Reporting standards – Authors should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, and editorial works clearly identified as such.

Data access and retention – Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review and should be prepared to provide public access to such data and in any event, be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

Originality and plagiarism – The authors should ensure that they submit original work and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from passing off another paper as the author(s) own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another(s) paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication – Manuscripts submitted to this journal should not have been published or being considered for publication elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. However, revision or re-publication of a manuscript that has been published in conference proceedings or under equivalent circumstances will be considered.

Acknowledgement of sources – Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must be used or reported with explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must be used with the explicit written permission of the author(s).

Authorship of paper – Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author should ensure that co-authors are included in the paper and co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest – All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honorarium, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest stage possible.

Fundamental errors in published works – When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. If the editor or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to cooperate with the editor, including providing evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper.