Jun 21, 2026
Publication Type
Articles
Research Article
The primary aim of Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences (OTJHS) is to promote the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge that enhances patient care, supports clinical decision-making, and informs health policy. The journal seeks to:
- Encourage high-quality, ethical, and impactful research
- Support evidence-based clinical practice
- Foster academic collaboration across disciplines and countries
- Contribute to the continuous education of healthcare professionals
- Provide visibility for emerging researchers and innovative ideas
OTJHS adopts a broad and multidisciplinary scope, welcoming contributions from diverse fields including, but not limited to, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, biomedical sciences, health management, and allied health disciplines. The journal particularly encourages studies that integrate basic science with clinical applications (translational research), as well as interdisciplinary approaches that address complex health challenges.
Scopes:
Biological Sciences > Biochemistry and Cell Biology > Biochemistry and Cell Biology (Other)
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Nutrition and Dietetics > Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Nutrition and Dietetics > Food Nutritional Balance
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Nutrition and Dietetics > Public Health Nutrition
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Nutrition and Dietetics > Clinical Nutrition
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Nutrition and Dietetics > Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Surgery > Pediatric Surgery
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Surgery > Thoracic Surgery
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Surgery > Cardiovascular Surgery
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Paediatrics > Pediatric Urology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Paedodontics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Dental Materials and Equipment
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Dental Therapeutics, Pharmacology and Toxicology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Endodontics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Craniofacial Biology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Oral Implantology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Oral Medicine and Pathology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Special Needs Dentistry
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Periodontics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Prosthodontics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Dentistry > Restorative Dentistry
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Pharmacogenomics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Pharmaceutical Toxicology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Basic Pharmacology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Medical Pharmacology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences > Toxicology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Ophthalmology and Optometry > Vision Science
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Ophthalmology and Optometry > Ophthalmology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Ophthalmology and Optometry > Optometry
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology > Haematology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology > Cardiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Cardiovascular Medicine and Haematology > Respiratory Diseases
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Emergency Medicine
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Anaesthesiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Infectious Diseases
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Dermatology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Endocrinology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Chest Diseases
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Internal Diseases
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Otorhinolaryngology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Orthopaedics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Pathology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Psychiatry
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Radiology and Organ Imaging
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Rheumatology and Arthritis
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Urology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Clinical Sciences > Intensive Care
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Oncology and Carcinogenesis > Cancer Genetics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Oncology and Carcinogenesis > Cancer Cell Biology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Neurosciences > Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Metabolic Medicine
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry - Amino Acids and Metabolites
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry - Inorganic Elements and Compounds
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry - Carbohydrate
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry - Lipids
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry - Nucleic Acids
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical biochemistry - Proteins, Peptides and Proteomics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics > Medical Biochemistry and Metabolomics (Other)
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Physiology > Physiopathology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Physiology > Cell Physiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Physiology > Human Biophysics
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Physiology > Systems Physiology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Physiology > Medical Physiology (Other)
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Basic Immunology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Bacteriology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Biology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Ecology and Hydroclimatology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Infectious Agents
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Mycology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Parasitology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Virology
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Medical Microbiology > Medical Microbiology (Other)
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences > Reproductive Medicine > Obstetrics and Gynecology
Health Sciences > Nursing > Nursing Fundamentals
Health Sciences > Midwifery > Care Models and Birthplace
Health Sciences > Midwifery > Psychosocial Aspects of Birth and Perinatal Mental Health
Health Sciences > Midwifery > Clinical Midwifery
Health Sciences > Midwifery > Midwifery (Other)
Health Sciences > Nursing > Emergency Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Surgical Diseases Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Child Health and Disease Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Internal Medicine Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Public Health Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Mental Health Nursing
Health Sciences > Nursing > Intensive Care Nursing
Health Sciences > Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science > Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Health Sciences > Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science > Rehabilitation
Health Sciences > Health Services and Systems > Anatomy
Health Sciences > Health Services and Systems > Primary Health Care Services
The manuscripts must be written in English. The manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word format with the following content;
I. Cover Letter to Editor:
It should be noted that it has yet to be submitted to another journal, the name of the person or organisation that financially supports the work, if any, and the affiliation of these organisations with the authors, the category of the submitted article.
II. Title Page:
The title (Turkish and English) should be simple and straightforward. The names (First Letter Uppercase, Example: Suleyman), surnames (All capital letters, Example: KALELI), institutions, and the city must be included on this page. Institution information should be indicated with a superscript number before the name of the author (Example: 1Suleyman KALELI, 2Oguz KARABAY), and the knowledge of the institution, city, and country should be written below in front of this superscript number (Example:: 1Sakarya University, School of Medicine, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Biology, Sakarya, Türkiye). The corresponding author's name, complete address, institution / mobile phone number, and e-mail address should be included on this page. All authors' ORCID IDs must be added to the title page with the HTTPS extension. Example: Suleyman Kaleli: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6043-2521
Title file style:
En and Tr Title
1Süleyman KALELİ, 2......
1Department of Medical Biology, Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Türkiye (Should not be repeated to the same institution)
2….
Süleyman Kaleli: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6043-2521
Corresponding Author
Süleyman Kaleli
Address: ..
Tel.: ..
E-mail:....
Note: Review articles should be authored by no more than 3 (three) authors, and case reports should involve no more than 4 (four) authors.
III. Main Text
Abstract: The title of the article and Abstracts should appear at the top of the main text page. The length of the abstract in English should be a maximum of 250 words for research articles and a maximum of 150 words for other essays. The abstract for the research article should include the Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusion ( For Turkish; Amaç, Materyal ve Metot, Bulgular, Sonuç). Abstracts for review and case report articles should be written in one paragraph, without headings. Keywords consisting of at least 3 (three) and at most 5 (five) should be written with a space between the digits. Keywords should be compatible with Index Medicus, Medical Subject Headings, and Turkish Scientific Terms Dictionary. Keywords should be registered in alphabetical order. The main text should include the title of the manuscript in Turkish and English, as well as Turkish and English abstracts.
Note: The Turkish abstract and title of the article submitted from outside Türkiye can be translated free of charge by the journal's Editorial Team.
Primary Text: Our journal considers full-sentence and full-paragraph similarities. It ignores the spellings of words, idioms, terminology, etc. Apart from these, the rate should not exceed 15%. The similarity certificate must be uploaded.
Our journal requires an English control certificate to be uploaded. For manuscripts coming from English-speaking countries outside Türkiye and institutions providing education in English in Türkiye, it is sufficient to upload the file with the word "Language checked" in the word file.
It must be written in English. Technical terms, symbols, and abbreviations should be defined in the first use of the article. All chapters should be written in the format suggested below. The introduction should be 500 words or less. The research article should be at most 3000 words, the review article should be at most 5000, and the case report should be at most 2000 words.
In research that requires ethical committee approval; In the first paragraph of the Materials and Methods section; the Institution from which ethical permission was obtained, the name of the ethics committee (date, decision number), and the statement that the study was carried out following the international declaration, guidelines, etc. In addition, under the title of the Case Report, In the first paragraph, the information that the informed consent was followed through and the consent form was signed should be included.
The Materials and Methods section should contain italic, bold descriptive headings.
Results should be written using tables and figures. Tables and figures (Where they should be in the Results Section). The data on the table and figure should be explained in a paragraph by referring to the table/figure, and then the relevant table and figure should be placed. It is important to ensure that the rows and columns of tables are clearly visible. Therefore, the lines should be visible.
In the Discussion and Conclusion section, you should be able to take care of references from the last 5-6 years (Current references). A conclusion paragraph should be written at the end of the Discussion and Conclusion section, including the study's limitations. The paragraph should begin as In conclusion.
The number of references should be a maximum of 50 for the research articles, 20 for the case report, and no limit for the review articles.
Note: For word counts, legends and contents of tables, legends of figures, additional information and the reference list added after the discussion section are not included in the word count.
Research article style; (Information on the main text page)
Title of the Article (in Turkish and English for the article uploaded from Türkiye)
ABSTRACT and Keywords/ Öz and Anahtar Kelimeler (in Turkish and English for the paper uploaded from Türkiye)
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS (Should be written with an italic bold subtitle)
RESULTS (Tables and figures should be placed after a paragraph of explanation)
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION (It should be written with current references covering the last 5-6 years (minimum 80%)).
REFERENCES
Case presentation style; (Information on the main text page)
Title of the Article (in Turkish and English for the article uploaded from Türkiye)
ABSTRACT and Keywords (in Turkish and English for the paper uploaded from Türkiye)
INTRODUCTION (too short)
CASE REPORT
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
Review article: Invited review articles will be accepted (For the paper uploaded from Türkiye, the article title, abstract, and keywords should be written in Turkish and English).
Note: For the case report, review, and research articles, it is obligatory to write the Author Contributions (for more than one author), Conflict of Interest, Ethics Committee Approval (If there is; Date and decision number, if not, not available or informed consent and information about signing the consent form for case report) and if any, the Financial Support and Acknowledgment in the main text.
Examples for additional information (Before References):
Ethics Committee Approval: Our study was approved by the XXX University Ethics Committee (Date: 25.12.2021, decision no: 12). The study was carried out following the international declaration, guidelines, etc. (For case report: The patient/relatives have signed an informed consent/consent form, and the study was conducted following the international declaration, guidelines, etc. For Review: The editor invited to review. Ethics committee approval is not required).
Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest was declared by the authors.
Author Contributions: Concept – FV, SG; Supervision – FV, AB, SG; Materials – OE, GK; Data Collection and/or Processing – FV, AB; Analysis and/or Interpretation – BZP, FV, SG; Writing –FV, SG.
Peer-review: Externally peer-reviewed.
Financial Support: If there is.
Acknowledgement: If there is.
Other Information: If there is; a Congress presentation, production status from Master's / Doctorate / Specialization Thesis, etc.
Page Structure and Format: All manuscripts submitted to the journal for publication should be prepared in MS Word files in the following format (MS Word template).
- The entire text should be written in justified Times New Roman format with 12 type sizes and 1.5 lines spacing.
- The article's length, including all sources, tables, and figures, should be at least 4 (four) and at most 15 pages.
- The total number of tables, figures, graphics, and photographs should not exceed 5 (maximum 5). Lines and columns of tables should be drawn. The table content should be in 9-point font with one-line spacing.
- The explanations below the table should include the table's abbreviations and symbols. They must be written in 8-point font with one-line spacing.
- All figures, graphics, photographs, and tables should be referred to in the main text, and tables and figures should be placed at the appropriate place in the text, not at the end of the text. Graphs, figures, and tables in the text should be numbered. Shapes, graphics, and photos should be in JPG or TIFF format. If human photographs are to be used, these persons should not be recognised in the picture, or written permission must be obtained. If a pre-published form is used, permission must be obtained from the individual with the right to publish.
IV. Ethics Committee Approval: Permission from the Ethics Committee/ Institutional Review Board is mandatory for all studies on human subjects. "Documents and information requested for studies requiring ethics committee permission" should be uploaded to the system. An ethics committee approval certificate should be uploaded to the system for scientific studies except for case reports/series and review articles. In the case of reports, an informative volunteer/consent form should be included in the article. In research that requires ethical committee approval; In the first paragraph of the Materials and Methods section; the institution, name of the ethics committee (date, decision number), and the statement that the study was carried out following the international declaration, guidelines, etc. In addition, in the case of reports, on one of the first/last pages of the article, information that the informed consent form was signed should be included. In which cases is ethical approval required? Click! Statistical tests, p-values and measures defining effect size (such as relative risk and odds ratio) should be included when presenting findings. Statistical terms, abbreviations, and symbols should be defined. The computer program used must be specified.
V. References: The number of references should be a maximum of 20 for the case report, 50 for the research articles, and no limit for the review articles. The following short descriptions contain information frequently referred to by the American Medical Association (AMA) resource format. Click for the style file. The references should be numbered according to the first pas sequence in the text, and the reference numbers should be listed in the references section in automatic numerical order. The references in the text should be added as a superscript with the Arabic number, as shown in the following examples at the end of the citation.
Diabetes mellitus is associated with a high risk of foot ulcers.1-3
Several interventions have been held to increase compliance.11,14-16
The data of Smith et al.18 is further evidence of this effect.
As reported previously,1,3-6
Examples for References: Author names should be written in reverse order, and only initials of the first and middle names without spaces. Only the first word should be capitalised except in unique abbreviations in the article headings in the Welder. Abbreviations in Index Medicus should be used in journal titles. Page ranges should be written in full.
1. Journal articles (1-6 authors):
Islam MA, Alam F, Solayman M, Khalil MI, Kamal MA, Gan SH. Dietary phytochemicals: Natural swords combating inflammation and oxidation-mediated degenerative diseases. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2016;2016:5137431. doi:10.1155/2016/5137431
2. Journal articles (more than six articles):
Geller AC, Venna S, Prout M, et al. Should the skin cancer examination be taught in medical school? Arch Dermatol. 2002;138(9):1201-1203.
3- Journal articles with DOI numbers:
If there is a page number: Fontanarosa P, Bauchner H. Conflict of interest and medical journals. JAMA. 2017;317(17):1768-1771. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.4563
Suppose the article ID number/article number is available: Ammar A, Brach M, Trabelsi K, et al. Effects of COVID-19 home confinement on eating behaviour and physical activity: Results of the ECLB-COVID19 international online survey. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1583. doi:10.3390/nu12061583
If the page number is unavailable: As AK, Engin M, Türk T. Early-term results of early coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention due to acute coronary syndrome. Eur Res J. 2020. doi:10.18621/eurj.593369
4. Journal articles that do not have an author or group name:
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Licensure of a meningococcal conjugate vaccine (Menveo) and guidance for use-Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2010;59(9):273.
5. Book:
McKenzie BC. Medicine and the Internet: Introducing Online Resources and Terminology. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1997.
6. Book section:
Guyton JL, Crockarell JR. Fractures of acetabulum and pelvis. In: Canale ST, ed. Campbell's Operative Orthopedics. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby, Inc; 2003:2939-2984.
7. Electronic book:
Rudolph CD, Rudolph AM. Rudolph's Pediatrics. 21st ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2002. http://online.statref.com/Document/Document.aspx?DocID=1&StartDoc=1&EndDoc=1882&FxID=13&offset=7&SessionId=A3F279FQVVFXFSXQ. Accessed August 22, 2007.
8. Internet Document:
American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures 2003. http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2003PWSecured.pdf. Accessed March 3, 2003.
9. Theses:
Yürümez Y. Organoprotective effects of interleukine-10 experimental organophosphate poisoning in rats. Erciyes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of First and Emergency, Master or Doctorate or Expertise or Specialist Thesis. Kayseri, Türkiye. 2003.
10. Scientific Congress Presentations:
Muslu A. Sustainable methods to increase the business motivation of generation Y. III. International Entrepreneurship, Employment, and Career Congress. October 12-15, 2017, Istanbul / Türkiye.
Technical information for images: Image representations include files containing colour or grey transitions or tones, such as a microscope, electron microscope, radiographic images, ECG, and EEG transcripts. There should be appropriate arrows, labels, and signs on the picture to explain the situation, while there should be no explanation.
Image resolution: Minimum 300 dpi/ppi resolution for 10 cm colour, black and white, or grayscale images. Image JPEG formats are accepted.
CHECKLIST
As part of the submission process, authors are asked to check compliance with all of the following clauses, and if they do not comply with these rules, submission files can be returned to the authors.
1. Title page
2. Cover Letter
3. Full-Text File
4. All authors signed the "COPYRIGHT TRANSFER FORM" (In pdf format). Please click b40f/6ea6/144b/6451822eb69b5.docx for the Copyright Transfer Form.
5. Ethics committee approval document (In pdf format).
6. Similarity Report (Plagiarism Report). https://www.turnitin.com/ or http://www.ithenticate.com/ etc., websites are valid.
7. Language certificate
Copyright Notice: Authors who publish their work in this journal have accepted the following terms:
a. The author retains the work's copyright and presents the first publication right. The result is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license, allowing the author to be identified and shared by others, provided the initial release is made in this journal.
b. The author may make separate contractual arrangements to distribute the published version of the work without full authorisation (for example, sending or posting it in a book).
c. Promote the sharing of authors' works on the internet (e.g., in an institutional database or on their websites) before submitting the journal or during the shipment process; this can lead to both fruitful exchange of ideas and early and more referral to the work (see The Impact of Open Access).
Scientific and Ethical Responsibility: Scientific and Ethical Responsibility: The scientific responsibility of the articles belongs to the authors. All authors should actively participate in the study. For the manuscripts to be published in the journal, they should not have been published in another scientific journal or sent to another journal. If the submitted article has been presented before in any meeting, the name of the meeting, the date, and the city in which it is organised. The ethics committee must approve the research protocol on human and experimental animals of the institution concerned. Ethics permission information should be written in the Material and Method section. Please see Committee on Publication Ethics, ICMJE.
Evaluation Process: The articles submitted to the journal are evaluated in three stages. In the first stage, articles are assessed in terms of the journal publication standards, and the papers that do not comply with the writing rules of the journal are rejected. After the article is edited according to the writing rules of the journal, it can be uploaded to the journal with the same name again. The editorial board evaluates the article's content and method in the second stage. The papers completing the first two stages are sent to the journal referees for peer review. If needed, some questions can be asked to the authors to answer; or some defaults may have to be corrected by the authors. The result can be acceptance, minor revision, major revision, rejection in the current form, or rejection. Accepted manuscripts are forwarded for publication; in this stage, all information and data are checked and appropriately controlled; the proof of the article to be published by the journal is forwarded to the writers for proofreading and corrections. Ten days after minor revision, 20 days after major revision, and 30 days after needed to rewrite edit required. The editor rejects the article if the author does not participate in the process on time, the editor rejects the article.
Privacy Statement: The Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences adopts the protection of the privacy of its users and contributors as a fundamental principle. All personal information submitted to the journal system is used solely for the purposes of conducting scientific publishing processes and is not shared with third parties under any circumstances.
Personal data such as names, surnames, email addresses, and institutional affiliations provided by authors, reviewers, and editors during manuscript submission are used exclusively to ensure the proper management of the peer review process, facilitate communication, and maintain the integrity of scientific publishing workflows. Such information is not used for any other purposes without the explicit consent of the individuals concerned and is never utilized for commercial purposes.
All evaluations carried out within the peer review process are based on strict confidentiality. Reviewers are not permitted to share any information related to the manuscripts they evaluate with third parties and may only use such information for scientific assessment purposes. Similarly, authors are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
The journal management implements the necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure data security. Data obtained through electronic systems are protected against unauthorized access and are stored in compliance with national and international data protection standards.
The Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences operates in accordance with applicable legal regulations, particularly the Law on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK), as well as international ethical publishing standards.
All authors, reviewers, and readers using the journal system are deemed to have accepted the terms outlined in this Privacy Statement. The journal reserves the right to update this policy when necessary, and any revised version will come into effect upon publication on the official website of the journal (See COPE).
Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences (OTJHS) is firmly committed to the highest standards of publication ethics, scientific integrity, and transparency in all stages of the editorial and publishing process. The journal adopts and fully aligns its policies with the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and expects all participants in the publication process to adhere strictly to these internationally recognized frameworks.
All manuscripts submitted to OTJHS undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process, in which both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to ensure objectivity and eliminate bias. Submissions are first evaluated by the editorial office for compliance with journal scope, formatting, and ethical requirements. Manuscripts that pass this initial screening are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers. The evaluation process focuses on originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, and contribution to the field. The editorial board makes the final decision based on reviewer reports, ensuring that decisions are impartial, consistent, and scientifically justified. Appeals and complaints regarding editorial decisions are handled transparently in accordance with COPE recommendations.
Authors are required to submit only original and unpublished work that is not under consideration elsewhere. All forms of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and inappropriate data selection, are strictly prohibited. The journal routinely screens submissions using plagiarism detection software, and any ethical violations identified at any stage—before or after publication—will result in rejection, correction, or retraction, depending on the severity of the issue. OTJHS follows COPE flowcharts for handling suspected misconduct.
Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the work, consistent with the criteria established by ICMJE. Individuals who meet all authorship criteria—such as contribution to study design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, drafting, or critical revision—should be listed as authors. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately. Any requests for addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors after submission must be justified in writing and approved by all authors and the editorial office. Ghost authorship, guest authorship, and honorary authorship are considered unethical and are not tolerated.
OTJHS requires full and transparent disclosure of all conflicts of interest that could potentially influence the research or its interpretation. Authors must disclose financial relationships, institutional affiliations, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, or any other personal or professional relationships that could be perceived as sources of bias. Reviewers and editors are also required to declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from the evaluation process when necessary. All funding sources must be clearly identified, and the role of the funding body in study design, data collection, analysis, and publication decisions must be explicitly stated.
For research involving human participants, authors must confirm that the study was conducted in accordance with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval must be obtained from an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee, and the approval number and institution name must be clearly stated in the manuscript. Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, and additional consent is required for the publication of identifiable personal data or images. The confidentiality and privacy of participants must be strictly protected in accordance with data protection regulations.
For studies involving animals, authors must ensure compliance with relevant institutional, national, and international guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals. The manuscript must clearly indicate that ethical approval was obtained and that all procedures were conducted in accordance with accepted standards for animal welfare.
OTJHS emphasizes the importance of data transparency, reproducibility, and research integrity. Authors are encouraged to provide access to raw data, datasets, and materials whenever possible, either through supplementary files or publicly accessible repositories. Methods should be described in sufficient detail to allow replication by other researchers. Any limitations of the study should be clearly acknowledged. If errors or inaccuracies are identified after publication, authors are obligated to notify the editorial office promptly so that appropriate corrective actions—such as errata, corrigenda, or retractions—can be implemented.
Editors have full responsibility and authority to make publication decisions based on the journal’s scope, ethical standards, and scientific merit of the work. Editorial decisions are made without discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs. Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted materials and must not use unpublished information for personal or professional advantage. They are also responsible for ensuring the integrity of the academic record and for taking appropriate action in cases of suspected misconduct.
Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining the scientific quality of the journal. They are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations, to maintain strict confidentiality, and to identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during the review process for personal benefit and must disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their impartiality.
The journal has a strict policy against duplicate publication, redundant publication, and salami slicing. Submissions that significantly overlap with previously published work, whether by the same or different authors, will not be considered. If such practices are identified after publication, appropriate corrective actions will be taken in accordance with ethical guidelines.
OTJHS also establishes clear policies regarding the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools in research and manuscript preparation. Authors must transparently disclose any use of AI tools (e.g., for language editing or data analysis) in the preparation of their manuscripts. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the content. Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work, regardless of the tools used.
The journal supports principles of open science and open access, ensuring that all published articles are freely available without subscription barriers. This promotes transparency, accessibility, and wider dissemination of scientific knowledge. Authors may be encouraged to share preprints, provided that this is disclosed at submission and does not violate journal policies.
In cases of ethical concerns, disputes, or allegations of misconduct, OTJHS follows a structured and transparent investigation process based on COPE guidelines. This may involve communication with authors, reviewers, and affiliated institutions. The journal reserves the right to issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.
Through strict adherence to these comprehensive ethical principles and publication policies, OTJHS aims to ensure trust in the scientific process, uphold academic integrity, and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of health sciences research worldwide.
Within the scope of the Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences (OTJHS), all manuscripts accepted for publication require the authors to sign a Copyright Transfer Form. This document ensures the proper regulation of legal publication rights and aims to protect both the authors and the journal.
The Copyright Transfer Form is an official document in which authors declare that they transfer the copyright of their manuscript to the journal under specified conditions. This transfer enables the journal to carry out essential publishing processes such as publication, reproduction, distribution, and making the article available in digital environments. However, this transfer does not entirely eliminate the authors’ academic usage rights; in most cases, authors may continue to use their work for educational, research, and academic purposes within certain limits.
By signing the Copyright Transfer Form, authors agree to the following: they declare that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by another journal. They confirm that all data included in the study have been obtained and presented in accordance with ethical standards. They acknowledge that all listed authors have made significant scientific contributions to the work and have approved the final version of the manuscript. They also accept responsibility for any potential copyright violations related to the content.
The form also covers the use of third-party materials such as tables, figures, graphics, or images. Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions for any copyrighted material used in their manuscript and must ensure proper acknowledgment where required.
In line with its open-access policy, OTJHS supports the free and wide dissemination of published articles. Therefore, while the copyright transfer grants the journal the right to protect and distribute the content, the terms of use are often regulated through open-access licenses (such as Creative Commons licenses). These licenses allow readers to share and use the content under specified conditions.
The Copyright Transfer Form must be signed by all authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the process is completed accurately and fully on behalf of all co-authors. The form is typically requested after the manuscript has been accepted, and the publication process cannot be completed without it.
In conclusion, the Copyright Transfer Form is a critical document that both safeguards authors’ rights and enables the journal to publish scientific content within a legal and ethical framework. This process supports transparency, reliability, and sustainability in academic publishing.
Privacy Statement: The Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences adopts the protection of the privacy of its users and contributors as a fundamental principle. All personal information submitted to the journal system is used solely for the purposes of conducting scientific publishing processes and is not shared with third parties under any circumstances.
Personal data such as names, surnames, email addresses, and institutional affiliations provided by authors, reviewers, and editors during manuscript submission are used exclusively to ensure the proper management of the peer review process, facilitate communication, and maintain the integrity of scientific publishing workflows. Such information is not used for any other purposes without the explicit consent of the individuals concerned and is never utilized for commercial purposes.
All evaluations carried out within the peer review process are based on strict confidentiality. Reviewers are not permitted to share any information related to the manuscripts they evaluate with third parties and may only use such information for scientific assessment purposes. Similarly, authors are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
The journal management implements the necessary technical and administrative measures to ensure data security. Data obtained through electronic systems are protected against unauthorized access and are stored in compliance with national and international data protection standards.
The Online Turkish Journal of Health Sciences operates in accordance with applicable legal regulations, particularly the Law on the Protection of Personal Data (KVKK), as well as international ethical publishing standards.
All authors, reviewers, and readers using the journal system are deemed to have accepted the terms outlined in this Privacy Statement. The journal reserves the right to update this policy when necessary, and any revised version will come into effect upon publication on the official website of the journal (See COPE).
Editor-In-Chief
Editorial Board