Ethics and Policies

1 Author Responsibilities

1.1 Authorship and Contribution

1) Authorship Qualification: All authors must have made substantial contributions to the following aspects of the work: the conception and design of the study, or the acquisition of data, or the analysis and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and final approval of the version to be submitted. All authors are accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

2) Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the manuscript and that journal requirements are met. This individual manages all communication with the journal throughout the submission, peer review, and publication process and is authorized to act on behalf of all co-authors. Only the affiliation of the corresponding author will be used to determine eligibility for the publishing agreement and any related discounts.

3) Changes to Authorship: This journal generally does not consider changes to authorship after submission. Any changes prior to acceptance (including additions, deletions, or rearrangement of author names) must be proposed by the corresponding author using the "Authorship Change Request Form" and must be accompanied by written confirmation of agreement from all authors (including those being added or removed) and a valid justification. No changes to authorship of any kind will be permitted after acceptance.

1.2 Originality and Redundant Publication

1) Originality Declaration: Submitted manuscripts must be original works and must not have been previously published in the same form elsewhere (except as a preprint, thesis/dissertation, or conference abstract). Manuscripts must not be under consideration for publication in other journals or publications at the time of submission.

2) Prohibited Practices: Data fabrication (making up findings), data falsification (manipulating or altering data), inappropriate image manipulation, and plagiarism (using another person's ideas, data, or text without proper attribution) are strictly prohibited. This journal uses plagiarism detection tools to screen submissions for text similarity; manuscripts with a high degree of similarity will be desk-rejected.

3) Acceptable Prior Dissemination: Prior dissemination in the following forms is not considered redundant publication: conference abstracts/posters, preliminary findings presented at meetings, database or clinical trial registry entries, theses/dissertations in institutional archives, and preprints. Translations of previously published works or transparent co-publication to raise public awareness may be considered at the editor's discretion and with the consent of the copyright holder.

1.3 Conflict of Interest Declaration

1) Scope of Disclosure: All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could reasonably be perceived as affecting the objectivity of the research. These include, but are not limited to: employment, consultancies, stock/equity ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, research funding, and affiliations with the journal's editorial or advisory boards.

2) Declaration Method: Authors must declare any conflicts of interest. Those with no conflicts to declare should state "I have no conflicts of interest to declare." Those with conflicts must provide specific details. For manuscripts submitted after a specified date, authors must also disclose potential conflicts of interest related to the work that arose within the three years prior to the start of the submitted work.

3) Disclosure by Editors and Editorial Board Members: If an editor, editorial board member, or editorial staff member submits a manuscript to this journal, they must inform the editorial office or editor-in-chief at the time of submission, include a corresponding statement in the manuscript, and recuse themselves from the decision-making process.

1.4 Funding Sources

Authors must list all funding sources in a dedicated "Funding" section of the manuscript and, where applicable, describe the role of the funder(s) in the study design, data collection/analysis/interpretation, report writing, and the decision to submit the article for publication. If no specific funding was received, the following statement must be included: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

1.5 Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

1) Use in the Writing Process: Generative AI may only be used to improve the language and readability of the manuscript and must not replace the author's own expertise and judgment. Its use must be under human oversight and control; authors must carefully review and edit the AI-generated output and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript. AI tools must not be listed as an author or co-author.

2) Declaration Requirement: If generative AI was used in the writing process, a "Declaration of Generative AI in the Writing Process" must be added at the end of the manuscript, before the reference list. This declaration must specify the name of the tool/service, its purpose, and confirm that the author(s) have reviewed and edited the generated content. Basic tools used solely for checking grammar, spelling, and references do not require a declaration.

3) Restrictions on Image and Data Use: The use of AI tools to create or alter images representing primary research data (e.g., western blots, microscopy images, histology images, patient images) is strictly prohibited. AI tools may only be used to generate explanatory illustrations (e.g., flowcharts, conceptual diagrams) or reproducible data visualizations (e.g., statistical charts) that are directly derived from underlying data. Any use of AI tools for image creation must be disclosed in the figure caption and in the general AI declaration statement.

4) Use in Peer Review and Editing: This journal currently does not permit reviewers or editors to use generative AI or similar tools during the peer review and manuscript evaluation process in order to protect confidentiality and author rights.

2 Peer Reviewer Responsibilities

1) Peer reviewers should contribute to the decision-making process by adhering to the principles of fairness, impartiality, confidentiality, and timeliness, and should objectively and promptly assist in improving the quality of accepted manuscripts. If unable to return a review on time or to undertake the review of a particular manuscript, the reviewer must immediately notify the editorial office and must not delegate the review to another person without authorization.

2) Peer reviewers should respect the independence of the authors' ideas and the innovation of the scientific research. Their assessment should focus on the scholarly quality of the manuscript, and they must not be biased or prejudiced against the authors personally or against their institutions, geographic origins, seniority, ethnicity, etc.

3) This journal employs a double?blind peer review process. Any manuscript received by a peer reviewer must be treated as a confidential document. Reviewers must not show or discuss the manuscript with others, nor may they appropriate the content of the manuscript.

4) When a peer reviewer has a conflict of interest with the authors (e.g., family relationship, supervisor?student relationship, alumni relationship, colleague relationship, or competitive relationship), the reviewer must promptly declare the conflict of interest to the editorial office and proactively recuse themselves from the review of that manuscript to ensure fairness.

5) The review process must strictly follow academic ethical standards. When a peer reviewer finds that the author's research is similar to their own, the reviewer must not implicitly or explicitly coerce the author into citing the reviewer's own work or literature through the review comments, nor may they use their review authority to intentionally suppress or devalue the manuscript.

6) If a peer reviewer identifies issues such as data fabrication or falsification, redundant publication, plagiarism, ghostwriting, or other violations of research or publication ethics, they should alert the editorial office in their review comments so that further verification may be conducted or the authors may be asked to provide necessary explanations.

7) Peer review comments should be written by the reviewer based on an objective and fair assessment of the article’s quality and should not be generated by AI.

3 Editor Responsibilities

1) Editors must comply with relevant policies, regulations, and institutional standards, strictly follow the manuscript handling procedures, and must not alter the processing workflow without authorization.

2) Editors must screen all submissions for research misconduct using plagiarism detection tools and reject any manuscript with a similarity rate exceeding 20%. For manuscripts that meet the similarity requirement, editors must avoid bias against authors based on race, nationality, seniority, position, or other irrelevant factors. Their initial assessment should focus on the scholarly quality of the manuscript. Manuscripts that pass the initial review should be promptly sent for external peer review and final review. Editors must respect the peer review comments and make reasonable decisions on revision, acceptance, or rejection, providing detailed revision suggestions or reasons for rejection.

3) If an editor identifies a potential conflict of interest with a manuscript during initial review (e.g., family relationship, supervisor?student relationship, alumni relationship, colleague relationship, or competitive relationship), the editor must proactively recuse themselves, and the editorial office must reassign the manuscript to another editor. Editors must not use their editorial authority to pursue undue personal gain.

4) Editors must adhere to the principle of confidentiality. They must not disclose personal information about authors or peer reviewers, nor the content of the manuscript. They must not interfere with or influence the independent judgment of peer reviewers.

5) For reviewers recommended by authors, editors must rigorously verify their information and, based on their research area and expertise and the potential for conflicts of interest with the authors, decide whether to use them. For reviewers whom authors request to be excluded, editors must give full consideration and recuse them whenever possible.

6) Editors have a duty to remind authors of potential copyright and intellectual property issues that may arise from changes to authorship, affiliation, or the order of authors or affiliations.

7) Editors must publish detailed guidelines for authors (e.g., submission instructions) that are necessary for the public and must update them in a timely manner.

8) This journal publishes public service announcements as required but does not engage in any commercial advertising activities.

4 Investigation of Misconduct

If suspected questionable research practices or publication ethics malpractice (including but not limited to authorship disputes, data fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, peer review concerns, or unethical research) are identified, this journal will conduct an investigation following COPE guidelines. The investigation will be carried out confidentially. When necessary, cases requiring access to primary data or institutional records will be referred to the relevant research institution, employer, or funding body for formal investigation. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the journal may issue corrections, retract articles, or impose sanctions (such as restrictions on future submissions or prohibition from serving as a reviewer or editor).

5 Research Ethics and Compliance

5.1 Research Involving Human Subjects

1) Ethics Approval: Prospective medical research involving human participants, samples, or data must adhere to recognized ethical standards (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki). Authors must confirm in their manuscript that ethics approval was obtained before the study began and must provide the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and the associated approval number. For retrospective studies, a certificate of exemption from ethics review is required.

2) Informed Consent: Detailed information must be provided on how freely given, informed consent for participation in the research or treatment was obtained from human participants. If identifiable images or information are to be published, explicit consent for publication must be obtained. Personal information such as patient names, initials, or hospital identification numbers must not be used, even if consent has been obtained.

3) Vulnerable Groups: Research involving potentially vulnerable groups (e.g., children, refugees, Indigenous peoples, prisoners, people living with HIV/AIDS, etc.) must take additional protective measures to ensure truly voluntary participation.

5.2 Research Involving Animals

Research involving vertebrates and regulated invertebrates must comply with applicable international, national, and institutional requirements where the research was conducted (e.g., the ARRIVE guidelines). Authors must confirm that ethics approval was obtained, provide the name of the approving body and the associated approval/permit number, and provide detailed descriptions of euthanasia and anesthesia methods, as well as steps taken to minimize suffering.

5.3 Clinical Trials

Clinical trials must be prospectively registered (i.e., before participant enrollment) in a publicly accessible registry recommended by the World Health Organization. The trial registration number and date of registration must be provided in the manuscript (preferably at the end of the abstract). Authors should follow the CONSORT reporting guidelines and provide the completed CONSORT checklist and flow diagram upon submission.

5.4 Image Manipulation

Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance for the purpose of clarity are permitted, provided they do not enhance, obscure, remove, delete, or introduce specific features. Non?linear adjustments (e.g., changes to gamma settings) must be disclosed in the figure legend. The use of AI tools to create or manipulate original research images is strictly prohibited.

5.5 Post-Publication Matters

1) Corrections and Retractions: If a significant error is discovered after publication, a correction will be published. An Erratum will be issued if the error was introduced by the journal; a Corrigendum will be issued if the error was introduced by the author.

2) Retraction: Articles may be withdrawn, retracted, removed, or replaced after publication if they contain substantial errors that cannot be corrected by an Erratum or Corrigendum, or if ethical violations come to light after publication. Retraction notices are permanent, accessible, and citabl

5.6 Appeals

Authors may submit an appeal against an editorial decision if they have new evidence or new information that provides a substantial justification. The appeal should be submitted through the journal’s designated contact method and must provide a detailed explanation of the grounds for the appeal, including a comprehensive and reasonable response to the reviewer comments.

5.7 Other Policies

1) Preprints: This journal encourages authors to submit manuscripts that have previously been made available as a preprint, where permitted by journal policy. Prior posting on a preprint server does not disqualify a manuscript from submission. Authors should retain copyright when posting a preprint and should ideally grant only a “no re?use” license.

2) Data Sharing and Reporting: This journal encourages authors to openly share the research data underlying their work in appropriate data repositories and to include a Data Availability Statement in the manuscript. Data citations should follow the FORCE11 Data Citation Principles. Authors are expected to adhere to relevant discipline?specific reporting guidelines (e.g., the EQUATOR Network guidelines for health research, the CONSORT guidelines for randomized trials, the ARRIVE guidelines for animal research, and the certification guidelines for cell line research, among others).

3) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: This journal is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Authors should use bias?free language to accurately describe study populations, avoiding discriminatory descriptions based on age, ancestry, color, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability status, etc. In cross?cultural research, the contributions of local researchers should be fairly recognized, and traditional knowledge should be appropriately attributed.

4) Jurisdictional Neutrality: This journal maintains neutrality with respect to jurisdictional claims. The geographical designations and institutional affiliations appearing in published materials reflect the authors’ positions and do not imply any opinion or position on the part of the journal.