Guidelines for scholarly journals on establishing and revising instructions for authors and editorial policies
Article information
Becoming a journal that adheres to global standards
The first step toward becoming a globally recognized journal involves establishing comprehensive policies that cover research and publication ethics, as well as editorial and publishing standards. It is crucial to communicate these policies clearly to potential authors by incorporating them into the journal’s submission guidelines and making them accessible on the journal’s website.
This guideline describes the key resources and references for journal editors when creating or updating submission guidelines or developing or redesigning journal websites.
Comprehensive resources for journal publication
Table 1 shows the essential resources to use as references for academic journal publication. These websites provide a variety of regulations for both journal publishing and manuscript preparation.
Essential resources to use as references for academic journal publication
Manuscript preparation and reporting guidelines
Preparing a manuscript
The guideline from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides recommendations for preparing a manuscript for submission to medical journals: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html.
Reporting guidelines
Reporting guidelines help improve consistency and transparency in reporting research results. Key resources for reporting guidelines include the EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research) Network (https://www.equator-network.org/about-us/what-is-areporting-guideline/) and the Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives provided by the US National Library of Medicine (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/research_report_guide.html).
Nucleotide, protein sequences, and microarray data
The following are databases and platforms for storing, searching, and sharing genetic sequences and microarray data:
• GenBank: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/
• European Nucleotide Archive: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ena
• DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ): https://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/index-e.html
• Gene Expression Omnibus: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/
• ArrayExpress: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/arrayexpress
Units of measurement
The International System of Units provides standardized international units for measurement: https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si/si-units.
Author contributions
Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT) clearly defines the roles and contributions of authors: https://credit.niso.org/.
Research and publication ethics
General research and publication ethics
Comprehensive guidelines and recommendations on research and publication ethics can be found at the following institutions:
• Council of Science Editors (CSE): https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/
• ICMJE Recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
• Korean Academy of Medical Journal Editors (KAMJE)’s Medical Journal Publication Ethics Guidelines, 3rd Edition: https://www.kamje.or.kr/board/view?b_name= bo_publication&bo_id= 13&per_page=
Authorship criteria
Guidelines on defining authorship and contributors are available from the following:
• ICMJE Authorship Guidelines: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html
• COPE Authorship Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/resources/discussion-documents/authorship
Clinical trial registration
Guidelines for registering clinical trials and the main registration platforms:
• ICMJE Clinical Trials Registration: https://www.icmje.org/about-icmje/faqs/clinical-trials-registration/
• International Clinical Trials Portal (ICTRP): https://www.who.int/clinical-trials-registry-platform
• ClinicalTrials.gov: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/
• ISRCTN Registry: https://www.isrctn.com/
• Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS): https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index.jsp
Conflict of Interest
Guidelines on disclosure and management of conflicts of interest:
• ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure: https://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Conflicts of Interest: https://publicationethics.org/competinginterests
Research involving human subjects
The World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki provides ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wmadeclaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/). Additionally, it is mandatory to specify that the study was reviewed and approved by a responsible institutional review board (IRB).
Publication misconduct
Procedures and guidelines for dealing with ethical violations in publication:
• COPE Flowcharts for Publication Ethics: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Flowcharts
• ICMJE Guidelines on Scientific Misconduct, Expressions of Concern, and Retraction: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/scientific-misconduct-expressions-of-concern-and-retraction.html
Redundant publication and plagiarism
Guidelines to prevent duplicate publication and plagiarism, along with tools for detecting such issues:
• COPE Guidelines on Plagiarism or Redundant Publication: https://publicationethics.org/case/plagiarism-or-redundant-publication
• ICMJE Guidelines on Duplicate and Prior Publication: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/overlapping-publications.html#two
• Similarity Check (Crossref): https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/
Retractions
Procedures and guidelines for article retraction:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Corrections, Retractions, and Republications: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/corrections-andversion-control.html
• COPE Retraction Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelines
Secondary publication
ICMJE Guidelines on Acceptable Secondary Publication (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/overlapping-publications.html#four#four) provides guidelines on conditions under which secondary publication is acceptable.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research
Guidelines on the use of AI tools and authorship roles in scholarly publications:
• COPE Statement on AI Tools and Authorship: https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author
• ICMJE Guidelines on Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-ofauthors-and-contributors.html
Editorial and other policies
Advertising and marketing
Ethical guidelines and principles related to advertising and media in medical journals:
• ICMJE Advertising Guidelines: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/advertising.html
• ICMJE Guidelines on Journals and the Media: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-andeditorial-issues/journals-and-the-media.html
• Principles Governing Advertising in Publications of the American Medical Association (AMA): https://jamanetwork.com/DocumentLibrary/Advertising/AMA_Advertising_Principles_Feb2016.pdf
Article processing charges (APC)
Information on publication fees, author support programs, and fee waivers:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Fees: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/fees.html
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Best Practice (“Author fees” section): https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/
• World Bank Waivers for Low-Income Countries: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519
Article sharing
Examples of policies and recommendations for sharing submitted and published articles:
• Wiley Article Sharing Policy: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/Promotion/articlesharing-policy.html
• Elsevier Article Sharing Policy: https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/sharing
Copyright
Information on copyright policies and citation guidelines:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Copyright: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/copyright.html
• Copyright Clearance Center: https://www.copyright.com/
Complaints and appeals
Guidelines on handling complaints and appeals in the publication process:
• COPE Complaints and Appeals Procedures: https://publicationethics.org/appeals
• Springer Guidelines on Appeals and Complaints: https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies/appeals-andcomplaints
Data sharing
Guidelines and policies for research data sharing and reproducibility:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Data Sharing: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorialissues/clinical-trial-registration.html#two
• COPE Guidelines on Data and Reproducibility: https://publicationethics.org/data
• Wiley Data Sharing Policies: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/open-access/datasharing-citation/data-sharing-policy.html
• Taylor & Francis Guidelines on DataAvailability Statements: https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/data-sharing/share-your-data/data-availability-statements/
Digital archives
Tools and guidelines for digital archiving and long-term preservation of research content:
• The Keepers Registry: https://keepers.issn.org/
• Taylor & Francis Policy on Preservation of Content: https://taylorandfrancis.com/our-policies/preservation-of-content/
• Elsevier Digital Archive Policy: https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/digital-archive
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Guidelines to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the publication process:
• COPE Guidelines on Diversity and Inclusivity: https://publicationethics.org/node/52156
• Elsevier Author Guide on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Publishing: https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/policies-and-guidelines/edi
Licensing
Creative Commons Licenses provides information on licensing and open access content (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/).
Open access
Policies and recommendations for open access publishing to promote the dissemination of scholarly content:
• DOAJ Guide for Open Access Journals: https://doaj.org/apply/guide/
• Predatory Journal Verification Tools (Think. Check. Submit): https://thinkchecksubmit.org/
Peer review
Guidelines on the responsibilities and ethics of peer review processes, along with the terminology used:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Peer Review Responsibilities: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-andresponsibilities/responsibilities-in-the-submission-andpeer-peview-process.html
• COPE Guidelines on Peer Review Processes: https://publicationethics.org/peerreview
• DOAJ Best Practice (“Peer review” section): https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/
• Open Science Framework (OSF) Standard Terminology for Peer Review: https://osf.io/7j6ck
Preprint
Policies and discussions related to preprint publication:
• ICMJE Guidelines on Preprints: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/overlapping-publications.html#three
• COPE Discussion Document on Preprints: https://publicationethics.org/resources/discussion-documents/preprints
• JAMA Guidelines on Preprints, Prior Publications, and Related Manuscripts: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/instructions-for-authors#SecDuplicate/PreviousPublicationorSubmission
Principles of transparency and best practice
In recent years, the international scholarly publishing community has emphasized the importance of journals not only establishing essential regulations for research and manuscript preparation but also making a broad array of publishing policies publicly accessible to both authors and readers. Four prominent scholarly organizations—COPE, DOAJ, Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)—have released the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (English: https://doaj.org/apply/transparency/; Korean: https://kcse.org/resources/policies.php). This document details 16 critical items that journals must disclose transparently. These items are also essential prerequisites for inclusion in international databases. Therefore, every journal should ensure that these 16 items are clearly outlined in their submission guidelines or displayed on their websites.
Notes
Conflict of Interest
No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for this article.
Data Availability
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this article.
Supplementary Materials
Supplementary file is available from https://doi.org/10.6087/kcse.350.
Suppl. 1. Guidelines for establishing and revising instructions for authors and editorial policies for scholarly journals in Korean.