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Authors are required to submit only original and unpublished work that is not under consideration elsewhere.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).
