Peer Review Policy
The Caucasian Medical Journal maintains rigorous peer review standards guided by internationally recognized ethical and publication guidelines. The journal's peer review policy ensures fairness, transparency, confidentiality, and integrity in the assessment and publication of submitted manuscripts.
Ethical Standards
- All submissions must be original, unpublished works and should not be concurrently under review elsewhere.
- Authors are required to disclose all competing interests and confirm that the manuscript adheres to internationally accepted ethical guidelines, including those stipulated by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), and the Declaration of Helsinki.
- Ethical approval from relevant authorities must be clearly documented and provided upon submission for all applicable research studies involving humans or animals.
Confidentiality and Integrity
- The peer review process is conducted as a double-blind procedure, ensuring confidentiality and impartiality. Reviewers are not informed about the identity of the authors, and authors do not know the identity of reviewers.
- All reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality and must not disclose or utilize manuscript content prior to publication.
- Reviewers must immediately disclose any conflicts of interest to the Editor and recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which a conflict exists.
Editorial Responsibilities
- Editors have full responsibility for ensuring that the peer review process is unbiased, thorough, and adheres strictly to ethical guidelines.
- Decisions on publication acceptance, revisions, or rejection are based solely on the manuscript’s scientific quality, originality, significance to the field, and adherence to ethical standards.
- Suspected cases of ethical misconduct, including plagiarism or fabrication of data, will be thoroughly investigated according to COPE guidelines.
Reviewer Responsibilities
- Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, constructively, and timely.
- Reviewers must clearly identify ethical concerns or misconduct, including plagiarism, duplication, or unethical study designs and adhere strictly to ethical guidelines.
- Reviews must be detailed, fair and should aim to improve the clarity, accuracy, and scientific value of the manuscript.
Author Responsibilities
- Authors must ensure accurate reporting of their research, clearly indicating their methods, results, and conclusions.
- Authors must ensure ethical compliance, declare conflicts of interest transparently, and provide complete references to prior relevant research.
- Authors must cooperate fully with editors and reviewers, responding thoroughly and respectfully to reviewers' comments and revision requests.
By strictly adhering to these policies, the Caucasian Medical Journal ensures the credibility, reliability, and scientific excellence of its published content.
