Editorial Policies

JOSRAR's editorial policies are aligned with international standards for research integrity, including the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors submitting manuscripts must acknowledge and agree to adhere to these policies.

Authorship Requirements

Each listed author must meet the following criteria:

  • Made a substantial scientific contribution to the research described in the manuscript
  • Endorsed the intellectual content and conclusions of the work
  • Approved the submitted version of the manuscript
  • Agreed to be accountable for the work.

Listing All Contributors

It is essential that all individuals who made significant scientific contributions are listed as authors. This includes:

  • Primary researchers
  • Data collectors and analysts
  • Students who contributed substantially
  • Laboratory technicians whose work was critical to the study
  • All co-authors must have appropriate knowledge of and procedures in place to verify the accuracy of results

No "Gift Authorship"

Authors may not add individuals who did not make meaningful contributions to the research. Adding "gift authors" or honorary authors is unethical and violates JOSRAR standards.

Consequence: Manuscripts found to contain misrepresented authorship may be rejected, and institutions may be notified.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author serves as the primary point of contact and holds key responsibilities:

  • Submission Responsibility: Responsible for manuscript submission
  • Accountability: Accountable for all information concerning the manuscript
  • Communication: Primary liaison between authors and JOSRAR editorial office
  • Post-Publication Duties: After acceptance, corresponding authors are responsible for:
    • Proofreading galley proofs
    • Responding to editorial queries about the published article
    • Managing requests for clarifications or corrections

Multiple Corresponding Authors: After manuscript acceptance, additional corresponding authors may be designated on the title page. All designated corresponding authors share accountability for the published work.

 

COMPETING INTERESTS POLICY

JOSRAR's competing interests policy aims to manage—not eliminate—conflicting interests. The policy's core principle is transparency: all potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed to allow readers to independently evaluate the work.

A disclosed competing interest is rarely cause to invalidate research results or alter editorial decisions, but it provides essential context for readers.

Types of Competing Interests

i. Financial Competing Interests

Financial interests include stakes in organizations whose products or services relate to the manuscript's subject matter. Examples include:

  • Financial investment in a company featured in the research
  • Consultancy fees or research funding from related organizations
  • Patent interests related to the study

Disclosure Requirement: All financial competing interests must be declared at submission.

ii. Personal Competing Interests

Personal relationships and affiliations can create conflicts:

  • Family relationships with co-workers or competitors
  • Close friendships or enmities affecting objectivity
  • Competitive relationships with authors

When personal competing interests would prevent impartial judgment, the individual must not serve as editor or reviewer.

iii. Institutional Competing Interests

Institutional affiliations or departmental interests may create competing interests, particularly when reviewing work from competing institutions or departments.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Declare all funding sources for the research
  • Disclose all competing interests, both financial and personal
  • Provide this information in a separate section of the manuscript
  • Update disclosures if new competing interests arise during the review process

Editor and Reviewer Responsibilities

When asked to evaluate manuscripts, editors and reviewers must:

  • Declare any competing interests immediately upon invitation
  • Decline involvement if a competing interest would prevent impartial evaluation
  • Disclose prior relationships with authors, such as recent collaborations
  • Recuse themselves from decisions if they cannot remain objective

JOSRAR Competing Interest Policy Implementation

  • A footnote explaining any competing interests disclosed by the editor or author will be added to published articles
  • JOSRAR reserves the right to issue an Erratum disclosing competing interests not previously disclosed in published articles
  • Authors, reviewers, or editors of previously published articles may be subject to disciplinary action, including publication exclusion, if competing interests are discovered after publication
  • This policy applies to all articles published in JOSRAR, regardless of publication date

RESEARCH OF CONCERN

Reviewers and authors should immediately notify JOSRAR if a manuscript contains potential dual-use research (research that could be misused to cause harm). JOSRAR will examine such manuscripts carefully and may seek additional specialized reviewers before making publication decisions.

Corrections for Published Articles

If a published article contains errors, authors should notify JOSRAR by email immediately. The Editorial Board will evaluate whether corrections are warranted.

Minor Errors: Typographical or formatting errors that do not affect the meaning or conclusions may be corrected online with a note indicating the correction date.

Scientific Corrections: For errors that do not compromise overall conclusions, JOSRAR will publish an independent, citable Correction alongside the original article, clearly noting what was corrected.

Substantive Errors: For significant errors, unsubstantiated evidence, or missing data, articles may be retracted. Retractions follow international guidelines, including COPE Retraction Guidelines, and are permanent.

Retractions

JOSRAR may retract articles due to:

  • Widespread or substantive scientific errors
  • Unsubstantiated or missing evidence
  • Honest mistakes that undermine conclusions
  • Confirmed scientific misconduct
  • Violation of JOSRAR ethics policies

All retractions are published as citable notices linked to the original article and marked as retracted in all databases.

CHANGE OF NAME IN PUBLISHED ARTICLES

JOSRAR recognizes that individuals may change their names for various reasons. If you wish to modify the name appearing in a published article:

  1. Contact the Editorial Office with your request
  2. Provide verification of your name change
  3. JOSRAR will review each request carefully

Implementation: All versions (HTML and PDF) of the article will be updated with your new initials and given/family names. No notice will be published unless you request otherwise. Updated information will be transmitted to Crossref, though JOSRAR cannot control changes made by downstream repositories.

IMAGE INTEGRITY AND TECHNICAL MANIPULATION

Permitted Manipulations

Minor technical manipulations for improved readability are acceptable, including:

  • Adjustment of contrast, brightness, or color balance
  • Cropping of unnecessary elements

Disclosure Requirement: Authors must include a cover note with the manuscript detailing any technical manipulations performed.

Prohibited Manipulations

Improper manipulation includes:

  • Alteration designed to conceal, enhance, delete, or add elements
  • Manipulation intended to misrepresent data
  • Combination of images from different sources without disclosure

Verification: If editors question the accuracy of figures, authors will be asked to provide original raw data for verification.

License to Publish

By completing the online submission form, authors grant JOSRAR a license to publish the manuscript. Important: This license is conditional on acceptance. If a manuscript is rejected, the publication right is terminated and the copyright reverts to the author.

Materials and Data Access Policy

JOSRAR is committed to ensuring transparency and reproducibility in science. Accordingly, authors must make research data and supporting materials available.

Research Data Requirements

Definition: Research data includes results of observations or experiments supporting research findings, including software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, and methodologies.

Deposit Requirement: Authors must provide research data and associated protocols as:

  1. Supplementary information in the manuscript, or
  2. Deposited in a relevant repository (with citation and link included in the article)

Data Availability Statement

If data cannot be shared, authors must provide a clear explanation including:

  • Reason data cannot be shared (e.g., sensitive patient information, proprietary restrictions)
  • How readers can access any available portions of the data
  • Contact information for data inquiries (where permitted)

This data availability statement must accompany the manuscript and will appear with the published article.

Code and Algorithm Availability

Protocol Documentation: Methodology sections must include sufficient detail for readers to replicate the study. This includes:

  • Step-by-step experimental procedures
  • Instructions for accessing custom code or algorithms

Code Availability Subsection: The Methods section must include a "Code Availability" subsection explaining how readers can access necessary software or algorithms.

Version Control: For custom-developed code or algorithms:

  • Include the most up-to-date version as supplementary material or
  • Deposit in trusted repositories with version control (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo)
  • Provide clear instructions for access and use

Benefits of Data Sharing

Open data practices:

  • Foster transparency and reproducibility in science
  • Enhance the visibility and impact of published work
  • Enable new collaborations and research opportunities
  • Strengthen public trust in scientific research

Citation Guidelines for JOSRAR

All authors must follow these citation guidelines to ensure consistency, accuracy, and proper attribution.

1. Reference List

Each reference entry must include:

  • Author(s): Full names or initials as provided in the source
  • Year of publication: In parentheses following authors
  • Title: Complete article or chapter title
  • Journal/Book title: Italicized
  • Volume and issue: If applicable
  • Page numbers: Inclusive range
  • DOI: Where available (preferred identifier)

2. Electronic Sources

For online articles and digital sources:

  • Include a DOI (preferred) or stable URL
  • Verify that web addresses are functional and link to the cited material
  • Include access date only if recommended by your citation style guide
  • Ensure URLs are to the original source, not to unauthorized copies

3. Self-Citation

Self-citations are permitted provided they:

  • Are limited in number
  • Directly relate to the current research
  • Are not used to artificially inflate citation metrics
  • Do not constitute more than 10-15% of total citations

4. Unpublished Work

Avoid citing unpublished work when possible. When necessary:

  • Manuscripts in preparation or under review should not be cited
  • Cite as "unpublished data" or "personal communication" with author permission
  • Include the date and full contact information for the person providing information
  • Note: Personal communication cannot be verified by readers and should be used sparingly

5. Plagiarism and Attribution

  • Proper attribution: All citations must correctly attribute sources to original authors
  • Quotation marks: Direct quotations must be in quotation marks with page numbers
  • Paraphrasing: Paraphrased material still requires attribution
  • Zero tolerance: Any form of plagiarism, including improper use of cited material, is strictly prohibited

General Editorial Principles

JOSRAR operates according to these core principles:

  1. Sincerity in Research: Authors must honestly report their findings
  2. Research Integrity: Misconduct damages scientific knowledge and public trust
  3. Author Accountability: All authors acknowledge responsibility for their work's accuracy and integrity
  4. Transparency: All policies and decisions should be made transparently
  5. Fair Review: All manuscripts receive fair, thorough, and impartial review

Acknowledgment

By submitting a manuscript to JOSRAR, all authors acknowledge that they have read and understand these Editorial Policies and agree to comply with all requirements.

CONTACT AND SUPPORT

For questions contact: JOSRAR Editorial Office 

Last Updated: 28th May, 2026 JOSRAR Editorial Board