Commitment to Ethical Publishing

OncoDaily Medical Journal (ODMJ) is committed to publishing peer-reviewed research that upholds the highest standards of scientific rigor, transparency, and ethical conduct. We adhere to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT), and other relevant EQUATOR Network guidelines. All stakeholders involved in the publication process, editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers, are expected to follow these best practices to ensure academic and professional integrity.

ODMJ follows a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, data manipulation, falsification, and other unethical practices. Allegations of misconduct are handled with transparency, confidentiality, and fairness.

Editors’ Responsibilities

• Editorial Independence: Editors at ODMJ operate independently and make decisions solely based on academic merit, scientific validity, and manuscript relevance to the journal’s scope. Commercial or personal interests do not influence decisions.
• Confidentiality: Editors must maintain strict confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts, disclosing content only to those involved in the editorial process (e.g., reviewers, editorial board).
  Integrity and Corrections: Editors are responsible for identifying and correcting errors in the published record. They are empowered to issue retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern when justified.
• Fairness and Impartiality: All manuscripts are evaluated without regard to the authors’ race, gender, institutional affiliation, nationality, or personal beliefs. Editors are committed to upholding fairness and nondiscrimination.
• Handling Misconduct: In cases of suspected misconduct, editors will initiate an inquiry, consult COPE flowcharts, and may involve institutional or legal authorities as needed.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential and may not share or disclose content to unauthorized individuals.
• Objectivity and Constructive Feedback: Reviewers should provide objective, evidence-based evaluations aimed at improving the quality of the manuscript. Unjustified criticism and personal attacks are inappropriate.
• Timeliness: Reviewers should respond promptly to review invitations and submit evaluations within the agreed-upon timeframe.
• Conflict of Interest: If reviewers have a potential conflict (e.g., recent collaboration, institutional connection, or personal relationship with the author), they must decline the assignment.
• Reporting Ethical Issues: Reviewers should alert editors to any ethical concerns, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, or fabrication. They should also identify uncited prior work.

Authors’ Responsibilities

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must submit original work that has not been published elsewhere. Proper citation of prior work is mandatory. Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) is grounds for rejection or retraction.
• Authorship Criteria: All listed authors must meet the ICMJE criteria: substantial contributions to the research, drafting or critical revision, final approval of the version to be published, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
• Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: All financial and non-financial conflicts must be disclosed at submission. Failure to disclose relevant relationships may result in rejection or retraction.
• Data Integrity and Availability: Authors must ensure accuracy in data reporting and maintain data records for at least 10 years. Data must be made available upon validation request.
• Ethical Compliance for Human and Animal Studies: Human research must follow the Declaration of Helsinki, with ethical committee approval and informed consent documentation. Studies involving human biospecimens must specify consent protocols and institutional oversight. Animal research must comply with institutional/national guidelines and the ARRIVE guidelines. Authors must report ethical approval and protocol numbers.
• Patient Privacy and Informed Consent: Identifiable patient information and images require signed consent for publication. Privacy rights must be preserved at all times.
• Redundant or Duplicate Submission: Authors must not submit the same work to more than one journal. Translations or republications require transparent disclosure and permission from the original publishers.

Ethical Oversight

Ethical concerns brought to the journal’s attention, whether during peer review or post-publication, will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or the ethics committee. ODMJ commits to:

• Investigating allegations promptly and confidentially,
• Communicating with relevant authors, reviewers, and institutions,
• Taking appropriate corrective actions (e.g., retraction, expression of concern),
• Using COPE’s flowcharts and best practices as procedural guides,
• The journal may refer complex cases to independent ethics bodies or legal counsel.

Corrections and Retractions

• Erratum/Corrigendum: Minor errors that do not affect the study’s conclusions will be corrected through formal notices.
• Expression of Concern: If an investigation is ongoing or inconclusive, the journal may state to alert readers.
• Retraction: In cases of proven misconduct or major error invalidating findings, a retraction will be published with a clear rationale.

All corrections are publicly linked to the original article and follow COPE guidelines. See also Corrections, Retractions, and Other Post-Publication Updates.

Use of AI and AI-assisted tools

ODMJ allows the use of AI-assisted tools for language and readability support only, under full human oversight. Any such use must be transparently disclosed (tool and purpose), and authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, and proper attribution.

AI tools must not be used to generate or manipulate research data, results, or images, or to replace core scientific judgment. To protect confidentiality and privacy, unpublished manuscripts, peer-review reports, and sensitive or patient-identifiable data must not be uploaded to external AI systems. Potential AI-related integrity concerns may be assessed during editorial screening or post-publication investigation and may result in rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction where appropriate.

Copyright and Open Access

ODMJ publishes all articles under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing unrestricted use, distribution, and adaptation with proper citation. Authors retain copyright.

• Open Access Commitment: All content is freely accessible and indexed for global discovery.
• Reuse Permission: Commercial and derivative use is permitted if appropriately credited.

Authors must confirm they have obtained necessary permissions for third-party material (e.g., figures, tables).

For additional details, see Copyright and Licensing as well as Open Access pages.

Sanctions for Misconduct

When ethical violations are confirmed, ODMJ may impose the following:

• Rejection or Retraction: The manuscript is rejected, or the article is retracted with a public explanation.
• Blacklist: Authors may be barred from future submission.
• Notification: The authors’ institutions or funders may be informed of the violation.

Examples of serious misconduct include:

• Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)
• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Manipulation of the peer review process
• Duplicate publication

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

ODMJ values a diverse and inclusive scholarly community. We:

• Evaluate manuscripts solely on merit and scientific quality,
• Encourage submissions from underrepresented researchers globally,
• Maintain an inclusive editorial board and reviewer pool,
• Strive for transparency and fairness in peer review.

DEI principles guide our editorial, recruitment, and peer review policies.

Contact

For questions or concerns related to publication ethics or to report misconduct:

• Ethics Office: [email protected]
• Editorial Office: [email protected]