Responsibilities of Authors

1. Ethical Data Collection: Authors must ensure that data have been ethically collected and are prepared to demonstrate institutional review board approval for their research.
2. Originality of Work: Manuscripts must be original, previously unpublished work. Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited.
3. Manuscript Preparation for Review: Research manuscripts should be prepared to facilitate the review process, adhering to the guidelines provided in the 'Guide for Authors'.
4. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, such as financial or other benefits from the results of a study or commercial affiliations.
5. Timely Submission of Revisions: Authors receiving a revise-resubmit decision are expected to submit the revised manuscript within the specified timeframe. Delays or failure to submit may result in the withdrawal of the invitation to revise.
6. Handling of Proofs: Authors are responsible for promptly returning copy-edited versions and galley proofs, and addressing queries by the provided deadlines. Delays or non-compliance may impact the publication schedule or result in publication of the article as is.
7. Article Processing Charges: If applicable, authors are responsible for the timely settlement of article processing charges.

Rights of Authors

1. Acknowledgement of Receipt: Authors will receive notification confirming the receipt of their manuscript.
2. Timely Decision: A decision on the manuscript will be communicated within 90 days of receipt. If delayed, authors will be informed of the reasons and given a new target decision date.
3. Inquiries and Withdrawals: Authors may inquire about the status of their submission after 8 weeks. Withdrawal of a manuscript from editorial consideration can be made before acceptance of the respective manuscript.
4. Right to Rebuttal: Authors have the right to rebut a rejection decision in writing. The editor will review the case and decide the appropriate action, which may include additional reviews or upholding the original decision.
5. Archiving and Indexing: Authors are permitted to index and store their published papers in private or public archives or repositories, such as university databases, internet archives, Academia, and ResearchGate etc.

This document aligns with the Council of Scientific Editors Editorial Policy Statement and incorporates additional guidelines from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.