Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is an essential building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in publishing.

The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published. Validation of the work and its importance to researchers and readers must drive such decisions. Editors may be guided by journal policies and legal requirements concerning libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

The editor evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

The editor and editorial staff must not disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author.

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with the author, may also assist the author in improving the paper.

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents and must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and should call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and another published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately, with sufficient detail and references to permit replication.

Authors are asked to provide raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, where practicable, and retain the data for a reasonable time after publication.

Authors should ensure that their work is entirely original. If the work or words of others are used, they must be appropriately cited or quoted.

Authors should not generally publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Concurrent submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is unacceptable.

Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.

Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All significant contributors should be listed as co-authors, while other substantive contributors should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included and that all co-authors have approved the final version and agreed to its submission.

All authors should disclose financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support should also be disclosed.

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.