JCRTP is committed to integrity at every stage of publication. Authors, reviewers and editors share responsibility for honest, transparent and ethical research reporting, following internationally recognised standards of publication ethics.
Authors' responsibilities
- Originality: submit original work that has not been published and is not under consideration elsewhere, and cite the work of others accurately.
- Authorship: list everyone who made a substantial contribution and approved the final manuscript; acknowledge other contributors.
- Data and accuracy: report methods and results honestly and be able to provide the underlying data on request.
- Disclosure: declare all funding sources and any financial or personal conflicts of interest.
- Errors: inform the editorial office promptly if a significant error is found in submitted or published work.
Reviewers' responsibilities
- Assess manuscripts objectively and constructively, supporting comments with evidence.
- Treat manuscripts as confidential and do not use unpublished information for personal advantage.
- Declare conflicts of interest and decline a review when impartiality may be affected.
- Tell the editor about suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication or other ethical concerns.
Editors' responsibilities
- Base decisions on scientific merit, originality, relevance to the journal's scope and ethical soundness, without regard to the authors' background or affiliation.
- Keep submissions confidential and manage peer review fairly.
- Withdraw from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.
- Investigate ethical concerns and take appropriate action.
Research ethics and consent
Research involving human participants, human data or tissue must have approval from an appropriate ethics committee and, where applicable, informed consent. Studies involving animals must follow applicable regulations for their care and use. Case reports require patient consent for publication where applicable. Manuscripts must state the approving body and reference number, or explain why approval was not required.
Conflicts of interest
Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose any relationship that could be seen to influence their work, including employment, funding, consultancy, patents and personal relationships. Authors include a conflict-of-interest statement in the manuscript, stating "none" where applicable.
Plagiarism and misconduct
Plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, and inappropriate authorship are treated as misconduct. Submissions may be checked for originality. Concerns raised before or after publication are investigated with the authors and, where necessary, their institutions; outcomes may include rejection, correction or retraction.
Corrections and retractions
Errors that affect the interpretation of a published article are corrected through a published correction linked to the article. Articles with seriously unreliable findings or confirmed misconduct may be retracted with a retraction notice that explains the reason; the original article remains available and clearly marked.
Appeals and complaints
Authors may appeal an editorial decision or raise a concern by contacting the editorial office, identifying the manuscript and the reasons for the appeal. Appeals are reviewed by the editors, and the outcome is communicated to the authors.
