Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Proceedings of Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that adheres to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and the COPE Core Practices. Authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers are expected to uphold the highest standards of publication ethics.

This document outlines responsibilities and ethical principles, including handling of plagiarism, redundant publication, conflicts of interest, authorship, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

  1. Editors? Responsibilities

Editorial Independence and Fairness

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit (originality, scientific rigor, clarity, relevance).
  • The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over editorial content and timing of publication.

Confidentiality

  • Manuscripts under review are treated as confidential and shared only with relevant editorial staff, reviewers, and publisher (when necessary).

Conflicts of Interest

  • Editors with conflicts of interest must recuse themselves from handling such manuscripts.

Publication Decisions

  • Manuscripts undergo peer review by at least two subject experts.
  • The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision, considering reviewers? input, scientific validity, and ethical compliance.

Investigations and Misconduct

  • Editors, in collaboration with the publisher, investigate ethical concerns following COPE flowcharts.
  • When misconduct is proven, appropriate action will be taken, including publication of corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.
  1. Reviewers? Responsibilities
  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality of manuscripts.
  • Declare any conflicts of interest.
  • Identify relevant, uncited work and report suspected overlap or plagiarism.
  • Refrain from using unpublished data for personal benefit.
  1. Authors? Responsibilities

Research Integrity and Reporting

  • Authors must present accurate, original research with sufficient detail for replication.
  • Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data is unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

  • Authors should retain research data for at least 10 years and provide access when requested, while safeguarding participant confidentiality.

Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

  • Submissions must be original and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Proper attribution of others? work is mandatory.
  • All manuscripts will be screened for plagiarism using Turnitin or equivalent tools.

Authorship

  • Authorship must follow ICMJE criteria:
    1. Substantial contributions to conception, design, data collection, or analysis.
    2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
    3. Final approval of the version to be published.
    4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
  • Contributors not meeting these criteria should be acknowledged separately.

Conflicts of Interest

  • All financial and non-financial interests must be disclosed (funding, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, patents, memberships, etc.).

Human and Animal Ethics

  • Research involving humans or animals must comply with institutional, national, and international ethical standards.
  • Approval from an ethics review committee and informed consent must be explicitly stated.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

  • Authors must disclose any use of AI tools (e.g., for writing assistance, data analysis, image generation) in the Methods or Acknowledgment section.
  • AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
  • Authors are fully responsible for verifying accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of AI-assisted content.
  • Manuscripts containing undisclosed AI-generated text or figures may be rejected.
  • The journal discourages excessive reliance on AI text generation; manuscripts with more than a minor proportion of AI-generated text (evaluated on a case-by-case basis) may be returned for revision or rejection.

Corrections and Retractions

  • Authors must promptly inform editors of significant errors in their published work and cooperate in corrections or retractions.
  1. Publisher?s Responsibilities
  • Ensure permanent availability and accessibility of published content through digital archiving.
  • Support editors in addressing ethical concerns, including plagiarism, AI misuse, and data fabrication.

Ensure transparency in corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.