Editorial Policies

The Journal of Radiology and Clinical Research is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in scholarly publishing. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board ensure that all editorial decisions are guided by fairness, scientific merit, and alignment with the journal’s aims and scope.

The journal adheres to internationally recognized ethical frameworks and publishing standards, including the best practice recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing developed by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct

The journal treats all allegations of academic or scientific misconduct with the utmost seriousness. We are committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record and take appropriate action in accordance with internationally recognized ethical guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The journal adopts the widely accepted definition of scientific misconduct as outlined by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), which includes:

“Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that represent a significant deviation from accepted standards in proposing, conducting, or reporting research.”

Where misconduct is identified, the journal will take necessary corrective measures, which may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of corrections or retractions, notification to relevant institutions, or other appropriate actions.

Types of misconduct

• Plagiarism
• Text recycling or self-plagiarism
• Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication
• Falsification or fabrication of data
• Citation manipulation
• Peer review manipulation
• Authorship misconduct

AI & Authorship

The journal does not accept manuscripts generated primarily by Artificial Intelligence (AI) or machine learning tools, as such technologies cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work and therefore cannot be listed as authors.

If AI tools are used in data analysis, study design, language editing, or other aspects of the research process, their use must be clearly disclosed in the acknowledgments section. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted work.

Anonymous Authorship

The journal expects all scholarly publications to clearly identify their authors to ensure proper attribution and accountability. However, in rare and exceptional cases, anonymous authorship may be considered where disclosure of identity poses a genuine risk.

Requests for anonymity must be submitted prior to manuscript acceptance and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Editor-in-Chief in consultation with the Publisher.

If approved, the author’s identity will remain known to the journal but withheld from publication, with an appropriate editorial note.

Conflicts of Interest and Competing Interests

A conflict of interest exists when personal, professional, or financial relationships could influence—or be perceived to influence—the objectivity of research, peer review, or editorial decisions.

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential competing interests. Authors must include a Conflict of Interest statement in their manuscript.

Editors and reviewers with conflicts related to a submitted manuscript will not participate in its evaluation.

Studies Involving Human Participants

For studies involving human participants, authors must ensure that the research is conducted in full compliance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Each manuscript must include a clear ethics statement confirming approval by the appropriate institutional ethics committee and confirmation of informed consent.

Informed Consent and Patient Details

Studies involving patients or volunteers must be conducted with prior informed consent. Identifiable data must not be included unless explicit written permission has been obtained.

All personal identifiers must be removed from manuscripts, figures, images, and supplementary materials prior to submission.

Special Issues & Thematic Issues

The Editor-in-Chief may appoint Guest Editors to oversee Special or Thematic Issues focused on specific topics of scientific importance.

All manuscripts submitted to Special Issues undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as regular submissions.

Plagiarism Policy

The journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. Manuscripts must not exceed 10% similarity.

• Direct copying or close paraphrasing without attribution
• Self-plagiarism or redundant publication
• Use of plagiarism detection software (Turnitin)

Generative AI Policy

Authors must declare any use of generative AI tools at the time of submission. AI tools may assist but must not replace scholarly judgment.

• Verify all AI-generated content
• Disclose AI usage transparently
• Ensure originality and accuracy
• Protect data privacy and IP rights

Ethics Approval

Research involving human or animal subjects must receive prior approval from the appropriate ethics committee.

• IRB / Ethics Committee approval
• Clinical trial registration
• Biosafety and radiation approvals where applicable

Informed Consent Policy

Written informed consent must be obtained from all participants prior to inclusion in the study.

The journal reserves the right to request consent documentation at any stage. Non-compliance may result in rejection or retraction in accordance with COPE Core Practices.