The journals published by Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (SKUMS) follow the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

Authorship

As stated in the ICMJE Recommendations, credit for authorship requires that all authors meet all four of the following criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception and design; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data,
• Drafting the article or critically revising it for important intellectual content,
• Final approval of the version to be published,
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the article are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to each of these four components. Individuals who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. Participation solely in funding acquisition, data collection, or general supervision is not sufficient for authorship.

The order of authors should reflect their relative contribution to the study and manuscript. Once submitted, the order of authors cannot be changed without written consent from all contributors, with an explanation to the Editor/Editor‑in‑Chief. In line with COPE guidelines, written confirmation must be received directly from each author regarding any proposed change in authorship. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all authors agree with authorship changes. Disputes over authorship are not the responsibility of the journal editor and may only be corrected post‑publication via an Erratum or Correction.

Authors should follow the international standards for authors recommended by COPE.

The Publications Authorship Standards

To respect authorship rights and uphold scientific honesty, the following standards apply:

• Author names must not be added, removed, or reordered after manuscript submission.
• Each article may have only one corresponding author.
• Co‑first authorship is not recommended; authors from the same institution are not allowed to be listed as co‑first authors.

The publications reserve the right of final interpretation of the Authorship standards.

Clinical Trial Registry

In line with ICMJE recommendations, a clinical trial is any research project that prospectively assigns individuals or groups to an intervention, with or without control groups, to study the cause‑and‑effect relationship between a health‑related intervention and a health outcome.

The journals will consider for publication only those clinical trials that have been registered in a public, freely accessible clinical trial registry approved by the ICMJE (a primary register of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform). More information is available at: WHO ICTRP Primary Registries.

Research Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to use the EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines appropriate for their study type:

• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs): CONSORT guidelines
• Systematic reviews and meta‑analyses: PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines
• Observational studies in epidemiology: STROBE and MOOSE guidelines
• Diagnostic accuracy studies: STARD guidelines
• Quality improvement studies: SQUIRE guidelines
• Case reports: CARE guidelines

Withdrawal, Corrections, and Retractions

As a follower of COPE, the publications adhere to its Code of Conduct, Best Practice Guidelines, and Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal removes a manuscript from the review or publication process and returns it to the author’s dashboard. Article withdrawal is generally discouraged, as it wastes processing time and resources.

Process stages:

• Pre‑Review: from initial submission until the manuscript is sent for peer review.
• Peer‑Review: the manuscript is under review.
• Final Decision: from acceptance until it is sent for publication (if it meets journal standards).
• Pre‑Publication: accepted or “ahead of print (In Press)” with no volume/issue/page number.
• Post‑Publication: the article is published in a volume/issue with page numbers.

Policies:

• Pre‑Review: authors may withdraw without providing compelling reasons.
• Peer‑Review, Final Decision, Pre‑Publication: compelling reasons are required for withdrawal.
• Post‑Publication: withdrawal is not permitted.

After withdrawal, the article’s HTML and PDF content will be removed and replaced by a page stating that the article has been withdrawn according to the publisher’s policies. See COPE cases for details.

Correction

The publications will consider corrections when errors may affect the article’s conclusions or when the metadata (author names, affiliations, title, etc.) is incorrect, but the overall findings remain valid. A note linking to the correction will be added to the original article page.

Redundant Publication

Duplicate or redundant submission refers to the same manuscript (or data) submitted to multiple journals at the same time. In such cases, the publications follow COPE guidelines.

Note: ICMJE allows translations of articles if they clearly reference the original paper. According to our policy, translations may be considered as online supplementary files. Editors may publish a correction instead of a retraction/duplicate‑publication notice in such cases.

Retraction

Following COPE’s Retraction Guidelines, a retraction may be issued when:

• There is clear evidence that results are unreliable (e.g. major errors, data fabrication, image manipulation),
• Plagiarism is identified,
• Findings have been published previously without proper citation, permission, or justification (redundant publication),
• There is copyright infringement or other legal issues,
• The article reports unethical research,
• Publication was based on compromised or manipulated peer review,
• Authors failed to declare a major conflict of interest.

Authors or editors may request retraction, but the final decision rests with the editors. If authors do not agree, the editor may request retraction via the investigating institution or on behalf of the journal, while informing the authors or their institution.

After retraction, the HTML version of the article will be removed. The PDF is retained but watermarked as “retracted” on every page, with a link from the retraction notice to the original article.

Plagiarism

Publications use iThenticate plagiarism detection software to assess originality prior to publication. When plagiarism is identified, actions follow COPE flowcharts and workflows.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Direct copying of text from other sources,
• Using ideas from another source with minimal language changes,
• Copying ideas, images, or data/materials from other sources,
• Reusing text from the authors’ own previous publications.

Policies:

• If detected during peer review, the manuscript may be rejected.
• If detected after publication, the journal may issue a correction or retract the article according to COPE guidelines.

Ethical Policies

Publications expect the highest ethical standards from authors, reviewers, and editors in research, submission, and peer review. The journals adhere to the policies of COPE, WAME, and ICMJE. All contributors are expected to consider COPE, ICMJE, and EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines in scientific writing.

Human and Animal Ethics

For studies involving human participants, an ethics approval statement must appear on the title page, confirming that:

• Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and
• The study protocol conforms to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki, as approved by the institution’s human research committee or IRB.

Studies involving animal experiments must meet the criteria outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Patient Consent

Protection of patient rights in scientific publications is essential. Any article that includes personal medical information about an identifiable living individual requires explicit patient consent. Participants must sign an informed consent form after reading the study information sheet, with a clear explanation of aims, procedures, and potential risks, and they must voluntarily agree to participate.

If consent cannot be obtained because the patient cannot be traced, publication is only possible if the data can be fully anonymized so that no one can identify the individual with certainty.

For deceased patients, permission should be obtained from a relative. If relatives cannot be contacted, the journal will consider the importance of the case, the risk of identification, and the likelihood of any legal issues before publishing.

Images such as x‑rays, laparoscopic or ultrasound images, pathology slides, or images of non‑identifiable body parts may be used without consent if they are fully anonymized and not accompanied by text that could reveal the patient’s identity.

Competing Interest Statement

A conflict of interest (COI) exists when authors have financial or other relationships that could influence their work. COI may include financial ties, academic commitments, personal relationships, political or religious beliefs, or institutional affiliations.

The publications follow WAME’s policy on managing COI. All authors must declare any COI during submission and on the title page. Reviewers and editors must also declare COI and will be excluded from handling manuscripts where a COI exists.

Further information is available at: ICMJE Recommendations, COPE Competing Interests, and WAME COI Statement.

Associate Editors

Associate Editors oversee the peer‑review process and help ensure publication of high‑quality papers. They support the Lead Editor in all aspects related to editorial work and peer review.

Editorial Board Members

Editorial Board Members must be familiar with peer‑review processes, publication ethics, codes of conduct, and standards for high‑quality publications. Academic merit/competency and a high H‑index are key criteria for selection.