The Clinical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (CJOG) is committed to ensuring the highest standards of research integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct. Authors submitting manuscripts must comply with established norms from COPE, ICMJE, WAME, ARRIVE, CARE, PRISMA, and global medical ethics principles. This page provides a comprehensive and educational guide to ethical responsibilities, including illustrative examples, templates, acceptable practices, and case-based scenarios.

1. Authorship Criteria and Responsibilities

CJOG strictly follows the ICMJE authorship criteria. An individual qualifies as an author only when all four of the following conditions are met:

Substantial contributions to study conception/design, data acquisition, or analysis/interpretation.
Drafting or critically revising important intellectual content.
Final approval of the version to be published.
Agreement to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

1.1 Acceptable Authorship

Example:
Dr. A designed the study, Dr. B conducted statistical analyses, Dr. C drafted the manuscript, and all three revised and approved the final version. All three qualify as authors.

1.2 Unacceptable / Non-Author Contributions

Providing funding alone
Providing laboratory access
General supervision without active intellectual involvement
Language editing or proofreading only
Recruiting patients without analysis or writing

Ghost authorship and gift authorship are considered serious ethical violations.

1.3 Author Contribution Statement (Required)

Each submission must include a section such as:

A.M. designed the study; L.P. collected data; S.K. performed the statistical analysis; 
R.T. drafted the manuscript; all authors reviewed, edited, and approved the final version.

2. Originality and Plagiarism Prevention

All manuscripts must be original. Submissions must not contain:

Plagiarism (direct copying)
Self-plagiarism (unattributed reuse of one's own prior content)
Mosaic plagiarism (patchwriting)
Image duplication or figure manipulation

2.1 Acceptable Reuse

Reuse of methods with citation
Reuse of figures created by authors for prior publications if clearly cited and licensed
Posting of preprints (with citation) on medRxiv, bioRxiv, OSF

2.2 Unacceptable Reuse

Example:
Copying portions of the introduction from an earlier article by the same author without citation = self-plagiarism

3. Research Integrity and Data Transparency

Authors must ensure accuracy, reproducibility, and honesty in reporting data. Manipulating data to achieve desired outcomes constitutes misconduct.

3.1 Data Availability Statement (Required)

Each submission must include a statement such as:

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author 
upon reasonable request. Raw datasets have been anonymized for privacy protection.

3.2 Fabrication and Falsification

Fabrication: Inventing data or cases.
Falsification: Misrepresenting or manipulating results.

Case Example:
An author “created” additional patients to improve sample size. → This results in immediate rejection and permanent record notification.

4. Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

4.1 Human Research

All studies involving human subjects must include:

IRB/ethics committee approval
Approval number
Institution name

Example Statement:
"This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of City Hospital, Approval #CH-2025-114."

4.2 Informed Consent

Where patient data, images, or records are used, authors must confirm consent.

Sample Informed Consent Wording:

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report 
and accompanying images. Identifying information has been removed to ensure anonymity.

4.3 Case Reports

Consent is mandatory even when identifiers are removed.

4.4 Vulnerable Populations

Extra care is required for research involving:

Pregnant women
Neonates
Children
Marginalized communities

5. Animal Research Ethics

Animal studies must comply with ARRIVE guidelines and institutional animal care regulations.

Required Animal Ethics Statement:

All animal procedures were performed following institutional guidelines and approved by the 
Animal Ethics Committee of XYZ University (Approval #AEC-2025-09).

6. Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure

All authors must declare financial and non-financial COIs.

Examples of COIs:

Funding from pharmaceutical companies
Paid consultancy roles
Stock ownership in related industries
Personal or professional relationships that may bias outcomes

Sample COI Statement:

The authors declare no competing financial or personal interests related to this work.

7. Funding Transparency

All funding sources must be declared, including:

Grant numbers
Sponsor names
Program titles

8. Image and Figure Integrity

Acceptable Adjustments

Brightness/contrast applied uniformly
Removal of minor background noise
Cropping without altering meaning

Unacceptable Manipulations

Adding or removing elements
Duplicating features
Altering clinical images (e.g., ultrasounds) to emphasize findings

Image Preparation Guidance

Resolution ≥300 dpi
No patient identifiers visible
Maintain anatomical accuracy

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

AI tools (ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, etc.) may be used for:

Grammar improvement
Language polishing
Formatting assistance

Prohibited AI Uses

Generating fabricated data
Creating artificial references
Writing entire manuscripts without verification

AI Disclosure Statement (Required)

AI tools were used only for language editing. The authors remain fully responsible for the 
accuracy and integrity of the content.

10. Reporting Guidelines (Mandatory Compliance)

CONSORT for clinical trials
PRISMA for systematic reviews
STROBE for observational studies
CARE for case reports
ARRIVE for animal studies

Example Compliance Statement:

This study adheres to the CONSORT 2010 reporting guidelines for randomized clinical trials.

11. Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Authors must avoid submitting the same research to multiple journals simultaneously.

Case Example:
Author submits similar manuscripts with slight changes to two journals. → Immediate rejection and possible reporting to institutions.

12. Post-Publication Responsibilities

Authors must:

Correct errors when identified
Cooperate with retraction or correction notices
Provide underlying data if requested

13. Examples of Ethical and Unethical Practices

Practice	Ethical?	Explanation
Reporting true patient outcomes with consent	Yes	Aligned with medical ethics
Manipulating clinical ultrasound images	No	Compromises clinical accuracy
Using AI for grammar only	Yes	Permissible with disclosure
Recycling introduction paragraphs without citation	No	Self-plagiarism

14. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does using a professional editor violate ethics?

No, as long as intellectual content remains the authors' work.

Is it acceptable to reuse a figure from my dissertation?

Yes, if rights are retained and proper citation is included.

Can I include identifiable patient information?

No. Identifiers must be removed or consent explicitly obtained.

Does AI assistance require disclosure?

Yes. Transparency is essential for maintaining research integrity.

Conclusion

By following these comprehensive ethical standards, authors help uphold CJOG’s mission to advance medical science with integrity, transparency, and trustworthiness. Ethical compliance ensures credibility, safeguards patients and research participants, and supports the global scientific community.

Ethical Standards for Authors