ETHICAL ASPECTS

General Principles

Sapiens in Health Sciences (SHS) adopts and implements the principles, recommendations, and international standards promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other recognized organizations dedicated to research integrity and publication ethics.

The journal maintains a permanent commitment to academic honesty, transparency, scientific accountability, editorial impartiality, respect for research participants, and excellence in scholarly communication.

All parties involved in the editorial process including authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members are expected to adhere to the highest ethical standards throughout the preparation, evaluation, publication, and dissemination of scientific work.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must accurately reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the scholarly work.

Authors must have significantly contributed to one or more of the following activities:

  • Study conception and design.
  • Data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Methodological or technical development.
  • Manuscript drafting.
  • Critical revision of intellectual content.
  • Final approval of the version submitted for publication.

All authors assume public responsibility for the scientific integrity of the submitted work.

Individual contributions must be disclosed using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework in accordance with the journal’s Author Guidelines.

Any authorship modification after manuscript submission shall require written approval from all authors involved.

Research Ethics

Research submitted to the journal must comply with all applicable national and international ethical standards relevant to the discipline concerned.

Studies involving human participants must adhere to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and, where applicable, receive approval from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Authors must explicitly report within the manuscript:

  • Ethics approval obtained.
  • Name of the approving institution.
  • Approval or protocol number, when applicable.
  • Confirmation of informed consent from participants.

Research involving animals must comply with national and international regulations governing animal welfare and ethical experimentation.

The journal reserves the right to request supporting documentation to verify ethical compliance whenever necessary.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, academic, or personal interests that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the editorial process or the interpretation of research findings.

The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically preclude publication; however, failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in appropriate editorial actions.

Funding Disclosure

Authors must transparently disclose all sources of funding associated with the research.

Where applicable, the following information should be provided:

  • Funding organizations.
  • Grants or research projects.
  • Grant identification numbers.
  • The role of funders in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions.

If no external funding was received, this must be explicitly stated.

Confidentiality

All information related to submitted manuscripts shall be treated as strictly confidential.

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff may not disclose or use information obtained during the evaluation process for purposes unrelated to editorial management.

Confidentiality shall be maintained before, during, and after the peer-review process.

Ethical Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are expected to:

  • Ensure the originality and integrity of their research.
  • Present accurate, verifiable, and complete information.
  • Comply with all applicable ethical standards.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.
  • Obtain necessary permissions for the use of third-party materials.
  • Cooperate with the journal in post-publication corrections or clarifications.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, impartial, and constructive evaluations.
  • Maintain manuscript confidentiality.
  • Declare any conflicts of interest.
  • Report potential ethical concerns identified during the review process.
  • Respect established review deadlines.

Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are expected to:

  • Ensure fair, transparent, and independent editorial processes.
  • Make decisions exclusively on scientific merit and ethical considerations.
  • Preserve the confidentiality of submitted materials.
  • Properly manage conflicts of interest.
  • Safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record.

Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides mechanisms for receiving, evaluating, and resolving complaints, appeals, and concerns related to editorial decisions, ethical matters, or potential scientific misconduct.

All cases will be handled confidentially, impartially, and in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

When significant errors, methodological concerns, ethical issues, or evidence of scientific misconduct are identified, the journal may implement corrective actions in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Editorial actions may include:

  • Corrections.
  • Errata.
  • Expressions of concern.
  • Retractions.
  • Article withdrawal under exceptional circumstances.

Any post-publication amendments shall be clearly identified and permanently linked to the original article record.

Final Statement

Sapiens in Health Sciences reaffirms its commitment to research integrity, editorial transparency, and internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing.

The journal promotes an ethical, responsible, and reproducible research culture aimed at advancing scientific knowledge and improving health outcomes and population well-being.