Policy of screening for plagiarism: Aksaray University Journal of Medical Sciences is extremely sensitive about plagiarism. All submissions are screened by a similarity detection software (iThenticate by CrossCheck) at any point during the peer-review and/or production process. Even if you are the author of the phrases or sentences, the text should not have an unacceptable similarity with the previously published data. Those with an overall similarity index of greater than 21%, or duplication rate at or higher than 5% with a single source are returned back to authors without further evaluation along with the similarity report.
Peer Review Process
The peer review process is double-blind, i.e., both authors and referees are kept anonymous. Pre-evaluation process of each submission is carried out by the Editorial Board. Manuscripts may be rejected without peer review by the editorin-chief if they do not comply with the instructions to authors or if they are beyond the scope of the journal. Any manuscript that does not conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, as reported at http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf, will also be rejected. Manuscripts are scanned for plagiarism or duplication. In case of an ethical issue on plagiarism or duplication, the Editorial Board will act in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The manuscripts which pass this stage are assigned to at least two double-blind peer-reviewers . Reviewers are selected among independent experts who has published publications in the international literature on the submission subject and received considerable amount of citations. Research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are also reviewed by a biostatistician. By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors accept that editor may implement changes on their manuscripts including misleading statements and mistypings, as long as the main idea of the manuscript is not interfered. Manuscripts submitted to The Journal of Aksaray University Medical Sciences will go through a double-blind peer-review process. Each submission will be reviewed by at least two external, independent peer reviewers who are experts in their fields to ensure an unbiased evaluation process. The editorial board will invite an external and independent editor to manage the evaluation processes of manuscripts submitted by editors or by the editorial board members of the journal. The Editor-inChief is the final authority in the decision-making process for all submissions.
Ethical Procedures
An approval of research protocols by the Ethics Committee in accordance with international agreements (World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki “Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects,” amended in October 2013, www.wma.net) is required for experimental, clinical, and drug studies and for some case reports. If required, ethics committee reports or an equivalent official document will be requested from the authors. For manuscripts concerning experimental research on humans, a statement should be included that shows that written informed consent of patients and volunteers was obtained following a detailed explanation of the procedures that they may undergo. For studies carried out on animals, the measures taken to prevent the pain and suffering of the animals should be stated clearly. Information about patient consent, the name of the ethics committee, and the ethics committee approval number should be stated both in the Materials and Methods section of the article and on one of the first or last pages. It is the authors’ responsibility to protect the patients’ anonymity carefully.
Authorship
Each person listed as an author should fulfill the authorship criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE - www.icmje.org). The ICMJE recommends that authorship is based on the following four criteria:
1.Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2.Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3.Final approval of the version to be published; AND
4.Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work he/she has done, an author should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work. Also, authors should have confidence in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors. All those designated as authors should meet all four criteria for authorship, and all who meet the four criteria should be identified as authors. Those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged on the title page of the manuscript.
Declaration of Interest
Aksaray University Journal of Medical Sciences requires and encourages the authors and the individuals involved in the evaluation process of submitted manuscripts to disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest, including financial, consultant, and institutional, that might lead to potential bias or a conflict of interest. Any financial grants or other support received for a submitted study from individuals or institutions should be disclosed to the Editorial Board. To disclose a potential conflict of interest, the ICMJE Potential Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form should be filled in and submitted by all contributing authors. The journal’s Editorial Board resolves cases of a potential conflict of interest of the editors, authors, or reviewers within the scope of COPE and ICMJE guidelines.
The Editorial Board of the journal handles all appeal and complaint cases within the scope of guidelines. In such cases, authors should get in direct contact with the editorial office regarding their appeals and complaints. When needed, an ombudsperson may be assigned to resolve claims that cannot be resolved internally. The Editor in Chief is the final authority in the decision-making process for all appeals and complaints.
Disclaimer
Statements or opinions expressed in the manuscripts published in Aksaray University Journal of Medical Sciences sreflect the views of the author(s) and not the opinions of the editors, the editorial board, or the publisher; the editors, the editorial board, and the publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for such materials. The final responsibility regarding the published content rests with the authors.