Publishing Ethics

The section is prepared based on the materials of the Elsevier Scientific and Medical Literature Publishing House, as well as the materials of the International Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

1. Introduction

1.1. Publication of materials in peer-reviewed journals is not only a simple way of scientific communication, but also makes a significant contribution to the development of the relevant area of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is important to establish standards for the future ethical behavior of all parties involved in the publication, namely: Authors, Journal Editors, Reviewers, Publisher and Scientific Society for the journal "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases"

1.2. The publisher not only supports scientific communications and invests in this process, but is also responsible for compliance with all current recommendations in the published work.

1.3. The publisher undertakes obligations for the strictest supervision of scientific materials. Our journal programmes provide an impartial 'report' of the development of scientific thought and research, and we are also aware of the responsibility for the proper presentation of these 'reports', particularly in relation to the ethical considerations for publication outlined herein.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

2.1. Publication Decision

The Editor of the scientific journal "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" is solely and independently responsible for making the decision to publish, often in collaboration with the relevant Scientific Society. The integrity of the work under consideration and its scientific importance must always underlie the decision to publish. The Editor may be guided by the policies of the Editorial Board of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases", but is constrained by applicable legal requirements regarding libel, copyright, legitimacy and plagiarism.

The Editor may confer with other Editors and Reviewers (or officers of the Scientific Society) when making publication decisions.

2.2. Integrity

The Editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, citizenship, or political affiliation of the Authors.

2.3. Confidentiality

The Editor and the Editorial Board of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" have an obligation not to disclose information about an accepted manuscript to anyone other than the Authors, Reviewers, potential Reviewers, other scientific advisors, and the Publisher, unless necessary.

2.4. Disclosure Policy and Conflicts of Interest

2.4.1. Unpublished data from submitted manuscripts must not be used in a submitted Author’s own research without the express written consent of the Author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

2.4.2. Editors should refrain from reviewing the manuscripts (i.e., ask a Co-Editor, Associate Editor, or collaborate with other members of the Editorial Board to consider the work instead of reviewing and making decisions themselves) in case of conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships and connections with Authors, companies, and possibly other institutions connected with the manuscript.

2.5. Publication Oversight

An Editor who has provided convincing evidence that the statements or conclusions presented in a publication are erroneous should notify the Publisher (and/or the relevant Society) so that prompt notification of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other appropriate statement can be made.

2.6. Research Involvement and Collaboration

The Editor, in cooperation with the Publisher (or the Society), will take appropriate measures to respond to ethical complaints concerning manuscripts reviewed or published materials. Such measures generally involve communication with the Authors of the manuscript and the arguments for the complaint or request, but may also involve communication with the relevant institutions and research centers.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

3.1. Influencing Editorial Board Decisions

Reviewing assists the Editor in making publication decisions and, through appropriate communication with the Authors, may also assist the Author in improving the quality of the paper. Peer review is an essential part of formal scholarly communication and is at the heart of the scientific approach. The Publisher shares the view that all scientists who wish to contribute to publication have a responsibility. 3.2. Diligence

Any selected Reviewer who feels unqualified to review a manuscript or unable to complete the review promptly should notify the Editor of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" and request to be excused from reviewing the manuscript in question.

3.3. Confidentiality

Any manuscript received for review must be treated as a confidential document. The work must not be shown to or discussed with anyone except as authorized by the Editor.

3.4. Manuscript Requirements and Objectivity

Reviewers must be objective in their assessment. Personal criticism of the Author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their opinions clearly and with supporting arguments.

3.5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited in the manuscript. Any statement (observation, derivation, or argument) that has previously been published must be accompanied by an appropriate citation in the manuscript. A reviewer should also call to the Editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published work of which the reviewer has personal knowledge.

3.6. Disclosure Policy and Conflicts of Interest

3.6.1. Unpublished materials disclosed in submitted manuscripts must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

3.6.2. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the submitted work.

4. Authors’ Responsibilities

4.1. Manuscript Requirements

4.1.1. Authors of reports of original research should provide an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of the significance of the research. The data on which the work is based should be presented accurately. The work should contain sufficient detail and references to permit reproduction. False or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

4.1.2. Reviews and research articles should also be accurate and objective, and the editorial position should be clearly stated.

4.2. Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide raw data relevant to the manuscript for review by the Editors. Authors should be prepared to provide public access to such information (in accordance with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), where practicable, and in any event be prepared to retain such data for an adequate period of time after publication.

4.3. Originality and Plagiarism

4.3.1. Authors should ensure that the work presented is entirely original and, if the work or statements of others have been used, should provide appropriate citations or excerpts.

4.3.2. Plagiarism can take many forms, from passing off another’s work as your own, to copying or paraphrasing substantial portions of another’s work (without acknowledgement), to claiming ownership of another’s research. Plagiarism in all forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

4.4. Multiple, Redundant, and Simultaneous Publication

4.4.1. In general, an author should not publish a manuscript describing substantially the same research in more than one journal as an original publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

4.4.2. In general, an author should not submit a previously published article to another journal for consideration.

4.4.3. Publication of certain types of articles (e.g. clinical guidelines, translations) in more than one journal is sometimes ethical, provided that certain conditions are met. The authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must present the same data and interpretations as the primary published work.

A bibliography of the primary work must be provided in the second publication. Further information on acceptable forms of secondary (re)publication can be found at www.icmje.org.to undertake the substantial work of reviewing the manuscript.

4.5. Acknowledgment of Sources

Proper acknowledgement of the contributions of others should always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been essential to the reported work. Information obtained privately, such as through conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without the express written permission of the source. Information obtained through confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the express written permission of the Authors of the work relating to confidential sources.

4.6. Authorship of Publications

4.6.1. Only those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported research should be considered authors of a publication. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where others have participated in specific substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged as contributors to the study.

4.6.2. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no uninvolved co-authors are listed as co-authors, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

4.7. Risks and Human and Animal Subjects

4.7.1. If the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment that may have unusual hazards during use, the corresponding author should clearly indicate this in the manuscript.

4.7.2. If the work involves animals or human subjects, the corresponding author should ensure that the manuscript describes all stages of the study in accordance with applicable laws and institutional guidelines and that the appropriate committees have approved them. The manuscript should clearly indicate that informed consent has been obtained from all human subjects. Privacy rights must be respected at all times.

4.8. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

4.8.1. All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or conclusions of the work.

4.8.2. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, providing expert testimony, patent applications or registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed as early as possible.

4.9. Material Errors in Published Works

When an author discovers a material error or inaccuracy in a published work, the author should promptly notify the Editor of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" and cooperate with the Editor to retract or correct the paper as soon as possible. If the Editor or the Publisher receives information from a third party that a published work contains a material error, the author should promptly retract the work or correct the error.

5. Publisher's Responsibilities

5.1. The Publisher shall have policies and procedures in place to facilitate the ethical performance of the Editors, Reviewers and Authors of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" in accordance with these requirements. The Publisher shall ensure that potential profits from advertising or reprints do not influence the Editors' decisions.

5.2. The Publisher shall support the Editors of the "International Journal of Heart and Vascular Diseases" in reviewing complaints about the ethical aspects of published materials and shall assist in communicating with other journals and/or Publishers where this facilitates the performance of the Editors' responsibilities.

5.3. The Publisher shall promote good research practice and implement industry standards to improve ethical guidelines, retraction and correction procedures.

5.4. The Publisher shall provide appropriate specialist legal support (an opinion or an advice) if necessary.

Revision date

20.02.2025

Editor-in-Chief                                                                    Mekhman N. Mamedov