Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Organ and Tissue Transplantation: A Review with a Focus on Türkiye

General Information

The Journal of Bursa Faculty of Medicine (J Bursa Med) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access medical journal that publishes high-quality scientific research in all fields of basic, clinical, and translational medicine and health sciences.

The Journal publishes original articles, review articles, case reports, short communications, letters to the editor, editorials, and other scholarly contributions that are scientifically rigorous, ethically conducted, and relevant to the scope of the Journal.

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal must be original, must not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Detailed information regarding the Journal's editorial policies, peer-review process, publication ethics, and open access policy is available in the relevant sections of the Journal website.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) / Ethics Committee Approval

Studies involving human participants or animals must comply with the Journal's Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies.

Authors must report the name of the approving Ethics Committee/IRB, the approval number, and the approval date in the Materials and Methods section, where applicable.

Clinical trials should include the registry name and registration number.

Detailed ethical requirements are available in the Journal's Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies.

Copyright and Licensing Agreement

Authors are required to complete the Journal's Copyright and Licensing Agreement form (📝 Copyright License and Agreement_V1.1.docx )  during manuscript submission.

By submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author confirms that:

• the manuscript is original;
• it has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere;
• all authors have approved the submission;
• permission has been obtained for any copyrighted material included in the manuscript.

All published articles are licensed in accordance with the Journal's current Creative Commons licensing policy. Detailed information regarding copyright ownership and licensing is available on the Journal website.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the work reported in the manuscript.

A Conflict of Interest Statement must be included in the manuscript at the time of submission, even if the authors declare that no conflict of interest exists.

Authors are required to complete the Journal's Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form (📝 Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form v1.0.docx ) during manuscript submission.

Any relationships, affiliations, funding, or personal interests that could be perceived as influencing the research should be disclosed.

Detailed information regarding the Journal's conflict of interest policy is available in the Ethical Principles and Publication Policy.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the DergiPark Journal System.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all required files and documents are uploaded during submission.

Submitted manuscripts must comply with the Journal's formatting requirements, reporting guidelines, and publication policies.

The Editorial Office may return incomplete submissions to the corresponding author before peer review.

Authorship

Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation, drafting or critically revising the manuscript, and final approval of the version to be published.

All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Authors are required to complete the Journal's Authorship Contributions Form (📝 Authorship Contributions Form_v1.0.docx ) during manuscript submission.

Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section.

Detailed authorship criteria and policies are available in the Journal's Ethical Principles and Publication Policy.

Permission

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce any previously published copyrighted material, including tables, figures, photographs, illustrations, questionnaires, or other copyrighted content.

Appropriate acknowledgment of the original source must be provided in the manuscript.

Any fees associated with obtaining copyright permission are the responsibility of the authors.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared in an editable Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.

The manuscript should be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with 2.5 cm margins on all sides. Pages should be numbered consecutively.

The manuscript should be organized according to the Journal's requirements for the relevant article type. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the manuscript complies with the Journal's formatting and reporting standards before submission.

Abstract

Original Articles must include a structured abstract consisting of the following sections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.

Review Articles, Case Reports, Short Communications, and Letters to the Editor should include an unstructured abstract unless otherwise specified.

The abstract should accurately summarize the content of the manuscript and should not contain references, tables, figures, or undefined abbreviations.

Keywords

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords immediately after the abstract.

Keywords should be selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine whenever applicable.

Main Document Structure

The main manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

• Title
• Running Title
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Main Text
• Declarations (where applicable), including Author Contributions, Conflict of Interest, Funding, Data Availability, Ethics Committee Approval.
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Tables
• Figure Legends

Main Text

Original Articles should be organized under the following headings:

• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion

Standard abbreviations may be used after their first definition in the text. Generic names should be used for drugs and chemicals. Units of measurement should conform to the International System of Units (SI).

Headings and Subheadings

Use a maximum of three levels of headings throughout the manuscript. Headings should be concise, consistent, and clearly reflect the structure of the manuscript.

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used only when essential and should not be used for references. They should be numbered consecutively and placed at the bottom of the relevant page or table.

Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in this section.

Authors should also acknowledge funding sources, technical assistance, institutional support, and any necessary permissions.

References

References should be prepared in accordance with the Recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), following the National Library of Medicine (NLM) / Vancouver reference style.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text and cited using Arabic numerals in square brackets.

In-text citations should be formatted as follows:

Single reference:
... has been demonstrated [1].

Multiple references:
... has been previously reported [1,3,5].

Consecutive references:
... has been demonstrated in several studies [1–5].

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the Index Medicus/PubMed journal abbreviations.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references.

DOI numbers should be provided for all references whenever available.

Examples of commonly used reference formats are provided below.

Journal Article (Up to 6 Authors)

1. Duman N, Sen Korkmaz N, Erol Z. Tissue eosinophilia: a histopathological marker associated with stromal invasion but not histopathological grade in cutaneous squamous neoplasia. Eur Res J. 2015;1(3):88-93. doi:10.18621/eurj.2015.1.3.88

Journal Article (More than 6 Authors)

2. Budak E, Taymur I, Askin R, Gungor BB, Demirci H, Akgul AI, et al. Relationship between internet addiction, psychopathology and self-esteem among university students. Eur Res J. 2015;1:128-35.

Book Chapter

3. Vinten-Johansen J, Zhao ZQ, Guyton RA. Cardiac surgical physiology. In: Cohn LH, Edmunds LH Jr, editors. Cardiac Surgery in the Adult. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2003. p. 53-84.

Website

4. University of Alabama School of Medicine. Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Available from: https://www.uab.edu/intermacs Accessed 2012 Apr 13.

Tables

Tables should be created using the table function of Microsoft Word and placed after the References section.

Tables should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and cited in the text in numerical order.

Each table must have a concise title, and any abbreviations or explanatory notes should be provided as footnotes below the table.

Figures

Figures should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals and cited in the text in numerical order.

Figures should be uploaded as separate high-resolution files during submission.

Acceptable file formats are TIFF, JPEG, or PNG, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce previously published figures.

Figure Legends

Figure legends should be listed at the end of the manuscript after the figures.

Legends should clearly explain all symbols, abbreviations, arrows, and other annotations used in the figures.

Patient identifiers must not appear in figures unless written informed consent has been obtained.

Manuscript Categories and General Limits

The Journal considers the following manuscript types for publication. The limits below are provided as general guidance.

These limits serve as general recommendations and may be adjusted at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

Multicenter Clinical Trials

Manuscripts reporting multicenter clinical trials are welcome.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all contributors meet the Journal's authorship requirements and that all participating investigators are appropriately acknowledged.

Proofreading

Page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author before publication.

Authors should carefully review the proofs for typographical or production errors.

Major changes affecting the scientific content, authorship, or title are not permitted after acceptance without editorial approval.

Content Responsibility

The authors are solely responsible for the scientific accuracy, integrity, and content of their manuscripts.

Opinions expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the Publisher.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Technologies  

AI Policy

The Journal encourages the transparent and responsible use of AI-assisted technologies in accordance with internationally accepted publication ethics principles.

The following policy applies to all manuscript types submitted to the Journal.

Authors must disclose any use of AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of the manuscript. The disclosure should specify the name and version of the AI tool(s), the purpose of use, and the sections of the manuscript in which AI assistance was used.

AI-assisted technologies may be used for language editing, grammar improvement, translation, literature organization, formatting, or similar editorial assistance. However, AI tools must not be used to generate, manipulate, fabricate, or falsify scientific data, images, results, references, or conclusions.

AI tools do not qualify for authorship and must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and appropriateness of all submitted content.

Authors should avoid uploading confidential, unpublished, or identifiable research data to publicly available AI platforms unless appropriate safeguards are in place.

Failure to disclose the substantial use of AI-assisted technologies may be considered a breach of the Journal's publication ethics and may result in editorial action.

The AI Disclosure statement should be included in the Declarations section of the manuscript.

Examples of AI Disclosure Statements

Example 1 – Language editing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI) solely for language editing and improving grammar and readability. All scientific content, interpretation, and conclusions were developed and verified by the authors, who take full responsibility for the final manuscript.

Example 2 – Literature organization

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

The authors used Claude (Anthropic) to assist in organizing the literature and improving the structure of the manuscript. The authors independently verified all information and remain fully responsibility for the final content.

Example 3 – No AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

If no AI-assisted technologies were used, no AI Disclosure statement is necessary

Example 4 – Figure or Graphical Abstract Preparation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

Artificial intelligence-assisted software was used solely to prepare figures and/or the graphical abstract of this manuscript. The scientific content, interpretation, and accuracy of all visual materials were reviewed and approved by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the final version.

Example 5 – Translation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used to improve the English language and assist with translation. The authors reviewed and edited all AI-generated text and remain fully responsible for the final manuscript.

Example 6 – Statistical programming

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure

ChatGPT (OpenAI) was used to assist in generating R/Python code for statistical analyses. All statistical analyses were independently verified, executed, interpreted, and reported by the authors, who remain fully responsible for the reported results and conclusions.

The Editor-in-Chief or the handling editor may request additional information regarding the use of AI-assisted technologies whenever deemed necessary during the editorial evaluation process.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure that all of the following requirements have been completed:

□ The manuscript is original and has not been published previously.

□ The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.

□ All authors have read and approved the submitted version.

□ The manuscript complies with the Journal's Instructions for Authors.

□ The manuscript complies with the Journal's Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies.

□ The main manuscript file has been fully anonymized for double-anonymized peer review.

□ A separate Title Page has been prepared.

□ Full author information has been provided on the Title Page.

□ ORCID iDs have been provided for all authors, where available.

□ A corresponding author has been designated.

□ Author Contributions have been prepared.

□ A Conflict of Interest Statement has been included.

□ Funding information has been provided.

□ A Data Availability Statement has been included, where applicable.

□ Ethics Committee approval information has been provided, where applicable.

□ Written informed consent has been obtained, where applicable.

□ Clinical trial registration information has been provided, where applicable.

□ Reporting guideline checklists (CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, ARRIVE, STARD, etc.) have been prepared, where applicable.

□ Artificial Intelligence (AI) use has been disclosed, where applicable.

□ References have been checked for completeness and accuracy.

□ DOI numbers have been included whenever available.

□ Tables have been cited in the text.

□ Figures have been cited in the text.

□ Figure legends have been provided.

□ Permissions have been obtained for previously published material.

□ Supplementary files have been cited in the manuscript, where applicable.

□ The manuscript has been reviewed for English language quality.

□ The completed Copyright & License Agreement has been uploaded as a separate file..

□ The completed Author Declaration Form has been uploaded as a separate file.

□ All required files have been uploaded to the online submission system.

□ All references have been verified against the original sources.

□ The corresponding author accepts responsibility for communication throughout the editorial and publication process.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the manuscript being returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before peer review.

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.