Best Practices in Research Reporting
Research should be reported according to internationally accepted standards appropriate to the study type, with ethics oversight where applicable. Authors should use relevant reporting guidelines, such as those available through the EQUATOR Network. Case reports should follow the CARE guideline and submit the applicable checklist.
Animal Research
Research involving regulated animals must meet applicable institutional and internationally accepted animal-welfare standards. Authors should obtain relevant ethics approval and permits where required and report the oversight and methods in the manuscript.Human Subjects Research
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable local regulations and internationally accepted ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Where applicable, appropriate ethics approval should be obtained before the research and approval or exemption details reported in the manuscript. Authors must protect participant privacy, document informed consent where required, and provide clinical-trial documentation where relevant. A case report does not automatically require formal research ethics approval.Competing Interests
Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests, including relationships that may reasonably be perceived to affect the work. Reviewers and editors should withdraw from handling a submission when a conflict compromises impartiality. See the Conflict of Interest Policy.Disclosure of Funding Sources
Manuscripts submitted to EJMCR must include a declaration of relevant financial support for the work. Where applicable, identify the funding body, recipient, grant number and role of the funder. If there was no external funding, authors may state this according to the journal’s declaration requirements.Content Licence
Accepted EJMCR articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Authors retain copyright according to the journal’s Copyright Information and License Information policies.Data, Materials and Software
Where ethically and legally appropriate, authors are encouraged to make relevant supporting data, materials and software available. Patient confidentiality, consent, legal or institutional restrictions, and funder requirements may limit sharing. Identifiable patient data should not be made publicly available in breach of those obligations. See the publisher’s Ethical Policies.Authorship and Contributions
EJMCR follows the ICMJE authorship criteria. Listed authors should meet the applicable criteria, approve the submitted and final work, and be accountable for their contributions. Contributors who do not qualify for authorship may be acknowledged where appropriate. Authorship disputes should normally be resolved by the authors and their institutions, with the journal assessing publication implications.
Patient Confidentiality and Consent for Publication
Authors must remove unnecessary identifying information and protect patient confidentiality. Written consent for publication is required when a patient may reasonably be identifiable from text, images or clinical details. Publication consent is distinct from consent for medical treatment and from consent to participate in research; anonymisation does not automatically replace consent where required. See the Guide for Authors and Protection of Research Participants policy.
Clinical-Trial Registration
Applicable clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible clinical-trial registry meeting recognised international standards, normally before enrolment of the first participant. Authors should give the registry and registration number in the manuscript. If prospective registration was not completed, authors must explain why; EJMCR will determine whether the manuscript can be considered. This requirement does not apply automatically to case reports, observational studies or every clinical manuscript.
Preprints
EJMCR may consider manuscripts previously posted on a recognised preprint server. Posting a preprint does not, by itself, constitute prior publication. Authors must disclose the preprint at submission, identify the server, provide its DOI or permanent URL where available, and comply with EJMCR submission requirements. Where possible, authors should update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published article. An unreviewed preprint should not be described as a peer-reviewed publication.
Plagiarism, Originality and Redundant Publication
Submissions must be original. Plagiarism, unattributed copying and inappropriate redundant publication are publication-ethics concerns. EJMCR may screen submissions with iThenticate and assess potential problems according to their nature, extent and context, following appropriate COPE guidance. A fixed similarity percentage does not by itself establish plagiarism or require automatic rejection. See the Plagiarism Policy.
Artificial Intelligence in Manuscript Preparation
AI tools cannot qualify as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity and originality of submitted content and must disclose relevant generative-AI use according to the journal and publisher policies, identifying the tool and purpose. AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify data, references, clinical information or findings. AI-generated clinical images must not be presented as authentic patient images. See the publisher’s Ethical Policies.
Artificial Intelligence, Reviewers and Editors
Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished manuscript content, patient information, images or data to publicly accessible generative-AI systems or other services where confidentiality cannot be assured. They remain responsible for their own assessments and decisions; AI must not replace independent reviewer or editor judgement.
Image and Data Integrity
Images and data must accurately represent the underlying clinical or research material. Legitimate adjustments must not misrepresent findings, and material processing should be disclosed. Inappropriate or undisclosed manipulation may constitute misconduct. Editors may request original, de-identified source images when verification is necessary.
Research and Publication Misconduct
EJMCR takes allegations of fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image or data manipulation, redundant publication, authorship misconduct and other serious breaches of publication ethics seriously. Concerns may be investigated under relevant COPE and publisher procedures, with explanations sought and institutions contacted where appropriate. Outcomes follow assessment of the evidence. See the Publishing Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement.
Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
EJMCR may issue corrections, retractions or expressions of concern where appropriate, in accordance with its Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern policy and accepted publication-ethics guidance.
Peer Review
Manuscripts requiring peer review are handled according to EJMCR’s Peer Review Policy and Editorial & Peer Review Process. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly and editorial merit.
Ethical Publishing Practices
EJMCR follows the publication-ethics principles and procedures of Discover STM Publishing Ltd and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). See the publisher’s Editorial Policies and Ethical Policies for fuller guidance.