Publication Ethics

Authorship

Authorship is limited to those who made a substantial contribution to the work. Everyone who meets the criteria must be listed; anyone who does not should be acknowledged instead. Changes to the author list after submission require the written agreement of all authors.

Originality and Plagiarism

Manuscripts must be the authors' own work, with all sources properly cited. Submissions are screened for similarity against published literature. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism and redundant publication are grounds for rejection or retraction.

Competing Interests

Authors must declare any financial or personal relationship that could be seen to influence the work. Reviewers and editors must decline to handle a manuscript where they have a competing interest.

Data and Research Integrity

Authors should be prepared to provide the data underlying their conclusions. Fabrication, falsification and improper image manipulation are serious misconduct.

Corrections and Retractions

Errors that affect the interpretation of an article are corrected in a published correction notice. Articles are retracted where findings are unreliable, where the work is plagiarised, or where the research was unethical. Retracted articles remain online, clearly marked, so the scholarly record stays intact.

Reporting Concerns

Give the address to which ethical concerns should be sent, and describe how they are investigated.