Publication Ethics

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JAPA adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) standards on publication ethics. Submission of an article implies that:

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• The work described has not been published previously except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis.

• It is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

• Its submission and publication in the journal are known and approved by all authors.

• The work is the author’s own, and there are no falsifications or fabrications of data.

• Plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the authors’ own work without proper citation, and misappropriation are prohibited.

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Simultaneously, all parties involved in the publication process, including reviewers, journal editors, and journal staff, are obligated to follow the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, as guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any cases of ethical misconduct such as plagiarism are treated very seriously and will be dealt with according to the guidelines issued by COPE. 

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Authorship

 

Our journal adheres to the authorship criteria outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which recognizes as authors only those individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. Authors must sign the Authorship Agreement Form when submitting a manuscript to JAPA. Additionally, authors are required to specify their contributions to the work described in the manuscript. Upon request, authors must provide access to the original data and cooperate in obtaining and supplying the data on which the manuscript is based.

 

Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosure

 

Authors are requested to disclose any conflict of interest, either financial or personal, that could affect or influence their work. A conflict of interest may arise when an author (or their institution or employer) has financial or personal relationships that could influence their decisions, work, or manuscript. All authors must disclose potential conflicts of interest, including specific financial interests, relationships, and affiliations (other than those listed on the manuscript's title page) relevant to the subject. Please refer to the Authorship Agreement Form for details. Authors should provide detailed information about all relevant financial interests and relationships or conflicts within the past 5 years and the foreseeable future, especially those present during the research and publication. Additionally, they should disclose other financial interests (e.g., pending patent applications) that could lead to future financial gain. This information may be included in the cover letter accompanying the manuscript submission.

 

Funding/Support and Role of Sponsor

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All financial and material support for the research should be thoroughly identified in an Acknowledgment section of the manuscript. This section should clearly specify the role of the funding organization or sponsor in various aspects of the study, including the design and conduct of the research, data collection, management, analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation, review, or approval.

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Copyright Transfer

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Authors are required to sign and submit the Copyright Transfer Form during the manuscript submission process. This transfer ensures the widest dissemination of information. Additionally, authors must obtain written permission from the copyright owners for any excerpts from other copyrighted works included in the article, and properly credit the sources.

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Ethical Requirements

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Ethical publication practices stem from ethical research and are augmented by ethical review. Therefore, JAPA accepts manuscripts of human research that adhere to the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki (2008) and comply with the 2016 International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans, provided by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), and, when relevant, the WMA Declaration of Taipei. As a result, authors are responsible for demonstrating sufficient compliance with ethical principles by providing documentation of approval from the relevant Ethics Committee (EC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB). 

 

In experiments involving human subjects, ethical approval should be obtained from the appropriate committee. Authors should specify if the methods complied with the ethical standards set by the responsible committee (institutional and national) or other guidelines, such as the Declaration of Helsinki. Similarly, the use of animals in research must adhere to institutional and national guidelines and obtain ethical approval.

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Responsibilities of Authors

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Authors play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity and quality of research publications. They must ensure their work is original and properly cite or quote the work of others. Authors should not submit manuscripts that are under review by other journals. They are required to report any inaccuracies in their published work to ensure appropriate corrections or retractions. Additionally, authors must make significant contributions to their work and address reviewer or editor comments in their revisions. By following these guidelines, authors help maintain the credibility and quality of scientific research.

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Responsibilities of Reviewers

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Reviewers play a crucial role in upholding the quality and integrity of scientific research. reviewers are entrusted with providing objective and constructive feedback on submitted manuscripts. Constructive feedback is essential for guiding authors in improving their work. Reviewers must treat manuscripts and any associated data with strict confidentiality. They should refrain from sharing or discussing the content with anyone outside the review process without explicit permission from the editor. Reviewers are also expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could bias their evaluation. Reviewers should aim to complete their assessments within the agreed-upon timeframe. If unable to meet the deadline, they should promptly inform the editor and, if possible, suggest alternative reviewers. They should be vigilant for issues such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and unethical research practices, and report any suspicions to the editor for further investigation. Reviewers are encouraged to provide detailed and clear reports, offering specific comments and recommendations to the authors. These reports should justify the reviewer's evaluation and help editors make informed decisions. Throughout the review process, reviewers must maintain impartiality and respect. Their assessments should be free from personal biases or unfounded criticisms, contributing to a fair and constructive review process.

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