DAHUDER Medical Journal is an international, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to internal medicine, clinical medicine, and related health sciences. The journal publishes articles in English and uses a double-blind peer-review system. Once all editorial and production processes are complete, accepted articles are published online. DAHUDER MJ is committed to the highest standards of scientific quality, publication ethics, and academic integrity, and follows the principles and recommendations of COPE, ICMJE, the Declaration of Helsinki, and WAME.

Author Responsibilities

• Authors must submit only original, unpublished manuscripts that are not simultaneously under review by another journal.
• Authors are responsible for ensuring that all studies comply with the journal's Ethical Approval, Informed Consent, and Research Standards policy.
• Authors are expected to avoid all forms of research and publication misconduct, including plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, data fabrication, data falsification, excessive textual overlap, and any other breaches of publication ethics.
• The same study must not be submitted to or published in more than one journal or publication outlet.
• All listed authors must satisfy the ICMJE authorship criteria. Honorary, guest, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.
• Authors must provide valid ORCID IDs for all contributors.
• Any actual or potential conflicts of interest must be declared clearly and transparently.
• All sources of financial support, institutional assistance, and other contributions relevant to the study must be properly acknowledged.
• Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of the data and content they submit.
• All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a rigorous peer-review process involving at least two reviewers with expertise in the relevant subject area. Reviewers are appointed by the Associate Editors and the Editor-in-Chief. In some cases, and for certain manuscript types, authors may be invited to suggest potential reviewers.
• During peer review, manuscripts are assessed in terms of relevance to the journal’s scope, originality, readability, methodological and statistical soundness, and language quality.
• At the conclusion of the evaluation process, a manuscript may be accepted, returned for minor revision, returned for major revision, or rejected.
• A request for revision does not imply or guarantee final acceptance.
• Authors must revise their manuscripts carefully, thoroughly, and within the requested timeframe, in accordance with the comments and recommendations of the editors and reviewers.
• Rejected manuscripts are not reconsidered for review.
• Final acceptance of a manuscript is also subject to compliance with all applicable legal and ethical requirements, including those relating to defamation, copyright infringement, plagiarism, and other relevant regulations.

Editor Responsibilities

• Editors must assess submitted manuscripts fairly, independently, and objectively on academic grounds while preserving confidentiality throughout the editorial process.
• Editorial decisions must be based on the originality of the work, its scientific contribution, methodological rigor, clarity of presentation, ethical compliance, and relevance to the aims and scope of the journal.
• Editors must prevent conflicts of interest among authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and editorial staff, and they must refrain from handling manuscripts when an actual or potential conflict exists.
• Editors are responsible for appointing competent, suitable, and impartial reviewers for each submission.
• Editors must safeguard the integrity of the double-blind review process and ensure the confidentiality of authors, reviewers, and manuscript content at all stages of evaluation.
• Editors should make every effort to ensure that submissions are processed within a reasonable time and that the editorial workflow proceeds in a consistent, careful, and transparent manner.
• The Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors hold full responsibility and authority regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.
• Editors should not reverse a decision unless there is a serious, justified, and documented reason; similarly, decisions made by previous editors should not be changed without compelling grounds.
• Editors must ensure that published material complies with internationally accepted ethical standards and, when necessary, should be adequately informed about the sources of research funding.
• Editors are responsible for maintaining the scientific quality of the journal, the scholarly value of published content, and the integrity of the academic record.
• Editors must take seriously all allegations of publication misconduct, ethical breach, or scientific unreliability, whether the manuscript is unpublished or already published, and they should make every reasonable effort to address such concerns appropriately.
• When required, editors should publish corrections, clarifications, editorial notices, retractions, or errata in order to preserve the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly literature.
• Editors should take into account the legitimate interests of both authors and readers while working to improve the journal’s academic and editorial standards.

Reviewer Responsibilities

• Reviewers must treat all manuscripts assigned to them as confidential documents and must not share, copy, reproduce, or discuss them with third parties.
• Review reports should be written in an objective, evidence-based, constructive, and respectful manner, without personal criticism of the authors.
• Reviewers should accept invitations only for manuscripts that fall within their field of expertise, and they should decline review requests when they are unable to provide a competent and informed evaluation.
• Reviewers must disclose any conflict of interest that could affect their neutrality, including financial, institutional, collaborative, or competitive relationships, and should withdraw from the process when appropriate.
• Reviewer evaluations should focus on the manuscript’s scientific merit, originality, clarity, ethical appropriateness, and contribution to the field.
• Reviewers should notify the editor of any important relevant references not cited by the authors, and of any substantial similarity or overlap with other published or submitted work known to them.
• If a reviewer suspects plagiarism, duplicate submission, data manipulation, or any other ethical problem, the matter must be reported promptly to the Editor or Editor-in-Chief.
• Reviewers are expected to complete their reports within the agreed time and to provide clear, justified, and understandable comments that support the editorial decision-making process.
• Reviewers must not upload manuscript files or any part of manuscript content to artificial intelligence tools, AI-supported platforms, or any external system that may compromise confidentiality.

Plagiarism and Similarity Check Policy

• All submissions to DAHUDER MJ are screened for originality as part of the initial editorial assessment.
• The journal maintains a strict policy against plagiarism, unethical text recycling, duplicate publication, and all other forms of academic misconduct.
• Submitted manuscripts are evaluated using similarity-detection software during preliminary editorial review.
• For DAHUDER MJ, the total similarity rate must not exceed 20%, excluding the reference list.
• Similarity from any single source must not exceed 3%.
• In certain cases, similarity found in the methodology section may be assessed separately at the discretion of the editors.
• Manuscripts exceeding the journal’s similarity limits may be returned to the authors for revision, correction, or detailed explanation.
• Authors bear full responsibility for the originality of their work and for the correct citation and acknowledgment of all sources consulted.
• Authors are expected to review and comply with the journal’s full plagiarism and similarity policy before submission.

Data Availability Policy

The DAHUDER MJ supports research transparency and encourages authors to make the data underlying their findings available whenever ethically, legally, and institutionally appropriate.

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscripts indicating whether the supporting data are publicly available, available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, or cannot be shared due to ethical, legal, or confidentiality restrictions.

The Editorial Board may request access to the underlying research data during the peer-review process or after publication to verify the validity and integrity of the reported findings. Authors are expected to retain the original research data and cooperate with such requests.

Conflict of Interest

• Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, institutional, or professional conflicts of interest that could influence the research, review, or editorial decision-making process.
• Any potential conflict of interest must be managed in a manner that preserves transparency and trust in the editorial and peer-review process.
• Individuals who have a conflict of interest must not take part in the relevant review or editorial decisions in order to protect impartiality.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors should prepare and report their manuscripts in accordance with internationally recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to the study design. The journal encourages the use of reporting standards developed by the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency of Health Research) Network to ensure the completeness, transparency, and quality of published research.

Where applicable, authors are expected to follow the reporting guidelines listed below:

• CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials): for randomized controlled trials.
• PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses): for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
• STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology): for observational studies, including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies.
• CARE (Case Report Guidelines): for case reports.
• STARD (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies): for diagnostic accuracy studies.
• SRQR (Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research) or COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research): for qualitative research.
• ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments): for animal studies.
• SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials): for clinical trial protocols.

Where required, authors should submit the relevant reporting guideline checklist and any accompanying flow diagram (e.g., the CONSORT Flow Diagram) together with their manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to consult the EQUATOR Network (https://www.equator-network.org) to identify the most appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.

Ethical Approval, Informed Consent, and Research Standards

DAHUDER Medical Journal requires that all submitted manuscripts comply with international ethical standards and relevant guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki, COPE, and ICMJE recommendations.

Ethics Committee Approval
All studies involving human participants or animals must be approved by an appropriate ethics committee. The name of the committee, approval date, and approval number must be clearly stated in the manuscript. If ethical approval is not required, authors must provide a clear justification.

Studies Requiring Ethical Approval
Ethics committee approval is required for, but not limited to:

• Clinical studies involving human participants,
• Experimental and observational studies,
• Survey- and interview-based research,
• Qualitative and quantitative studies involving data collection from individuals,
• Animal experiments,
• Retrospective studies involving patient data,
• Any research involving biological materials or identifiable data.

Informed Consent
Informed consent must be obtained from all participants involved in the study. For minors or individuals unable to provide consent, consent must be obtained from legal guardians. A statement confirming that informed consent was obtained must be included in the manuscript.

Patient Consent for Publication
For case reports and studies containing identifiable patient information (including images or personal data), authors must obtain explicit written consent from the patient. Authors must ensure that patient anonymity is protected.

Use of Images and Identifiable Data
Images or data that may reveal the identity of a participant must not be published without documented permission. Any modifications made to protect identity must not compromise the scientific integrity of the work.

Clinical Trial Registration
Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to participant enrollment. The registration number and registry name must be included in the manuscript.

Animal Studies
Studies involving animals must comply with national and international ethical guidelines. Authors are encouraged to follow the ARRIVE guidelines and must provide details of ethical approval.

Permissions and Copyright
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the use of previously published materials, including scales, figures, and tables. A statement confirming compliance with copyright regulations must be included.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

• Authors must clearly disclose any artificial intelligence tools used during manuscript preparation. Such disclosure should appear in the Methods section, Acknowledgments, or another appropriate part of the manuscript, and should specify the name of the tool, the version when applicable, and the purpose for which it was used.
• AI tools may be used only for limited technical assistance, such as language editing, spelling and grammar correction, formatting support, reference organization, coding assistance, data visualization, and statistical or computational support.
• The use of AI must not undermine the originality, scientific validity, accuracy, or reliability of the manuscript.
• AI tools must not be used to generate scientific arguments, original interpretations, hypotheses, results, discussions, or scholarly conclusions.
• AI must not be used to fabricate, falsify, manipulate, distort, or invent data, images, findings, references, or citations.
• AI systems cannot replace the researcher’s scientific reasoning, academic judgment, or ethical responsibility.
• AI tools cannot be credited as authors because they do not meet authorship criteria and cannot assume responsibility for the work.
• The authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of the entire manuscript content.
• Editors and reviewers may use AI only for limited technical purposes that do not compromise confidentiality and that remain fully consistent with the journal’s policy. AI must not be used for editorial decision-making, reviewer report writing, or as a substitute for expert human evaluation.
• Editors and reviewers must not upload manuscripts, supplementary files, figures, data, or peer-review correspondence to external AI systems.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

• Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, associate editors, editorial board members, or journal staff are handled in a manner that ensures editorial independence and prevents conflicts of interest.
• Such manuscripts are assigned to an independent editor who has no conflict of interest with the authors.
• The submitting editor, editorial board member, or journal staff member is excluded from all stages of the editorial evaluation, peer-review process, and final decision-making for that manuscript.
• These submissions undergo the same peer-review and ethical evaluation procedures as all other manuscripts.

Retraction

• An article may be retracted in the following circumstances:
• Confirmed plagiarism, data fabrication, or data falsification,
• Confirmed duplicate publication,
• Serious errors that invalidate or substantially undermine the conclusions of the study,
• Ethical violations that compromise the reliability and integrity of the published work.
• Retracted articles remain accessible in the public record in order to preserve the transparency of scholarly communication. Such articles are clearly identified with a “RETRACTED” watermark and are accompanied by a formal retraction notice explaining the reason.

Withdrawal

• Requests for withdrawal must be submitted with a formal written explanation.
• Withdrawal requests submitted after the peer-review process has begun, without a valid and convincing justification, may be regarded as unethical publishing conduct.

Corrections

• Corrections, including corrigenda, errata, and addenda, are issued when minor errors or omissions do not invalidate the overall findings of the study but nevertheless require clarification or amendment.

Expressions of Concern

• An expression of concern may be issued when allegations of ethical misconduct or concerns regarding the scientific reliability or integrity of a submitted or published article require further investigation.
• During the investigation process, the journal may request explanations, documents, or additional information from the authors. When necessary, relevant institutions, ethics committees, or competent bodies may be contacted.
• Depending on the outcome of the evaluation, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, withdrawal notice, or retraction notice.

Change of Authorship

DAHUDER MJ accepts article authors according to the statement on the Title Page of the article. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the authors to submit the final version of the full author list. Requests for any change of authorship after the submission of the article (e.g., removal/addition of authors, change of order, etc.) are subject to editorial approval. The Editorial Board will investigate such cases and act according to the COPE flowcharts.

Requests for a change of authorship should be conveyed to the Editor with an official letter stating the reasons for the change. The letter should be signed by all the authors and include their confirmation of the change of authorship. If the request is approved by the Editorial Board, the authors are required to submit a new License to Publish and Author Declarations Form according to the final author list.

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the articles published in the journal are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the DAHUDER MJ, its Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, or Publisher. The Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability for such cases. The sole responsibility for the published content lies with the authors.

Complaints and Appeals

DAHUDER MJ handles complaints and appeals by following the procedure below. Complaints, including but not limited to the long delays in the handling of manuscripts and publication ethics, are initially handled by the Editor-in-Chief of DAHUDER MJ. The Editor-in-Chief examines complaints and appeals together with Area Editors and the Editorial Board, if applicable. If any issues arise regarding complaints and appeals, please contact selcukyaylaci@sakarya.edu.tr.

Complaints about the Content of a Paper
The Editor-in-Chief examines the complaints of the author(s) and the reports of reviewers and makes a decision about: 

• The confirmation of the rejection of the paper,
• The appeal of the author being considered,
• Obtaining a fresh opinion from an independent reviewer.
   

The final decision of the Editor-in-Chief is communicated to the author(s). The explanation of the consequences of the appeal is shared with the author(s) if necessary. This is the final decision of DAHUDER MJ.

Complaints about Processes
The complaints about processes are handled by the Editor-in-Chief. Long delays in the handling of manuscripts are examined by the editors of DAHUDER MJ, and any necessary issues are shared with the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the complaints, and when necessary, information is shared with the authors.

Complaints about Ethics
The Editor-in-Chief considers complaints about the publication ethics of the author’s or reviewer’s conduct. The Editor-in-Chief follows the publication ethics on the DAHUDER MJ website. The Editorial Board of DAHUDER MJ examines the concerns of complainants or reviewers. The details and progress of the examination are clearly shared with the complainant(s). The Editor-in-Chief or Assistant Editors provide feedback to the complainant(s) on the manner of action and the final decision.

Editorial Independence and Editor Authorship

The editorial processes of DAHUDER MJ are conducted in accordance with the principles of editorial independence and transparency. Editors make decisions based solely on the scientific merit, originality, and relevance of the manuscripts, without any external influence.

In cases where editors submit their own work to the journal, they are excluded from all editorial and peer review processes related to their manuscript. Such submissions are handled independently by other members of the Editorial Board or external editors to ensure an unbiased and transparent evaluation process. Editors have no access to information regarding the review process of their own manuscripts. 

Handling of Ethical Misconduct

• Allegations of ethical misconduct or concerns regarding the scientific reliability of a submission or publication are examined carefully and confidentially by the editorial office.
• When necessary, the editor initiates an investigation in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidance and may request explanations, official documents, or supporting evidence from the authors.
• If the suspicion of misconduct is serious, the editor may consider notifying the relevant institution of the authors and, where appropriate, the relevant funding organizations.
• During an ongoing investigation, the editor may publish an expression of concern when there is substantial doubt about the integrity of the manuscript or article.
• If misconduct is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected; if the article has already been published, a correction, expression of concern, or retraction may be issued.
• Throughout this process, the journal maintains editorial impartiality, procedural confidentiality, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Special Issues and Supplements

• Special issues and supplements, when published, are subject to the same editorial standards, peer-review procedures, conflict of interest requirements, and publication ethics policies as regular issues.
• Guest editors, if appointed, must disclose any conflicts of interest and must follow the journal’s editorial and ethical policies. The Editor-in-Chief retains final responsibility for all content published in special issues and supplements.
• Any sponsorship or funding related to special issues or supplements will be clearly disclosed.

Official Editorial Communication Address

• All formal correspondence concerning the editorial and peer-review process shall be conducted through the journal’s official communication address: selcukyaylaci@sakarya.edu.tr
• Such correspondence may include, but is not limited to, initial editorial screening, requests for clarification, authorship verification, ethical inquiries, notifications concerning suspected misconduct, and decisions regarding revision, acceptance, rejection, or withdrawal.
• Authors are responsible for monitoring this address regularly and for responding in a timely manner so that delays in the editorial process may be avoided.
• All messages sent to or received from this address constitute part of the journal’s official editorial record.
• Failure to respond within a reasonable period may disrupt the editorial workflow and may result in administrative action.