Publication Ethics

Primary Care Science and Practice (PCSP) is committed to adhering to the highest international standards of publication ethics and best practices. We strictly follow guidelines established by the following professional organizations:

  • ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors): We follow the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work.
  • Principles of Transparency (COPE, DOAJ, WAME, OASPA): We adhere to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

Ethical Approval, Subject Consent, and Confidentiality

Institutional Consent: Authors must state in the manuscript that the research has received appropriate ethical approval before the study began:

  • Human Research: Must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and must obtain approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Manuscripts that do not comply with the Declaration of Helsinki will not be considered.
  • Animal Research: Must obtain approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
  • Biosafety Research: Studies involving pathogens must obtain approval from an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).

Informed Consent and Privacy: Patients' rights to privacy must not be infringed.

  • Author Obligation: Authors must obtain written Informed Consent from all human research participants. This consent must be kept by the author, and PCSP editors reserve the right to request it at any time.
  • Identity Data: Information that can identify patients (such as names, initials, or hospital numbers) must not be published. Non-essential identity details must be omitted.
  • Publication of Photos/Descriptions: If the publication of descriptions, photos, or pedigrees is essential for scientific purposes, authors must obtain additional written consent from participants (or legal guardians) explicitly permitting the publication of such material. Please note that masking the eye area in photos is not considered sufficient to guarantee anonymity.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Duplicate Publication Manuscripts submitted to PCSP must be original work that has never been published previously and is not under consideration by other media or journals. PCSP strictly prohibits duplicate publication (redundant publication), which is the attempt to publish work that is very similar (in terms of subject, methodology, and results) more than once without clear attribution.

Author Obligations:

  • Overlap Declaration: If all or part of the subject population has been reported in a previous publication, this must be stated in the "Materials and Methods" section and referenced appropriately.
  • Explanation Letter: If authors are concerned their manuscript potentially overlaps with other work under review or already published, they must include a letter to the editor explaining the significant differences in the manuscript submitted to PCSP.
  • Secondary Publication: Although duplicate publication is prohibited, PCSP permits secondary publication (e.g., translations or summaries for different audiences) provided it meets the terms and conditions described in the ICMJE Recommendations. 

Authorship and Author Responsibilities

Authorship Criteria: All individuals listed as authors must meet all 4 of the following criteria:

  • Substantial contributions (conception, design, data acquisition/analysis);
  • Drafting the article or critically revising it for intellectual content;
  • Providing final approval of the version to be published;
  • Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work and its integrity.

Changes in Authorship: Any request for changes to the author list (adding, removing, or changing order) after the manuscript is submitted must be submitted in writing to the editor. This request letter must be signed by all authors listed.

Role of Corresponding Author: The corresponding author is primarily responsible for:

  • Communication: Being the primary contact with the journal during the review and publication process.
  • Administration: Ensuring all administrative requirements (such as author details, ethical approval, and conflict of interest forms) are completed correctly.
  • Post-Publication: Responding to queries, critiques, or data requests regarding the article after publication.

Contributors (Non-Authors): Individuals who provided substantive contributions (e.g., financial support, data analysis, writing assistance) but do not meet all 4 authorship criteria above must be acknowledged and listed in the "Notes" section.

Conflict of Interest Statement The corresponding author, on behalf of all co-authors, must disclose (declare) all potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing data interpretation. This disclosure remains mandatory, even if authors believe the potential conflict did not influence them in the manuscript preparation. Types of conflicts that must be disclosed include, but are not limited to: Financial Relationships (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, or paid expert testimony); Personal Relationships; Academic Competition; and Intellectual Passion. This conflict of interest disclosure statement must be included clearly on the Title Page.

Role of Funding Sources Authors must identify all sources providing financial support for the conduct of the research and/or article preparation. The specific role of the sponsor (if any) in the following processes must be briefly described: Study design; Data collection, analysis, and interpretation; Report writing; and the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source had no involvement in these aspects, this must be explicitly stated by the authors.

Inclusive Language Authors are obligated to use language free from bias, stereotypes, and cultural assumptions. Writing must respect all individuals and acknowledge diversity.

  • Avoid Assumptions: Do not make assumptions about the beliefs or identities of readers, and avoid language implying superiority based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition.
  • Use Neutral Terms: Prioritize the use of gender-neutral terms (e.g., plural nouns like "patients" or "participants") to replace gendered pronouns ("he/she").
  • Use Relevant Attributes: Personal attribute descriptors (such as race, ethnicity, or gender) should only be used if scientifically relevant and valid for the research analysis.