The Clinical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (CJOG) is committed to fostering a trustworthy, transparent, and ethically responsible publishing environment. This consolidated Publication Ethics Policy integrates the journal’s ethical commitments across authorship, peer review, editorial independence, data integrity, human-subject protection, and misconduct procedures. It aligns with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and internationally recognized ethical frameworks for biomedical research.

Purpose and Scope of the Policy

This unified policy outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher. It defines acceptable conduct, prohibited practices, governance procedures, and correction mechanisms to preserve the integrity of the scientific record. The policy applies to:

Original research articles, reviews, case reports, commentaries, and all submitted manuscripts.
Preprint submissions, revised manuscripts, and post-publication updates.
All editorial, peer review, and publication processes within CJOG.

Governance Structure for Ethical Oversight

CJOG maintains a multi-layered ethics governance system to ensure fair and thorough evaluation of ethical concerns:

Editor-in-Chief: Oversees ethical policy implementation.
Ethics Committee: Handles complex or escalated cases of misconduct.
Associate Editors: Ensure compliance during initial triage.
External Experts: Consulted for specialized ethical reviews.

Author Responsibilities

Authors play a central role in upholding research integrity and ethical conduct in publication.

Accuracy and Honesty in Reporting

All data must be accurate, verifiable, and free from fabrication or falsification.
Statistical analysis and methodologies must be transparently described.
Negative or null results must be reported honestly.

Authorship Standards

Authorship must be limited to individuals who:

Made significant contributions to study design, data collection, or analysis.
Drafted or critically revised the manuscript.
Approved the final version.
Accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Disclosure Requirements

Funding sources must be transparently disclosed.
Financial and non-financial conflicts of interest must be declared.
Assistance from AI tools must be acknowledged, including their role.

Ethical Compliance for Clinical Research

IRB approval must be obtained for all human subject research.
Informed consent must be documented.
Patient identifiability must be protected (e.g., de-identification, masking).
Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in recognized registries.

Data and Material Availability

Authors must provide data upon editorial request.
Open data sharing is encouraged through repositories (Zenodo, Dryad, OSF).
Any data restriction must be justified (privacy, legal, or contractual limitations).

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers ensure high-quality scientific evaluation, confidentiality, and unbiased assessments.

Reviewer Conduct

Provide objective, evidence-based feedback.
Complete reviews within agreed deadlines.
Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and data.
Disclose conflicts of interest immediately.
Report suspected misconduct (plagiarism, falsification, ethics violations).

Unacceptable Reviewer Practices

Using manuscript information for personal research.
Sharing manuscript content without permission.
Attempting to identify authors in a double-blind system.
Submitting superficial or inappropriate reviews.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors safeguard the review process and ensure decisions are ethical, transparent, and based solely on scholarly merit.

Editorial Decision-Making

Ensure fair and unbiased manuscript evaluation.
Base decisions on reviewer comments and scientific validity.
Prevent commercial or political influence on publication decisions.

Editorial Integrity & Transparency

Maintain confidentiality of reviewer identities.
Publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern as appropriate.
Ensure all manuscripts follow ethical and methodological standards.

Ethical Use of AI in Authorship and Peer Review

AI tools may be used for grammar, summarization, or analysis, but:

Authors must disclose all AI-assisted contributions.
AI cannot be credited as an author.
Reviewers may not upload confidential manuscripts to external AI systems.
Authors remain fully responsible for all content generated or assisted by AI.

Research Misconduct Definitions

CJOG defines misconduct as intentional, reckless, or negligent behavior harming research integrity.

Plagiarism: Unattributed use of others’ work.
Fabrication: Inventing data or findings.
Falsification: Manipulating research or data.
Image Manipulation: Altering images beyond clarity enhancement.
Duplicate Publication: Republishing the same work or substantial parts.
Peer Review Manipulation: Supplying fake reviewer identities or influencing outcomes.
Improper Authors: Gift, ghost, or pressured authorship.

Misconduct Investigation Procedures

All allegations are taken seriously and investigated confidentially using COPE’s recommended workflows.

1. Initial Assessment

Editorial staff conducts preliminary evaluation.
Similarity analysis and metadata checks are performed.

2. Author Notification

Authors are contacted confidentially and asked to provide:

Clarifications
Raw data
Ethical approval documents
Original images or datasets

3. Investigation by Ethics Committee

Committee reviews evidence.
Independent experts consulted if required.
Conflicts of interest assessed.

4. Decision and Corrective Action

Minor issues → corrections or revisions.
Major issues → rejection, retraction, or author sanctions.
Institutional notification for severe misconduct.

Possible Actions

Action	When Applied
Correction	Minor errors not affecting validity.
Retraction	Misconduct invalidates results or ethics.
Expression of Concern	Investigation ongoing or inconclusive.
Ban on Submissions	Repeated or severe violations.

Publication Transparency & Research Integrity

Data Transparency

Authors should provide data availability statements.
Data may be archived in open access repositories.
Editors may request raw data for verification.

Statistical and Methodological Rigor

Methods must be described in sufficient detail for replication.
Use of validated tools and standardized guidelines is encouraged.

Reporting Standards

CJOG encourages adherence to discipline-specific reporting guidelines:

CONSORT (Clinical Trials)
PRISMA (Systematic Reviews)
STROBE (Observational Studies)
CARE (Case Reports)
ARRIVE (Animal Research)

Licensing, Copyright & Open Access Ethics

CJOG publishes all content under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Author Rights

Authors retain copyright.
Authors may share and archive all versions of their manuscript.

Ethical Use of Content

Reuse of content must credit original authors and CJOG.
Commercial rehosting that misleads readers is prohibited.

Advertising, Funding, and Marketing Integrity

CJOG ensures separation between editorial decisions and commercial activities.

No advertisement influences peer review or editorial decisions.
Funding sources must be disclosed transparently.
Marketing aligns with GDPR, CAN-SPAM Act, and fair-use regulations.

Appeals & Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions. Complaints must be:

Specific and evidence-based.
Submitted in writing to the editorial office.
Reviewed by an independent senior editor.

Examples of Ethical vs. Unethical Scenarios

Ethical Behavior	Unethical Behavior
Disclosing all conflicts of interest. Using validated clinical methodologies. Publishing negative or inconclusive results honestly. Providing transparent data.	Manipulating peer review. Fabricating patient data. Hiding funding sources. Republishing prior work without citation.

FAQs

Can authors correct minor errors after publication?

Yes, through formal correction notices.

Will authors be penalized for honest mistakes?

No. Genuine errors corrected transparently are not considered misconduct.

Are reviewers allowed to use AI tools?

Only if confidentiality is maintained and full disclosure is provided.

Can manuscripts be submitted elsewhere while under review?

No. Duplicate submission violates ethical standards.

Conclusion

CJOG’s Publication Ethics Policy ensures a transparent, accountable, and ethically responsible publishing environment. By aligning with global standards and maintaining strict governance, the journal safeguards research integrity and trust in scientific communication.