Publication Ethics & Misconduct Process

This journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for addressing concerns related to research misconduct. The journal has a formal policy for handling publications requiring correction, retraction, or editorial expression of concern.

The journal is committed to ensuring that all published research adheres to accepted ethical standards. Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and must have received approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board or ethics committee when required. Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants when applicable. Research involving animals must be conducted in compliance with applicable institutional, national, and international guidelines and must have received approval from the appropriate animal care and use oversight body when required.

 

If an allegation of research misconduct (including but not limited to data falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, inadequate consent for clinical studies, inappropriate use of AI tools, or other violations of research ethics) is raised, the following process will be followed:

1. Initial Review – The concern is referred to a subcommittee of the editorial board for preliminary assessment.
2. Author Communication – The corresponding author is contacted and asked to provide a written response clarifying the issue.
3. Editorial Decision – The Editor reviews the subcommittee's findings along with the author's response. If necessary, the matter may be escalated to senior faculty or legal counsel within Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center for further review.

Outcomes

Unpublished Manuscripts

If the manuscript is under review, it may be withdrawn, rejected, or revised to address the concern.

Published Manuscripts

If the article has already been published, one or more of the following actions may be taken:

Correction – A revised version of the manuscript will be published with a new publication date and an editorial note summarizing the concern and the corrective action taken.

Retraction – If the issue is determined to be serious and materially affects the reliability, integrity, or ethical status of the work, the article may be formally retracted. A retraction notice explaining the reason for the retraction will be published by the journal. To preserve the integrity of the scholarly record, retracted articles will remain permanently available in the journal archive. The PDF and HTML versions will be clearly marked as "Retracted" and will include a prominent link to the corresponding retraction notice.

Appeals Process

Authors may appeal editorial decisions related to allegations of misconduct, corrections, or retractions by submitting a written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals must provide a clear explanation of the grounds for reconsideration and any supporting documentation. The appeal will be reviewed by a member of the editorial board who was not involved in the original investigation or decision. Following review, the Editor-in-Chief will issue a final determination, which will be communicated to the corresponding author.

The journal ensures ethical oversight in all aspects of publishing, including authorship, conflicts of interest, data sharing, human and animal research protections, intellectual property, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools. Post-publication discussions, corrections, and appeals will be handled transparently and in accordance with COPE recommendations. The corresponding author will remain fully involved throughout the process to ensure due process and academic integrity.

This policy aligns with international best practices in publication ethics and aims to uphold the credibility, transparency, and reliability of scientific research.

Copyright

All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Fees, Access, and Archiving

This journal charges no processing, publication, or submission fees while maintaining 100% open access. The journal charges no subscription or pay-per-view fees. All articles are available to the public for free at all times. This journal participates in the LOCKSS archiving program via the Public Knowledge Project Preservation Network.

Ownership and Management

This journal is published by the JT & Margaret Talkington Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. Dr. Kenneth Nugent is the editor-in-chief. The journal’s software platform is provided by the Public Knowledge Project. Aptara Inc creates the final folio for publication and charges the journal its standard rate for this service.

Editorial Board

For a full listing of our editorial board, please click “About” -> “Editorial Team” at the top of the journal website.

Revenue sources, advertising, and direct marketing

This journal is funded by the JT & Margaret Talkington Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. The journal does not charge any fees whatsoever, and it does not offer subscriptions, advertising or reprints. This journal does not offer advertising, and does not participate in direct marketing.