Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

Publishing Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

The European Journal of Medical Case Reports (EJMCR), published by Discover STM Publishing Ltd, is committed to research integrity, transparent editorial processes and responsible scholarly publishing. EJMCR is guided by relevant COPE recommendations, ICMJE guidance and ethical principles applicable to the work reported.

Authors and Authorship

Authors are responsible for accurate and original submissions, appropriate attribution, ethics and consent declarations, disclosure of funding, competing interests and prior dissemination, responses to legitimate editorial questions, and correction of substantive errors. The Guide for Authors and Editorial and Publishing Policies set out submission requirements.

ICMJE Authorship Criteria

All four ICMJE criteria must be met: (1) a substantial contribution to conception or design, or to acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data; (2) drafting or critical review for important intellectual content; (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions about accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved. Gift, guest and ghost authorship are unacceptable. Contributors who do not qualify may be acknowledged. AI systems cannot be authors.

Originality, Plagiarism and Preprints

Submissions must be original and properly attributed. Plagiarism, inappropriate redundant publication and simultaneous submission to another journal contrary to journal policy are unacceptable. Similarity findings require contextual assessment; no fixed score alone establishes plagiarism. EJMCR may consider work posted on a recognised preprint server when authors disclose the server and relevant identifier at submission. A disclosed preprint is not, by itself, prior journal publication.

Artificial Intelligence

AI tools cannot qualify as authors. Human authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, citations and integrity, must disclose relevant generative-AI use under journal and publisher requirements, and must not fabricate references, results or clinical information. Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, patient data or unpublished submission material to publicly accessible AI systems or services where confidentiality cannot be assured. AI must not replace their independent judgement.

Competing Interests and Funding

Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests so potential bias can be managed. Disclosure does not automatically invalidate a manuscript. Reviewers and editors should recuse themselves where an interest could reasonably compromise impartiality. Authors must disclose relevant funding and the funder’s role where applicable.

Peer Review and Editorial Independence

The Editorial Office and responsible editor initially assess submissions. Manuscripts proceeding to external review undergo double-blind peer review by a minimum of two independent external experts with appropriate subject expertise. Reviewers’ assessments and recommendations are advisory; the responsible editor makes the final editorial decision. Reviewer identities and submission materials are confidential. Decisions are independent of APCs, an author’s ability to pay, advertising, sponsorship and inappropriate commercial or personal pressure.

Human Research and Patient Protection

Human-participant research must meet applicable ethical and legal requirements, with appropriate ethics review and approval where required. Authors should accurately report approval, exemption or non-requirement. Case reports do not automatically require research ethics committee approval; case series and other work follow oversight applicable to their design. Participants’ rights, welfare, privacy and confidentiality must be protected. Consent for research participation differs from consent for publication: written informed consent for publication is required for identifiable clinical information under EJMCR policy. The 2024 WMA Declaration of Helsinki informs applicable human research.

Animal Research and Clinical Trials

Animal research must comply with applicable institutional, national and relevant animal-welfare standards; authors should report appropriate oversight or approval where required. Human consent and the Declaration of Helsinki do not govern animal experiments. Applicable clinical trials must be registered prospectively in a suitable publicly accessible registry, normally before the first participant is enrolled, with registry details in the manuscript. If registration was not prospective, authors must explain why for editorial assessment. This requirement does not automatically apply to case reports, reviews or all observational studies.

Data, Confidentiality and Clinical Images

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of reported data and clinical information. They should cooperate with reasonable editorial requests for supporting data, source information or documentation, subject to patient confidentiality, informed consent, applicable law and legitimate data-access restrictions. Identifiable patient records and consent forms should not be openly distributed. Images must accurately represent observations; material alterations should be disclosed and legitimate adjustments must not distort findings. The editor may request appropriate de-identified source images for verification.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers provide objective, constructive and confidential assessments; disclose relevant competing interests; decline work where impartiality is compromised; and raise ethical or integrity concerns privately with the editor. They must not share or use unpublished material without permission. Their recommendations inform, but do not determine, publication decisions.

Editors and Publisher

Editors apply journal policies fairly, safeguard confidentiality, manage competing interests, evaluate reviewer advice and ethical concerns, and make independent decisions. Discover STM Publishing Ltd provides the publisher-level policy framework and may assist with appropriate complaints, investigations and post-publication action. Formal investigation of research conduct may require a responsible institution or authority.

Allegations of Misconduct

Concerns involving plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image or data manipulation, authorship misrepresentation, redundant publication, peer-review manipulation or other possible misconduct are assessed fairly under EJMCR and Discover STM policies and relevant publication-ethics guidance. An allegation is not a finding. The editor or publisher may examine evidence, seek clarification or specialist advice, and refer serious matters to an institution or competent authority where appropriate. Editorial action depends on the evidence and circumstances.

Corrections and the Scholarly Record

EJMCR may publish a correction when an error needs public clarification but an article remains sufficiently reliable; an expression of concern when substantial concerns remain unresolved; or a retraction when serious problems undermine reliability or integrity. A retraction does not necessarily establish deliberate misconduct. These actions follow the journal and publisher policies for protecting the scholarly record.

Reporting Concerns

Readers, authors, reviewers and others may report publication-ethics concerns to the EJMCR Editorial Office at contact@ejmcr.com. Concerns involving an editor’s conduct or improper handling of a complaint may be referred to Discover STM Publishing Ltd through its published contact route.