Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

• Journal of Value in Health Sciences adheres to internationally recognized standards and principles of publication ethics that must be followed in academic research. All manuscripts that do not comply with these ethical standards will be retracted, including those that are accepted for publication or already published if an ethical violation is later identified. All stakeholders involved in the publication process are expected to fulfill their ethical responsibilities.
• Journal of Value in Health Sciences complies with the ethical guidelines and best practices of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere at the time of submission to the system.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is the use of others’ published or unpublished ideas, words, or other intellectual property without proper attribution or permission, and presenting them as if they are original and newly created rather than derived from an existing source. Self-plagiarism refers to the reuse of portions of an author’s previous work on the same subject in a new publication, especially without appropriate citation, even if the earlier work was written by the same author (https://wame.org/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals

• In the Journal of Value in Health Sciences, manuscripts found to contain plagiarism or self-plagiarism during editorial evaluation will not be considered for review. Authors are required to submit a similarity report obtained using a reliable plagiarism detection tool (e.g., iThenticate, Turnitin) together with their manuscript files during the submission process.
• Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references) are considered plagiarized and are automatically rejected.
  Scientific Responsibility
• All authors listed in the submitted manuscript must have made a direct academic and scientific contribution to the study.
• The corresponding author is responsible for the final version of the manuscript on behalf of all authors and serves as the main point of contact with the journal.
  

Publisher's Ethical Responsibilities
Düzce University, the publisher of the Journal of Value in Health Sciences, is a non-profit public educational institution committed to serving the public interest. The Editors and Editorial Board of the journal act in accordance with the following ethical responsibilities: The editors of the Journal of Value in Health Sciences are responsible for all editorial processes related to the manuscripts submitted to the journal. Their decisions are made independently, without regard to economic or political interests. They are committed to maintaining an independent editorial decision-making process.

• The journal ensures open, electronic, and free access to its content via its official website. It is the responsibility of the journal to publish articles that comply with research and publication ethics, to protect the ownership and copyright of each published article, and to maintain an archival record of every published version. The publisher and editorial team are also responsible for taking necessary measures against scientific misconduct, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and unethical practices by editors.

Responsibilities of the Editors

The editors of the Journal of Value in Health Sciences are responsible for overseeing all processes related to each manuscript submitted to the journal, including those that occur after publication. The primary duties of the editors are to maintain and enhance the academic quality of the journal, and to make impartial and ethically sound decisions throughout the publication process.
The responsibilities of the editors are as follows:

• Prioritize public interest in all publishing policies and editorial decisions, and act independently.
• Maintain the principle of “editorial independence” in the relationship between the editor(s) and the publisher, and make all decisions free from influence by the publisher or any external individuals/institutions.
• Make continuous efforts to improve the development of the journal and enhance its publication quality.
• Establish and ensure the effective implementation of policies related to the editorial process, peer review, and publication ethics.
• Ensure that every manuscript selected for publication is objectively evaluated by qualified reviewers who are experts in the field.
• Protect the copyrights of authors for articles published in the journal.
• Take necessary precautions throughout the editorial process concerning intellectual property rights, unethical practices, plagiarism, and citation manipulation.
• Keep author and reviewer guidelines up to date to support their understanding of the editorial and peer review process.
• Systematically archive all records of manuscript submission, review, and correspondence, either in electronic or print form.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

The Journal of Value in Health Sciences employs a double-blind peer review process. In this system, there is no direct communication between reviewers and authors. Reviewers’ opinions regarding the manuscript are conveyed to the authors by the editor via the journal’s editorial management system, using review forms and annotations made on the manuscript.
In this context, the referees who evaluate the articles submitted to the Journal Value in Health Sciences are expected to have the following ethical responsibilities:

• Accept to review only those manuscripts that fall within their area of expertise.
• Conduct the review process in accordance with the principles of impartiality and confidentiality.
•  Understand that any manuscript under review is confidential, and that its contents may only be used after publication; all copies must be destroyed after the review process is completed.
• Decline to review a manuscript if there is any conflict of interest or shared interest, and notify the editorial office accordingly.
• Base their evaluation solely on the scientific merit and content of the manuscript.
• Not allow factors such as nationality, gender, religion, political beliefs, or commercial interests to influence the review process.
• Provide feedback in a constructive, respectful, and professional tone, and avoid making insulting, hostile, or defamatory personal remarks.
• Complete the review within the specified time frame and submit it through the “Reviewer Evaluation Form”.

Authors’ Ethical Responsibilities

The publication processes of the Journal of Value in Health Sciences aim to ensure that knowledge is produced and disseminated in an objective, reliable, and reputable manner. Since this process directly reflects the contributions of authors and their affiliated institutions to scientific research, it is of utmost importance that all stakeholders involved—including authors, readers, researchers, publishers, reviewers, and editors—adhere strictly to ethical principles at every stage.
Authors who submit manuscripts to the Journal of Value in Health Sciences are expected to comply with the following ethical responsibilities:

• Submitted work must be original. If other sources have been used, they must be cited accurately and completely.
• Individuals who have not made a significant intellectual contribution to the content should not be listed as authors.
• Any relationship or condition that may lead to a conflict of interest must be clearly declared in the manuscript.
• Authors must be prepared to provide additional data or raw materials related to the manuscript upon request by editors or reviewers during the evaluation process.
• In studies involving human subjects, the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki must be followed; ethical approval and informed consent from participants must be clearly stated in the Materials and Methods section
• In studies involving animals, experiments must be conducted in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Compliance with animal welfare standards and approval from the institutional ethics committee must be specified in the Materials and Methods section.
• For case reports, even if patient identity is not disclosed, informed consent must be obtained, and patient privacy must be protected.
• If the study received direct or indirect commercial support, or if authors have any financial or professional relationships with manufacturers of drugs, products, or companies mentioned (e.g., consultancy), this must be clearly disclosed in the cover letter.
• In studies requiring ethics committee approval, such approval must have been obtained and clearly indicated in the Materials and Methods section with the approval date and reference number.
• A clear statement indicating compliance with research and publication ethics must be included in the manuscript.
• Manuscripts must not be submitted to more than one journal simultaneously.
• Manuscripts that have been previously published in another journal must not be submitted to the Journal of Value in Health Sciences.