Ethical Responsibility

Ege Tıp Dergisi publishes articles that comply with ethical and scientific standards. The ethical, scientific, and legal responsibility of the articles published in the journal belongs entirely to the author(s) and does not reflect the views of the editor and members of the editorial board.

In research requiring ethics committee approval, the relevant approval document must be submitted. The name of the ethics committee, the approval date (day-month-year), and the decision number must be explicitly specified in the “Materials and Methods” section of the manuscript. Written informed consent must be obtained from the patient or their legal representative to publish information and photographs that could potentially reveal the patient's identity. The fact that consent was obtained must be declared in the “Materials and Methods” section of the manuscript; in articles where this section is not present, it must be stated at the end of the “Introduction” section with the following statement: “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient or their legal representative for the publication of their medical data and any accompanying photographs.”

For studies that do not require approval, the justification must be explained within the manuscript; when required by relevant legislation and institutional practices, a waiver or a document stating that approval is not required must be provided.

In case reports, it is mandatory to state that an “Informed Consent Form” has been obtained and to submit it to the editorial office upon request.

Furthermore, it is required to:

• Obtain and state permission from the copyright owners for using scales, questionnaires, and photographs belonging to others.
• State compliance with copyright regulations for the ideas and artistic works used.

In studies conducted on animals, approval must be obtained from an authorized animal experiments ethics committee before the research begins. The name of the committee, the approval date, and the decision number must be stated in the “Materials and Methods” section of the manuscript. The studies must be conducted in compliance with relevant national legislation and the care and use principles outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (nationalacademies.org). The ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines (arriveguidelines.org) must be taken as the basis for reporting studies that involve live animal experiments [1.19].

Manuscripts submitted for publication in the journal must not have been previously published elsewhere or be under evaluation for publication simultaneously. Studies previously presented at congresses must be specified in the Cover Letter addressed to the Editor. If the manuscript contains portions of topics from a previously published article by the author(s), this situation must also be stated in the Cover Letter, and a copy of the previous article must be uploaded to the journal page along with the new submission files.

The contribution of each author must be explained in the Author Contribution Form and in the “Author Contributions” section of the manuscript. The contributions of individuals who do not meet the criteria for authorship are stated in the “Acknowledgments” section, provided their written permission is obtained. Requests for adding, removing, or changing the order of authors are submitted to the editorial board with a justification and the written approval of all authors, including those affected by the change. In case of unresolved authorship disputes, an investigation may be requested from the relevant institutions.

Conflict of Interest: Authors are responsible for disclosing all personal and financial relationships that could potentially bias their work. In the presence of commercial connections or institutions providing financial support for the study, the nature of the relationship with the commercial product, drug, company, etc., used, or the absence of any conflict of interest, must be declared by filling out the Conflict of Interest Form, uploading it to the system, and stating it in the “Conflict of Interest” section of the text. The conflict of interest form must be obtained from the following address: icmje.org. [1, 2, 3]

Plagiarism Screening: Ege Tıp Dergisi does not tolerate plagiarism in any form. Therefore, all articles submitted to the journal must be scanned by their authors using a licensed application (iThenticate, etc.), and the similarity report must be uploaded to the system along with the manuscript files. The acceptable similarity rate must be below 20%. Articles with a similarity rate above the specified threshold will be returned to the author without undergoing evaluation.

Editorial Independence

The scientific evaluation and publication decisions of manuscripts in Ege Tıp Dergisi are conducted under the principle of editorial independence. The administrative or financial support of the publishing institution does not confer the right to interfere with the evaluation, selection, or publication decisions of individual manuscripts. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the scientific and editorial board decisions and content of the journal; acceptance and rejection decisions are made solely based on the results of the scientific evaluation.

Institutional administrators cannot exert pressure on the editor and reviewers to accept or reject a manuscript. Editorial independence also applies to special issues and evaluations managed by guest editors.

Impartiality and Equal Evaluation

Manuscripts are evaluated based on their originality, scientific validity, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and their contribution to the aims and scope of the journal. The authors' gender, sex, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, political opinions, academic rank, or institutional affiliation shall not be a ground for discrimination in the evaluation process. Being affiliated with Ege University does not confer any evaluation or publication privileges.

Editors and reviewers cannot request unjustified citations to their own publications or to the journal as a condition for acceptance or a positive evaluation.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editors assign manuscripts to reviewers who have appropriate expertise in the relevant field and who have no conflicts of interest; they ensure that the evaluation process is conducted fairly and consistently. They evaluate reviewer opinions along with their scientific justifications and communicate a clear, respectful, and reasoned decision to the authors. Reviewer reports serve as advisory guidelines for the final decision; the ultimate responsibility for the editorial decision rests with the editors.

Editors do not ignore allegations of ethical violations; they evaluate relevant explanations and documentation and, when necessary, utilize COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. If an issue affecting reliability is identified in published content, they ensure that action is taken in accordance with the journal's correction and retraction policy. Specifying the responsibilities of the authors does not eliminate the responsibility of the editors and the publisher to preserve publication integrity.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers only undertake the evaluation of studies for which they possess sufficient expertise and which they can review within the designated timeframe. If they realize they cannot perform the evaluation or that a conflict of interest exists, they must notify the responsible editor and recuse themselves from the assignment.

Reviewer reports must be based on scientific grounds and must employ constructive and respectful language. Personal, derogatory, or discriminatory expressions shall not be used. Reviewers communicate any suspicions regarding ethical issues, substantial similarity, or duplicate publication to the editor in strict confidentiality; they do not communicate directly with the authors or conduct independent investigations. They do not allow another individual to evaluate the manuscript without the explicit permission of the editor.

Ethical Responsibilities and Rights of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality of their work, the accurate and complete presentation of data, the proper citation of references, and the acquisition of mandatory ethical permissions. Authorship must be based on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria; all authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and assume accountability for the integrity of the study. Data fabrication or falsification, misleading image manipulation, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and unearned authorship are unacceptable.

Authors have the right to an impartial and confidential evaluation, the notification of a reasoned decision, the opportunity to respond to allegations of ethical violations, and the right to appeal publication decisions based on scientific grounds. Appeals and complaints are evaluated by editors who have no conflicts of interest.

Complaints and Appeals Policy

Ege Tıp Dergisi evaluates appeals against publication decisions and complaints regarding the editorial review process, publication ethics, or the conduct of editors and reviewers in accordance with the principles of impartiality, confidentiality, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest.

Appeals Against Publication Decisions

Authors may submit a written appeal against the decision made regarding their manuscript by providing scientific justifications. The appeal must state the title of the manuscript and the submission number, and it must specify which points of the decision or evaluation reports are being contested, accompanied by supporting explanations and documentation. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee a re-evaluation or acceptance of the manuscript.

Appeals are reviewed by an editor who was not involved in the initial evaluation process and who has no conflicts of interest. When necessary, independent reviewer opinions may be sought. The outcome of the review and its justification are communicated to the corresponding author. In cases where the Editor-in-Chief is not a party to the appeal and has no conflict of interest, the final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief; in other cases, the decision is made by an independent editor.

Evaluation of Complaints

Complaints regarding the editorial review process, confidentiality breaches, conflicts of interest, discrimination, or other ethical issues may be submitted to the journal's editorial office, explicitly stating the relevant incident and providing supporting documentation, if available. Complaints are investigated by individuals who have no involvement in the matter or any conflicts of interest. If the complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the investigation is conducted by an independent editor or a committee appointed by the publisher.

The relevant parties are granted an opportunity to provide explanations and responses. COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines are utilized during the investigation; when necessary, information is requested from the relevant institutions or authorized bodies. Information regarding the complaint is shared only with the individuals necessary for the investigation. The outcome of the investigation is communicated to the applicant, respecting confidentiality obligations.

Submission Channel

Appeals and complaints must be sent to egetipdergisi@gmail.com. The subject line of the email must include the phrase “Appeal Against Publication Decision” (Yayın Kararına İtiraz) or “Complaint” (Şikâyet).

Investigation and Consequences of Ethical Violation Allegations

Allegations of ethical violations are investigated in line with COPE guidelines, taking into account the relevant documents and the explanations of the parties involved. The authors concerned are given the opportunity to clarify and respond to the allegations. When necessary, an investigation is requested from the authors' institutions or competent authorities. The mere presence of suspicion does not imply that a violation has been proven.

As a result of the investigation, and depending on the nature and severity of the issue, the evaluation process may be suspended or the manuscript may be rejected. For published articles, a correction notice, an editorial expression of concern, or a retraction may be applied. The justification for the decision made is explained, and the published notice is linked to the relevant article. Ethical violations by editors or reviewers are also investigated; when necessary, the evaluation duties of the relevant individual are terminated.

Confidentiality and Protection of Unpublished Information

Manuscripts submitted for evaluation, supplementary files, reviewer reports, and editorial correspondence are confidential documents. These materials can only be accessed by authorized individuals involved in the evaluation and publication process. Within the scope of the double-blind review model, the identities of authors and reviewers are mutually protected.

Editors, reviewers, and journal staff shall not use unpublished ideas, findings, and data for their personal benefit or for their own research; nor shall they share them with unauthorized third parties. Manuscripts and evaluation documents cannot be uploaded to generative artificial intelligence tools or external services whose confidentiality is not guaranteed.

When information sharing is required due to an ethical violation investigation or a binding legal obligation, only the necessary information is shared with authorized bodies under appropriate confidentiality measures. The privacy of research participants is strictly protected.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Conflicts of interest are not limited strictly to financial relationships; personal relationships, academic competition, close collaborations, consultancy relationships, and institutional affiliations may also compromise impartiality. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any relationships that could potentially influence the evaluation process, both at the initial submission and as they arise throughout the process.

An editor or reviewer with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves from the evaluation and decision-making process of the relevant manuscript. Studies authored by the Editor-in-Chief or members of the editorial board are evaluated under the responsibility of an alternative editor who has no conflict of interest, using independent reviewers. An editor who is an author does not participate in the reviewer selection or the decision-making process for their own manuscript. In cases where the Editor-in-Chief is a party, the final decision is also made by the independent editor.

Authors must explicitly declare their funding sources and disclose the roles of sponsors/funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, and the publication decision. If there is no financial support or conflict of interest, this situation must also be stated. Omissions in disclosures identified post-publication are handled within the scope of a correction notice or an ethical investigation depending on their nature.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Ege Tıp Dergisi supports the verifiability of research findings and the reproducibility of methods. Research articles must include a “Data Availability Statement”. This statement must explain how the data supporting the findings of the study and any analysis codes can be accessed.

If the data are available in a public repository, the name of the repository and its persistent link or DOI number must be specified. If the data can be shared upon request, the person to be contacted, the access conditions, and any required permissions must be explained. In cases where the data cannot be shared, justifications must be provided, such as patient or participant privacy, the scope of informed consent, third-party rights, or other restrictions. Data sharing must be conducted in compliance with the protection of personal data and relevant ethical obligations.

Research methods and analysis procedures must be described in sufficient detail to allow the evaluation and, under appropriate conditions, the reproduction of the study. The software used and their versions must be specified; the accessibility of study-specific analysis codes must be declared.

Editors and reviewers may request supporting data or codes during the evaluation process to verify the findings. These requests are handled by respecting confidentiality, ethical permissions, and relevant access restrictions. In articles where no new data were generated or analyzed, it must be stated that data sharing is not applicable.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Manuscripts published in Ege Tıp Dergisi are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. Contents within the scope of the license can be shared and adapted provided that appropriate credit is given to the authors and the original source, a link to the license is provided, and it is not used for commercial purposes. Any changes made must be indicated, and the adapted content must be shared under the same license.

Authors are responsible for complying with the copyright and usage terms of third-party materials used in the manuscript. Necessary permissions must be obtained for tables, figures, photographs, scales, and other materials that require permission; the source and permission information must be stated in the manuscript. The journal's usage license does not automatically apply to third-party materials specified as subject to separate rights or license conditions.

Notifications regarding plagiarism, usage without citation, and unauthorized reproduction are evaluated within the scope of the journal's ethical violation investigation policy. Separate permission must be obtained from the respective rightsholder for commercial use or uses outside the scope of the license.

The copyrights of accepted and published manuscripts are transferred to the journal's publisher, Ege University, within the scope of the Copyright Transfer Form signed by all authors.

Post-Publication Discussion and Corrections

Ege Tıp Dergisi encourages scientific discussion regarding published articles and the correction of errors when necessary. Readers may submit their opinions and criticisms regarding articles in the form of a “Letter to the Editor” in accordance with the journal's writing rules. Notifications of errors or ethical violations can be forwarded to the journal's editorial office along with the title and DOI number of the article, the justification for the notification, and supporting documentation, if available.

Scientific criticisms are taken into consideration by the editorial board; when necessary, the authors of the relevant article are granted an opportunity to respond. The publication of criticisms and responses is decided based on their scientific content, their alignment with the journal's scope, and the principles of respectful discussion.

When an error or an issue affecting reliability is reported in a published article, editors investigate the matter; when necessary, they request explanations from the authors, relevant institutions, or independent experts. Depending on the nature of the issue, a correction notice, an expression of concern, or a retraction may be applied. If there are serious concerns that require informing readers while the investigation is ongoing, an expression of concern may be published.

Correction and retraction notices are published in connection with the relevant article and explain the justification for the action. Except for cases where an article must be removed due to exceptional legal or security grounds, a retracted article is kept accessible, clearly marked as retracted. Detailed procedures are carried out within the scope of the journal's Corrections and Retractions Policy.

Notifications must be sent to the editorial address specified on the journal's communication page. Complaints regarding the process or the conduct and behavior of editors are evaluated within the scope of the “Complaints and Appeals Policy”.

Handling Allegations of Scientific Misconduct

Ege Tıp Dergisi takes reasonable measures to identify plagiarism, citation manipulation, data fabrication or falsification, and other scientific misconduct, and to prevent the publication of studies containing such violations. The journal, publisher, and editors do not encourage these behaviors and do not knowingly allow them to occur. Allegations of scientific misconduct regarding a submitted or published work are evaluated in accordance with COPE guidelines.