Code of Conduct for Editors-in-Chief of journals published by GUMS

  1. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should declare any financial, personal or other relationships that might constitute a conflict of interest with the Editorship of the Journal on the website of the journal.
  2. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should ensure that all articles accepted for publication in the Journal have been assessed in line with the Journal’s stated peer review policy each manuscript passing initial screening should be subjected to rigorous and anonymous peer-review by a minimum of 2 peer reviewers. In rare circumstances, decisions may be made on the basis of a single reviewer's report in combination with editorial assessment.
  3. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should not make decisions regarding manuscripts about which they may have a conflict of interest. In such instances, a senior member of the Editorial Board should be assigned to assume responsibility for overseeing peer-review and making decisions regarding acceptance or rejection.
  4. Although the Editor(s)-in-Chief may publish in the journal whose Editor-in-Chief they are, they should ensure the majority of publications come from other authors. A senior member of the Editorial Board should be assigned to assume responsibility for overseeing peer-review and making decisions regarding acceptance or rejection of any manuscript submitted and/or co-authored by the Editor(s)-in-Chief.
  5. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should ensure Editorial Board members are not involved with the peer-review or decision-making process of any manuscript where they have a conflict of interest.
  6. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should be satisfied that all research on live humans that is accepted for publication in the Journal is ethical and complies with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. Research should comply with the authors’ national and Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements for ethics approval and informed consent. In countries where there are no local or national IRBs or established regulations, the Editor(s)-in-Chief should use the standards set out in the Declaration of Helsinki to decide whether there are any ethical concerns about the conduct of the research that would preclude publication. Any research that violates the Declaration of Helsinki should be highlighted to the authors’ institution regardless of whether or not local IRB approval was obtained. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should seek guidance from Guilan University of Medical Sciences in difficult cases.
  7. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should be satisfied that all research on live animals complies with the authors’ national regulations on animal research and ethics. In the absence of any national regulations, the Editor(s)-in-Chief should use their discretion when deciding whether there are any ethical concerns about the research that may preclude publication. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should seek advice from Guilan University of Medical Sciences in difficult cases.
  8. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should be satisfied that all research on human or animal tissue that is accepted for publication in the Journal complies with national legislation and local Institutional Review Board requirements on the use of such tissue for research, with particular regard to consent for use of human tissue. In the absence of any national regulations, the Editor(s)-in-Chief should use their discretion when deciding whether there are any ethical concerns about the research that may preclude publication. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should seek advice Guilan University of Medical Sciences in difficult cases.
  9. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should seek advice from Guilan University of Medical Sciences if they believe a manuscript contains potentially libelous or defamatory content.
  10. The Editor(s)-in-Chief should comply with the following standards:
  • The World Association of Medical Editors' (WAME) statement on geopolitical intrusion on editorial decisions. The statement, which is available on the WAME website, mandates:

Decisions to edit and publish manuscripts submitted to journals should be based on characteristics of the manuscripts themselves and how they relate to the journal's purposes and readers. Among these characteristics are importance of the topic, originality, scientific strength, clarity and completeness of written expression, and potential interest to readers. Editors should also take into account whether studies are ethical and whether their publication might cause harm to readers or to the public interest.

Editorial decisions should not be affected by the origins of the manuscript, including the nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion of the authors. Decisions to edit and publish should not be determined by the policies of governments or other agencies outside of the journal itself.

Editors should defend this principle, as they do other principles of sound editorial practice, and enlist their colleagues' support in this effort if necessary.

  • The Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Code is available from the COPE website and can be requested from the Publisher at any time.



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