, where practicable. Authors should also be prepared to retain the data for a reasonable period after publication.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their manuscripts are entirely original, and that any use of the work or words of others is properly cited or quoted.
Multiple Publications
Authors should not, in general, publish manuscripts describing substantially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. The simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Acknowledgment of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have significantly influenced the conception, design, or execution of the reported work.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All individuals who have made such contributions should be listed as co-authors. Those who have participated in specific substantive aspects of the research but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged or listed as contributors.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of the work. All sources of financial support for the research must also be clearly disclosed.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
When authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and to cooperate with the editorial team to correct or retract the paper as appropriate.