Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Last updated: April 13, 2026

RSYN PRESS is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and to supporting ethical research practices. Our policies are guided by the guidelines and best practices published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

1. Duties of the Editor-in-Chief

The editor-in-chief is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts will be published, based solely on scholarly merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope.
The editor must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in the editor's own research without written consent of the author.
Editors must recuse themselves from decisions involving manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest. See our Conflict of Interest Policy.

2. Duties of Peer Reviewers

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and may help authors improve their manuscripts.
Any invited reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript or knows they cannot meet the deadline must notify the editor immediately.
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents.
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
Reviewers must identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves if a conflict exists. See COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

3. Duties of Authors

Reporting standards: Authors of original research must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data must be represented accurately.
Data access and retention: Authors should be prepared to provide raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
Originality and plagiarism: Authors must ensure that the submitted work is entirely original, and that any quoted material is appropriately cited. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable. See our Plagiarism Policy.
Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication: An author should not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript concurrently to more than one journal constitutes unethical behaviour.
Acknowledgement of sources: Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. Authors should also cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.
Authorship of the paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. See our Authorship Policy.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
Fundamental errors in published works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

4. Misconduct and Investigations

If misconduct is suspected, the journal will follow the COPE Flowcharts for handling suspected misconduct. This includes misconduct by authors, reviewers, and editors. We reserve the right to contact authors' institutions and funding bodies if serious misconduct is confirmed.

5. Retraction Policy

When reliable evidence emerges that the findings of a published article are substantially unreliable, the article will be retracted. Retractions follow the Retraction Watch standards and the COPE Retraction Guidelines. See our full Retraction Policy.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement