Ethical Policy

Journal of Dentistry and Oral Healthcare

The Journal of Dentistry and Oral Healthcare is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), to ensure transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in all stages of the publication process.

1. Publication Ethics Principles

The journal upholds the following core ethical principles:

  • Integrity in research and publication
  • Transparency in authorship and reporting
  • Fair and unbiased peer review
  • Prevention of plagiarism and academic misconduct
  • Protection of human and animal research subjects

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts must adhere to the following ethical obligations:

  • Submit only original and unpublished work
  • Avoid plagiarism, data fabrication, and data falsification
  • Properly acknowledge all sources and references
  • Ensure all listed authors have significantly contributed to the research
  • Obtain approval from all co-authors before submission
  • Disclose any conflicts of interest or financial support
  • Comply with ethical standards for human and animal research

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

  • Ensuring a fair, transparent, and unbiased editorial process
  • Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
  • Making publication decisions based on academic merit and reviewer feedback
  • Avoiding conflicts of interest in editorial decisions
  • Taking appropriate action in cases of ethical misconduct

4. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and unbiased evaluations
  • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript content
  • Declare any conflicts of interest before accepting a review
  • Identify ethical issues such as plagiarism or data manipulation
  • Avoid using manuscript content for personal advantage

5. Research Ethics (Human and Animal Studies)

For studies involving human participants or animals:

  • Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB)
  • Informed consent must be obtained from all human participants
  • Patient privacy and confidentiality must be strictly maintained
  • Animal studies must comply with internationally accepted welfare guidelines

6. Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

The journal has a zero-tolerance policy toward unethical practices, including:

  • Plagiarism in any form
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Data fabrication or manipulation
  • Improper authorship practices (gift, ghost, or honorary authorship)

All manuscripts are screened for originality before publication.

7. Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional conflicts of interest that could influence the publication process. Transparency is mandatory to maintain trust in the scientific record.

8. Corrections and Retractions

If ethical issues are identified after publication, the journal may take corrective actions, including:

  • Publishing corrections or errata
  • Retraction of the article in severe cases
  • Notifying authors’ institutions or relevant authorities