The Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine and Cardiology (JCMC) is committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity in the academic publication process. As part of this commitment, authors submitting their work to JCMC must adhere to stringent ethical standards that ensure the credibility, transparency, and validity of the research. These ethical guidelines are designed to be omni-compliant with the requirements of major indexing databases. Furthermore, the journal aligns itself with all relevant global privacy and data protection regulations, including but not limited to GDPR, the CAN-SPAM Act, and various international frameworks governing privacy.

1. Originality and Plagiarism

Originality is the cornerstone of ethical publishing, and it is expected that all submissions to the JCMC reflect the author(s)' unique contribution to the field of cardiovascular medicine and cardiology. Authors are required to submit only original work that has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Any instance of plagiarism—whether intentional or unintentional—will be considered a serious ethical breach. Plagiarism includes not only verbatim copying but also improper paraphrasing of another author's work without proper attribution.

To safeguard against plagiarism, JCMC uses advanced plagiarism detection tools that screen each manuscript before it proceeds to the peer-review stage. Authors should be aware that even subtle forms of plagiarism, such as failing to cite critical sources or improperly using quotes, can lead to manuscript rejection. It is essential that authors provide appropriate citations and acknowledgments for any information derived from other sources, including previous works by the same author(s). Any overlapping text from previously published research must be clearly marked and referenced, following the journal’s strict guidelines.

In cases where plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal reserves the right to retract the article and issue a formal notice of retraction. Authors found to have engaged in such unethical behavior may also be prohibited from future submissions to the journal.

2. Authorship Criteria

Determining the proper list of authors is a critical aspect of the submission process. Authorship should reflect substantial contributions to the work, including involvement in the conceptualization, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. JCMC follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines, which recommend that all listed authors meet all four authorship criteria:

• Significant contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
• Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
• Approval of the final version to be published.
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The corresponding author has the additional responsibility of ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript before submission. They also act as the main point of contact during the submission, review, and publication process.

Authorship disputes, such as adding or removing authors after submission, should be handled carefully, and any changes must be approved by all co-authors as well as the editorial board of JCMC. Failure to provide proper acknowledgment of contributors may be considered a form of misconduct and could lead to the rejection of the submission or retraction of the published article.

3. Data Integrity and Fabrication

The integrity of research data is a non-negotiable aspect of ethical publication. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, reliability, and transparency of the data they report. Any form of data fabrication, manipulation, or falsification is strictly prohibited and will result in the immediate rejection of the manuscript and possible sanctions against the authors.

Authors should present their findings clearly and honestly, ensuring that the data accurately reflect the outcomes of their research without any form of manipulation. Statistical methods should be used appropriately, and authors should report both positive and negative results transparently. Any selective reporting of data, including the omission of inconclusive or unfavorable results, is considered unethical and may lead to the rejection of the manuscript.

Furthermore, authors are encouraged to deposit their data in publicly accessible repositories or databases, particularly when mandated by funding agencies or institutional review boards. The data should be made available to other researchers upon reasonable request, in alignment with privacy and ethical standards. For sensitive data, such as clinical or patient information, authors must ensure that all privacy laws and ethical guidelines have been followed.

In case any errors or discrepancies are found after publication, authors are expected to cooperate with the editorial team to issue corrections or retractions as necessary. This reflects the commitment to maintaining the integrity and transparency of the scientific record.

4. Conflicts of Interest

The disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest is crucial to maintaining the transparency and objectivity of the research published in JCMC. A conflict of interest may arise when authors have financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the outcomes or interpretations of their research. Common examples of conflicts include receiving funding from industry sponsors, holding stock in companies with a vested interest in the research outcomes, or having personal relationships that could impact the manuscript's objectivity.

Authors must provide a full and honest disclosure of any conflicts of interest at the time of submission. If no conflicts exist, the authors should explicitly state this in their manuscript. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in the rejection of the manuscript or, if discovered post-publication, retraction of the article.

The journal takes conflicts of interest seriously to ensure the credibility and neutrality of its published content. During the peer review process, editors and reviewers are also required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, and if any are identified, they are recused from the review process to maintain the impartiality of the evaluation.

5. Human and Animal Subjects

Ethical considerations are paramount in research involving human and animal subjects. All research involving human participants must comply with the ethical principles set forth in the Declaration of Helsinki and must receive approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee. Authors must clearly state in their manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all human participants, and they should provide details on how participant confidentiality and data protection were maintained.

For studies involving animals, authors must follow the relevant guidelines for the humane treatment of animals in research. The study should be approved by an ethics committee or institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC), and authors must provide a statement in the manuscript confirming that the research adhered to these ethical standards.

The journal requires detailed descriptions of the procedures used for both human and animal studies, including how potential harm was minimized and how the rights and welfare of the subjects were protected. Manuscripts that fail to meet these ethical standards will be rejected.

6. Acknowledgment of Sources and Contributions

Proper acknowledgment of the work of others is essential to maintain transparency and academic integrity. Authors are responsible for appropriately recognizing the contributions of those who have influenced or informed their research, whether through direct assistance, discussions, provision of resources, or previous research. All citations should be complete, accurate, and reflect the original source of the information. This also includes any material borrowed from unpublished works, technical reports, or personal communications, provided that permission has been obtained from the source.

Failure to adequately acknowledge sources or the contributions of others can lead to accusations of plagiarism or unethical behavior. This includes not only verbatim copying but also failure to properly credit others' ideas, data, or methods, even when paraphrased. Citations must include relevant articles, books, datasets, and any other material used to develop the manuscript.

In addition, contributions that do not meet the criteria for full authorship—such as technical support, writing assistance, or funding acquisition—should be acknowledged appropriately in the manuscript. Authors must ensure that anyone who provided assistance that does not rise to the level of authorship is listed in an acknowledgment section with their consent.

Transparent acknowledgment of funding sources is also necessary to avoid conflicts of interest. Authors must disclose all funding sources that supported the research, along with any specific grant numbers or institutional affiliations. This ensures transparency and allows readers to assess any potential biases or conflicts of interest in the research.

7. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Authors must avoid engaging in multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication practices, which are considered unethical in the academic community. Submitting the same research or similar content to multiple journals simultaneously is prohibited. Authors should only submit a manuscript to JCMC after it has been withdrawn or rejected by another journal, or if the authors have received permission from all journals involved to publish a particular aspect of the research.

The publication of the same content in multiple journals dilutes the impact of the research and misleads readers, reviewers, and editors. Moreover, it can lead to unnecessary repetition in the academic literature, wasting resources in the review process and reducing the quality and novelty of scientific contributions.

If authors wish to publish content that overlaps with previously published work, they must clearly disclose this overlap to the editors of JCMC at the time of submission. For instance, a review article summarizing the content of several previously published papers might be acceptable if all prior publications are referenced appropriately, and if the overlap is made transparent to the readers. Additionally, secondary publications must always include appropriate citations to the original work, following the guidance of JCMC.

In rare cases where it is necessary to submit the same or closely related work to more than one journal (such as in different languages for a broader audience), authors must ensure that permission has been granted by both journals and that the work is clearly marked as a secondary publication.

8. Peer Review Participation and Responsibility

The peer-review process is a critical element of scholarly publishing, ensuring the quality, validity, and credibility of academic research. Authors submitting manuscripts to JCMC are required to participate fully and cooperatively in the peer-review process. This includes being responsive to reviewers' comments and suggestions and addressing them in a timely manner.

Authors must provide a point-by-point response to all reviewer comments when submitting a revised manuscript. They should detail the changes made in response to the reviewers' feedback or, if they disagree with a suggestion, provide a clear and well-reasoned explanation for why the change was not made. Cooperation and constructive engagement with the peer-review process reflect the author’s commitment to improving the quality and clarity of their research.

In cases where the manuscript is rejected or requires significant revisions, authors must respect the editorial decision and should not attempt to resubmit the same manuscript without substantial improvements. Additionally, if a manuscript requires substantial revisions, it should not be withdrawn for submission to another journal without first addressing the concerns raised by the initial reviewers.

JCMC also encourages authors to volunteer as peer reviewers. Contributing to the peer-review process as a reviewer is an important aspect of professional development and ensures a fair, thorough, and balanced evaluation of scientific literature. Authors who have experience in peer reviewing can contribute valuable insights to the evaluation of future submissions.

9. Reporting Research Methods and Reproducibility

Authors are expected to report their research methods with sufficient detail and transparency to allow others to replicate the study. Reproducibility is a cornerstone of the scientific method, and authors must ensure that their experimental designs, data collection procedures, and analyses are described clearly and comprehensively. This includes providing details on equipment used, materials sourced, sample sizes, statistical methods, and any software or algorithms applied in data processing.

Authors should ensure that the manuscript includes clear descriptions of all experiments or data collection efforts so that other researchers can replicate the study. JCMC encourages the use of supplemental material or publicly accessible repositories to share raw data, methodologies, code, or any other resources needed to reproduce the research results.

Where applicable, authors should also consider providing access to datasets in publicly available repositories, making their research as open and transparent as possible. However, sensitive or proprietary data, such as personal patient information, must be anonymized or handled in compliance with privacy standards like the GDPR and other relevant frameworks.

Manuscripts that lack sufficient detail in the methodology may be returned to authors for clarification before they are accepted for review. Transparent reporting of research methods not only strengthens the scientific record but also allows other researchers to build upon the findings.

10. Ethical Approval for Research Involving Patients or Clinical Trials

For research that involves clinical trials or patients, authors must ensure that all necessary ethical approvals and patient consent forms are obtained before conducting the study. The ethical standards governing human research are guided by international conventions such as the Declaration of Helsinki and specific regulatory frameworks depending on the country or institution in which the research was conducted.

Authors must include in the manuscript a statement confirming that the study received approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB), and that informed consent was obtained from all patients or participants involved in the research. If the research involves vulnerable populations, such as children or individuals with diminished autonomy, additional safeguards must be in place to protect their rights and welfare.

For clinical trials, authors should register the trial in a publicly accessible database (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) and provide the registration number in the manuscript. In addition to complying with JCMC's ethical standards, this practice enhances transparency and enables the broader research community to follow the progress and outcomes of clinical research.

Authors are encouraged to provide data-sharing statements in accordance with the requirements of clinical trial registries and the privacy standards relevant to the study's jurisdiction.

11. Transparency in Funding and Sponsorship

Authors are required to disclose all sources of funding for the research presented in their manuscript. Transparency regarding funding helps readers understand the context and potential influences behind the research. This is essential in preventing any bias that might arise from financial or institutional sponsorship. Authors should provide a detailed statement in the manuscript, including the names of the funding organizations and any applicable grant numbers.

In cases where the research was sponsored by a commercial entity, authors must clearly state the role of the sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, manuscript preparation, and decisions regarding submission for publication. If the sponsor had no such involvement, this should also be stated explicitly. Authors must also declare any other financial relationships, such as paid consultancies, stock ownership, or other forms of compensation that could be perceived as a conflict of interest.

Transparency in funding is crucial to maintaining the credibility of the scientific process and allows readers and reviewers to assess the potential for bias. Failure to disclose funding sources may lead to rejection or retraction of the manuscript, and authors may be banned from future submissions to JCMC.

12. Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright

Authors must ensure that their manuscript does not violate the intellectual property rights (IPR) of others. The submission of work that includes copyrighted material, such as images, figures, or data from other sources, must be accompanied by appropriate permissions from the copyright holders. Authors must obtain written permission to reproduce any material that is not their own and must properly credit the original source. This includes tables, figures, graphs, or excerpts from other published or unpublished works.

Furthermore, authors are responsible for ensuring that their work respects any patents or trademarks relevant to the research. If the manuscript discusses proprietary information, the authors must ensure that any restrictions imposed by intellectual property laws are adhered to.

Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, authors will be required to transfer copyright to JCMC or provide a license under an open-access model, depending on the journal’s policies. Authors should review these policies carefully and ensure they understand their rights regarding the future use and distribution of their work. Copyright transfer agreements typically grant JCMC the exclusive right to publish and distribute the manuscript while allowing authors to retain certain rights, such as reuse in their own future work.

13. Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Tools

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools in research introduces new ethical challenges that authors must address. Authors using AI-powered tools in any stage of their research, such as data analysis, manuscript writing, or review processes, must disclose the extent and nature of AI involvement. Transparency is key to maintaining the integrity of the research and ensuring that the contributions of human authors are not overshadowed or misrepresented by AI-generated content.

If AI tools are used to generate portions of the manuscript or assist in data analysis, authors must clearly state this in their manuscript and ensure that the use of such tools complies with ethical standards. AI tools should not be used to create fabricated data or misrepresent research outcomes. The use of AI should enhance, not replace, human contributions to the research process.

In addition, authors should ensure that AI-generated content does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others and that any data processed by AI tools complies with privacy regulations such as GDPR. This is especially important when dealing with sensitive information, such as patient data in clinical trials or human subject research.

14. Ethical Image Manipulation

Authors are prohibited from engaging in unethical image manipulation. Figures and images used in manuscripts, such as microscopy images, charts, or graphs, must reflect the original data truthfully. Manipulation of images to enhance, obscure, or alter the appearance of research results is considered unethical and may result in the rejection or retraction of the article.

Acceptable image adjustments include resizing, cropping, or adjusting contrast to enhance clarity, as long as the modifications do not distort or misrepresent the data. Authors must also ensure that any manipulated images are identified clearly, and any image processing techniques should be documented in the manuscript’s methods section.

In cases where authors use third-party software to enhance images, the name and version of the software must be disclosed, along with an explanation of how it was used. Reviewers and readers must be able to assess the validity of the presented data based on these descriptions. Authors are encouraged to retain original, unmodified image files, as they may be requested by reviewers or editors to verify the integrity of the results.

15. Ethical Responsibilities Regarding Negative Results

Authors must report all research results transparently, including negative or inconclusive results. Failure to report negative findings can distort the scientific record by giving a misleading impression of the success rate of particular hypotheses or experiments. The omission of negative results can lead to publication bias and slow down scientific progress by encouraging repetition of unproductive research lines.

JCMC encourages authors to submit manuscripts even if their findings do not support the original hypothesis. Negative results contribute to the broader scientific understanding and can provide valuable insights for future research. Authors should present negative results in the same rigorous manner as positive results, ensuring that the data is thoroughly analyzed and interpreted.

By reporting both positive and negative outcomes, authors help to build a more complete and transparent scientific record. This also helps to reduce the occurrence of "publication bias," where only successful or positive results are published, giving a skewed perspective on the reliability or effectiveness of a given hypothesis or experimental approach.

16. Ethical Collaboration and Multi-Author Accountability

In cases of multi-author manuscripts, all listed authors are jointly responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the research presented. Authors are required to establish clear communication and collaborative processes to ensure that all contributors agree on the content of the manuscript before submission. The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating between all co-authors and submitting a final manuscript that reflects the collective contributions.

However, each author must be able to independently vouch for the validity of the part of the work they were responsible for. Authors should avoid "honorary" or "guest" authorship, where individuals are listed as authors despite not meeting the criteria for meaningful contribution. All authors listed on a manuscript should meet the criteria for authorship as defined by JCMC, ensuring that each individual has made a significant intellectual contribution to the study.

In collaborative work across institutions or disciplines, ethical guidelines should be respected regardless of the authors’ geographic or institutional affiliations. Authors from different institutions must ensure that the collaborative project complies with all relevant ethical standards, including privacy laws and ethical approvals for research involving human subjects or animals.

Authors are also expected to resolve any authorship disputes in a transparent and ethical manner. Any authorship changes after submission, such as the addition or removal of authors, must be approved by all co-authors and the editorial board. Disputes or disagreements regarding contributions should be addressed before submission, as failure to resolve these issues may result in rejection or delays in publication.

17. Compliance with Data Protection and Privacy Laws

Authors must ensure that their research complies with all applicable data protection and privacy regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and other regional or international privacy frameworks. This is particularly important for research involving personal data, patient records, or any information that can be used to identify individuals.

Before submitting their manuscript, authors should confirm that they have obtained the necessary ethical approvals and informed consent from research participants, where applicable. In cases where anonymization of personal data is required, authors must ensure that appropriate measures have been taken to protect the privacy of individuals involved in the study.

Data protection also extends to the publication of supplementary materials, such as datasets, code, or other materials that may accompany the manuscript. Authors should carefully consider how this data is shared and ensure that any sensitive information is either removed or anonymized in compliance with privacy laws.

JCMC requires authors to include a statement in their manuscript confirming that the research was conducted in accordance with relevant data protection regulations. This not only ensures compliance with legal requirements but also enhances transparency and trust in the published research.