Publisher Information

MIDC values the integrity of the scholarly record and strives to maintain trust in its publications. Published articles should remain accurate and unchanged whenever possible. However, there may be instances where an article needs correction, retraction, or removal.

Editors of scholarly journals independently decide which articles to publish, guided by the journal's policies and legal requirements like libel, copyright, and privacy. This principle ensures the scholarly record remains a permanent and historical transaction record. Corrections to scientific records are transparently linked to the original article for clarity.

Identification of Errors

Authors who discover an error in their published article must contact the journal as soon as possible.

Typically, the corresponding author is responsible for informing the journal about an error. A journal Editor or a designated representative with relevant expertise will review the proposed correction along with any related data or information. The proposed correction may be subject to additional peer review. The journal Editor will decide on the appropriate method to correct the article and may seek input from the journal’s editorial team before making a final decision.

Article correction, withdrawal, retraction, removal and replacement

Article correction

A Corrigendum corrects an error or omission without affecting the article's integrity and findings. Authors draft and must agree to the publication of the Corrigendum, which will be linked to the original article.

On rare occasions, the Publisher may issue an Erratum to correct a publication error, also linked to the original article.

Article withdrawal

In-press articles are early versions of accepted articles not yet in final form and can be withdrawn before publication if they:

• Contain errors.
• Are duplicates of other published articles.
• Breach journal policies, such as multiple submissions, false authorship claims, plagiarism, or fraud.
• Resulted from editorial or production errors.

When withdrawn, their content is replaced with a notice stating the withdrawal according to policy.

Article retraction

Article retractions by authors or journal editors, advised by the scholarly community, occur to correct significant errors or policy infringements that go beyond an article correction.

Journal editors will consider retracting an article under the following circumstances:

• They have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a major error, miscalculation, fabrication, or falsification.
• Plagiarism
• The findings have previously been published elsewhere and the authors have failed to provide proper attribution.
• It contains material or data that the authors were not authorized to publish.
• Copyright infringement.
• Research represents a breach of the journal’s ethics code of conduct.
• Peer-review or systematic manipulation of the editorial process has occurred.
• The author failed to disclose a major conflict of interest, that the editor views as affecting the work’s conclusion or recommendations.
• There is evidence of a breach of the journal's publishing policies, leading to concerns about the validity or integrity of the article.

Standards for retracting articles as below:

• A retraction notice: “Retraction: [article title]” signed by the editor and, if appropriate, by the authors, is published in a subsequent issue of the journal
• A link is made between the retraction notice and the original article.
• The online article is preceded by a screen with the retraction notice.
• The original article is retained with the addition of a watermark indicating that the work in question is retracted.

Article removal

In rare cases, an article may need to be removed from a journal's online archive. This will only happen if it is determined that:

• The article contains defamatory content or violates legal rights, and a retraction alone is not an adequate remedy.
• The article is the subject of a court order.
• The article, if acted upon, could pose a serious health risk.

In these cases, the metadata (Title and Authors) will be retained, but the text of the article will be replaced with a notice indicating that the article has been removed for legal reasons.

Article replacement

In instances where the article, if implemented, could pose a significant health risk, the authors may decide to retract the original publication and replace it with a corrected version. In such cases, the established retraction procedures will be followed. The database retraction notice will include a link to the corrected re-published article and provide a history of the document.

Editorial decision appeals policy

Authors may formally appeal a manuscript revision or rejection decision. Submit appeals in writing to the journal's email with "Appeal" and the manuscript reference number as the subject.

• Submit their appeal within 30 days of the date on which the authors receive the editorial decision
• In the appeal letter, explain why you are contesting the decision and provide detailed responses to each of the editors’ and reviewers’ comments that may have contributed to the rejection decision with supporting evidence.
• Provide supporting evidence if they believe the editor or reviewer has made technical errors in their assessment of the manuscript or have a conflict of interest that may present a bias against the submission.

The author may withdraw an appeal request by notifying the editorial staff.

The appeal request will be considered by the journal’s Editor in Chief unless there is a concern of a conflict of interest regarding the Editor in Chief. If so, then another editorial board member will review the appeal.

The journal will notify the corresponding author of the outcome of the appeal.

If the journal reconsiders the manuscript, acceptance is not guaranteed. Reconsideration may involve re-review by original or new reviewers and/or Editors, and significant revisions. Only one appeal per submission is allowed, and the decision is final. The journal cannot consider appeals involving legal disputes and may suspend or discontinue such appeals.

Editorial independence

We ensure our editorial decisions remain independent of commercial interests.

Maintaining editorial independence necessitates that all editorial decisions, as well as concerns or complaints regarding those decisions, are addressed exclusively within the editorial framework of a publication.

These structures generally encompass editors, editors-in-chief, editorial boards,  or similar entities responsible for the editorial governance of a publication.

End-user reuse for content

Main licenses

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license: used by authors who choose to publish open access or where an author self-archives their work i.e., makes their accepted manuscript, published under the subscription model, freely available after the embargo period.

Publishing ethics

Publishing in peer-reviewed journals ensures quality research, builds a respected knowledge network, and exemplifies the scientific method. Ethical standards, including respect, dignity, and freedom from discrimination or harassment, must be upheld by all parties involved.

Publisher Responsibilities

We aim to support journal editors and peer reviewers in maintaining scholarly integrity. Ethical codes focus on infractions, but issues are rare due to good practice. The publisher supports and ensures best practices in scholarly communication.

• We aim to ensure that opportunities for advertising, reprint, or other commercial revenue do not affect editorial decisions.
• We provide editors with Crossref Similarity Check reports for all submissions.
• Provide editors with technical, procedural & legal support
• We assist editors in communicating with other journals or publishers and offer legal review and advice if needed.
• Editors must disclose any competing or conflicting interests that could influence, or be perceived to influence, their editorial decisions. Competing interests need to be reported promptly when they arise and through an annual declaration for assessment and resolution.
  • Other academic affiliations or other editorial roles.
  • Financial interests, travel grants, ownership, directorship.

Editor Responsibilities

The editor of a learned journal independently decides which articles to publish, often with input from the relevant society. Decisions are based on the work's validation and importance to researchers and readers. The editor follows the journal's policies and legal requirements, such as libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may consult with other editors or reviewers.

The editor must ensure the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and prompt. Research articles usually require review by at least two independent reviewers, with additional opinions sought if needed.

The editor will select reviewers with relevant expertise, ensuring appropriate and diverse representation. They will avoid fraudulent peer reviewers and review any disclosed conflicts of interest or self-citation suggestions to prevent bias.

Editors should evaluate manuscripts based on intellectual content, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or political views.

The journal's editorial policies should promote transparency and honest reporting. The editor must ensure peer reviewers and authors understand their responsibilities, using the standard electronic submission system for all communications.

The editor shall establish, along with the publisher, a transparent mechanism for appeal against editorial decisions.

The editor is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all material submitted to the journal and all communications with reviewers, unless otherwise agreed upon with the relevant authors and reviewers. In specific cases and in consultation with the publisher, the editor may share limited information with editors of other journals, institutions, and organizations that investigate research misconduct when necessary to address suspected ethical breaches.

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript should not be used in an editor's research without the author's explicit written consent. Confidential information or ideas obtained through peer review should be kept confidential and not used for personal benefit.

The editor, along with the publisher, should ensure the integrity of the published record by reviewing and addressing reported or suspected misconduct.

Measures typically include contacting the manuscript's author and considering the complaints or claims. They may also involve communicating with relevant institutions and using the publisher’s systems to detect misconduct, like plagiarism. Upon verifying misconduct, an editor should promptly coordinate with the publisher to issue a correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer review helps the editor make decisions and aids the author in improving the paper. It is a crucial part of scholarly communication and the scientific method. Reviewers should treat authors and their work with respect and follow proper reviewing etiquette.

Any chosen referee who believes they are not qualified to review the research in a manuscript or knows that timely review is unfeasible should inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Manuscripts submitted for review should be considered confidential. Reviewers should not share their review or details about the paper with others, nor should they contact the authors directly without the editor's approval.

Reviewers must alert the editor to any ethical issues, including similarities with other published work. They should include relevant citations for previously reported observations, derivations, or arguments.

Reviews should be objective. Reviewers must recognize and account for personal biases. Avoid personal criticism of the author. Referees should give clear opinions backed by arguments.

Reviewers are advised to consult with the Editor before accepting to review a paper if they have potential conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the papers.

Authors Responsibilities

Researchers must provide an accurate and objective account of their work, ensuring all data is correctly presented. Reports should include enough detail and references for replication. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable.

Review and publication articles should also be accurate and objective.

Authors may need to provide research data for editorial review or to meet the journal's open data requirements. They should be ready to make this data publicly accessible and retain it for several years after publication.

Authors must ensure that their works are completely original. If they have used others' work or words, these should be properly cited or quoted, and permissions should be obtained when necessary.

Acknowledgment of the work of others should always be given. Authors should cite publications that have influenced their work and provide appropriate context within the larger scholarly record. Information obtained privately, such as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source.

Plagiarism encompasses various actions, including presenting another individual's paper as one's own work, copying or paraphrasing significant portions of another's paper without proper attribution, and taking credit for results derived from research conducted by others. All forms of plagiarism represent unethical conduct and are deemed unacceptable.

In general, authors should avoid publishing manuscripts that describe essentially the same research in multiple primary journals. Concurrent submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is considered unethical and is deemed unacceptable behavior.

Publishing certain articles in multiple journals is sometimes justified if conditions are met. Authors and editors must agree, the secondary publication must reflect the same data and interpretation, and the primary reference must be cited.

Information acquired during confidential services, such as reviewing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be utilized without the explicit written consent of the author of the work involved in these services.

Authorship should include those who significantly contributed to the study's conception, design, execution, or interpretation. All substantial contributors must be listed as co-authors.

Individuals who have contributed to specific aspects of the paper, such as language editing or medical writing, should be acknowledged in the acknowledgements section.

The corresponding author must include all proper co-authors, exclude improper ones, ensure all co-authors review and approve the final paper, and agree to its submission for publication.

Authors should finalize the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript. Changes to authorship after submission are rare and at the Editor's discretion; any requests must be highlighted and agreed upon by all authors.

Authors share responsibility for the work. Each author is responsible for addressing and resolving any questions regarding the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work.

Authors may use either the full, standard title of their institution or its standard abbreviation. This allows for the independent verification of the institutional name for research integrity purposes.

Authors must ensure their manuscript states that all animal or human subject procedures comply with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and have received approval from the appropriate committees. Informed consent for human subjects must be obtained, and their privacy rights must always be respected.

For human subjects, authors must follow the World Medical Association's Code of Ethics (Declaration of Helsinki). Animal experiments should comply with ARRIVE guidelines and be conducted under relevant regulations: U.S. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and, if applicable, the Animal Welfare Act.

Authors must obtain appropriate consents, permissions, and releases to include case details or personal information or images of patients and other individuals in a publication. Authors should retain written consents and provide copies or evidence of such consents to MIDC upon request.

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could bias their work.

Disclose all financial support sources and sponsor roles in study design, data handling, report writing, and publication decisions. If funding sources were not involved, state that clearly.

Authors must notify the journal editor or publisher if they find a significant error in their published work. They should also work with the editor to retract or correct the paper if needed. If informed by a third party about an error, authors must cooperate with the editor and provide evidence when requested.

Enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing, or adding features in images is not acceptable. Adjusting brightness, contrast, or color balance is allowed if it does not hide or remove any original information. Image manipulation for clarity is fine, but doing so for other reasons is unethical.

Authors should follow industry standards for clinical trial registration and presentation, such as the CONSORT guidelines detailed in the journal's policies.

Research Data Policies

Data sharing promotes transparency and reproducibility, building trust in science.

Data Policies

• Encourage researchers to share data early by simplifying our submission process.
• Standardize our author data guidelines to clarify how and where authors can store and share their data, facilitating optimal access and reuse.
• Help researchers meet data management requirements by supporting data availability statements for better transparency.
• Encourage and support proper data citation practices so researchers can receive and give credit for sharing research data.

Copyright

In order for MIDC to publish and disseminate research articles, we need authors to grant us certain publishing rights.

MIDC is committed to protecting and defending authors’ works and their reputation. We take allegations of infringement, plagiarism, ethical disputes, and fraud seriously.

MIDC utilizes a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license or a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license, end users are bound by the license. Each author retains the right to re-use the article for their own commercial and non-commercial purposes, including creating derivative works, without permission from, or payment to, MIDC.

Digital archive

MIDC is dedicated to the continuous availability and preservation of scholarly research. We ensure accessibility by converting and upgrading digital file formats in line with new technological standards.

CLOCKSS is a non-for-profit archive which stores all MIDC content. If content is no longer available from the participating publisher, then CLOCKSS is able to make this available as open access.