The Journal of Bursa Faculty of Medicine is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and editorial integrity. The Journal follows the recommendations and best practices of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. These policies apply to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher.

Section A. Publication and Authorship

1. All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine whether they are within the aims and scope of the Journal and comply with the Journal's editorial and ethical requirements.
2. Manuscripts considered suitable for external evaluation are reviewed through a double-anonymized peer-review process by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.
3. Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, clarity, and relevance to the Journal's aims and scope.
4. Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance for publication.
5. Submitted manuscripts must be original, must not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration by another journal.
6. Duplicate publication, redundant publication, plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and any other form of publication misconduct are unacceptable and will be handled in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
7. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts comply with applicable copyright laws and ethical standards.
8. The final decision regarding publication rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Section B. Authors' Responsibilities

1. Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
2. All listed authors must meet the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and approve the final version of the manuscript before submission.
3. Authors are responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and authenticity of all data presented in the manuscript and should retain the original data for a reasonable period after publication.
4. Studies involving human participants or animals must have received approval from the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee, where applicable, and the relevant approval information should be reported in the manuscript.
5. Written informed consent must be obtained from participants whenever required, and patient privacy and confidentiality must be protected.
6. Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest, sources of funding, and any relevant acknowledgments.
7. Authors should accurately acknowledge the contributions of all individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship.
8. Authors must appropriately cite all sources used in the preparation of the manuscript and avoid plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate citation practices.
9. If authors discover a significant error in their published work, they must promptly notify the Editorial Office and cooperate in issuing a correction, retraction, or other appropriate editorial action.
10. Authors must disclose any use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies in accordance with the Journal's AI Policy provided in the Author Guidelines. Failure to disclose the substantial use of AI-assisted technologies may be considered a breach of publication ethics and may result in appropriate editorial action.

Section C. Reviewers' Responsibilities

1. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents and must not disclose or use any unpublished information obtained during the peer-review process for personal or professional advantage.
2. Reviews should be conducted objectively, fairly, and constructively, without personal criticism of the authors. Reviewers should support their comments and recommendations with clear scientific reasoning.
3. Reviewers should evaluate the manuscript with respect to its originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, statistical validity (where applicable), and relevance to the Journal's aims and scope.
4. Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and should notify the Editor of any substantial similarity, suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, image manipulation, or other forms of research or publication misconduct.
5. Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts if they have any financial, institutional, professional, or personal conflict of interest that could influence their evaluation.
6. Reviewers are expected to complete their reviews within the requested timeframe. If they are unable to do so, they should promptly inform the Editorial Office so that alternative reviewers may be invited.
7. Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts or their content to publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) systems or use AI tools in any way that compromises manuscript confidentiality.
8. Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The final editorial decision regarding acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Section D. Editorial Responsibilities

1. Editors are responsible for ensuring that all editorial decisions are made fairly, independently, objectively, and solely on the basis of the scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance of the manuscript to the Journal's aims and scope.
2. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over all editorial decisions and is responsible for the final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.
3. Editors must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose or use unpublished information obtained during the editorial process for personal or professional advantage.
4. Editors should ensure that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated through a fair, timely, and double-anonymized peer-review process.
5. Editors must avoid handling manuscripts in which they have financial, institutional, professional, or personal conflicts of interest. Such manuscripts should be reassigned to another qualified editor.
6. Editors are responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record and should take appropriate action when concerns arise regarding plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, unethical research, or other forms of publication misconduct.
7. Editors should follow the recommendations and relevant flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when investigating suspected ethical or publication misconduct.
8. When necessary, editors may publish corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other editorial notices to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.
9. Editors should consider appeals and complaints fairly, objectively, and in accordance with the Journal's editorial policies.
10. Editors are responsible for promoting transparency, research integrity, and the highest standards of publication ethics throughout the editorial and publication process.

 Section E. Publication Ethics and Misconduct

1. All authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher are expected to adhere to internationally accepted principles of publication ethics throughout the editorial and publication process.
2. The Journal has zero tolerance for publication misconduct, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation intended to mislead, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, and the undisclosed use of artificial intelligence in violation of the Journal's AI Policy.
3. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review. Similarity reports are evaluated by the editors based on the nature and extent of textual overlap rather than on similarity scores alone.
4. Allegations or suspicions of publication misconduct will be investigated confidentially and fairly in accordance with the recommendations and relevant flowcharts of COPE.
5. When publication misconduct is confirmed, the Journal may take appropriate editorial action, including rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, expression of concern, retraction of the article, or notification of the relevant institution or funding body, where appropriate.
6. Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript before a final editorial decision. Requests received after acceptance will be considered only under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
7. Major changes to authorship or the scientific content of a manuscript after acceptance will be considered only in exceptional circumstances and require editorial approval.

The Editorial Board will periodically review and update these policies to ensure continued compliance with internationally accepted publishing standards, ethical recommendations, and best editorial practices.