Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The Anatolian Journal of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. Our policy aligns with the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). We expect all parties involved in the publication process—authors, reviewers, and editors—to adhere strictly to these ethical principles.

Authors' Responsibilities

Authors submitting to the journal must ensure their work is original and has not been previously published or is not under consideration elsewhere. All data and findings should be presented accurately, without fabrication or manipulation. Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) in manuscript preparation must be transparently disclosed and described. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all individuals listed as authors meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship. Proper acknowledgment of all contributors who don't meet authorship criteria is required. Furthermore, authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest, including financial or personal relationships that might influence the reported work. Ethical approval for studies involving human subjects or animals, along with informed consent, must be obtained and clearly stated in the manuscript. Authors are also responsible for responding to any inquiries regarding the accuracy or integrity of their work post-publication.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

Peer reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining the quality and integrity of published research. Reviewers are expected to conduct their evaluations objectively and confidentially, providing constructive feedback to help authors improve their manuscripts. They must identify any published work not cited by the authors and bring to the editor's attention any substantial similarities or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published paper known to them. Reviewers should decline to review if they have a conflict of interest or feel unqualified to assess the manuscript. They must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not disclose any information about the submission to others.

Editors' Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief and the editorial board are responsible for making fair and unbiased decisions regarding manuscript publication. They must ensure that all submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous and fair peer-review process. Editors are committed to protecting the confidentiality of authors' and reviewers' identities in the double-blind review process. They must also act promptly in cases of suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or authorship disputes, in accordance with COPE guidelines. Editorial decisions should be based solely on the manuscript's academic merit, its importance to the scientific community, its originality, and its clarity, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. Editors are also responsible for ensuring the ongoing integrity of published content, including issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.

Principles of Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Studies involving animals must be conducted in accordance with the principles of animal welfare and the ARRIVE guidelines, following approval from the relevant ethics committee.
Scientific integrity, transparency, quality, and research integrity must be the guiding principles in the planning, conduct, and reporting of research.
Participants must be informed in a clear and understandable manner about the purpose, method, potential risks, and expected benefits of the research; informed consent must be obtained.
In research involving children, individuals with limited capacity, and participants with impaired decision-making ability, permission must be obtained from a legal representative or guardian; where possible, the participant’s consent to participate in the research (consent/assent) must also be secured.
The confidentiality of participants’ personal data must be protected; privacy, anonymity, and compliance with relevant data protection legislation must be ensured.
Participation in the research must be voluntary, and participants must be able to withdraw from the study at any time without facing any penalties.
Necessary measures must be taken to prevent participants from suffering physical, psychological, social, or economic harm; the rights and safety of children and vulnerable groups must be prioritized.
Researchers must clearly disclose any potential conflicts of interest, financial support, and sponsorship information.
The necessary permissions must be obtained from the institutions or organizations where the research is conducted, and, where required, approval from an ethics committee must be secured.

Plagiarism Policy

The journal employs plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. Any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. Manuscripts found to contain significant levels of unoriginal content will be rejected immediately, and further actions may be taken according to COPE guidelines.

Ethical Principles Regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors are required to declare the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted technologies (e.g., Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image generation tools) during the preparation of their submitted manuscript at the point of submission. Should such technologies be employed, a comprehensive description of their application must be provided on both the Title Page and within the submitted work itself. Any use of AI for drafting or language refinement should be explicitly acknowledged within the acknowledgments section.

For instances where AI technology has been integral to the conduct of the study, its implementation must be detailed within the methods section. This disclosure should be sufficiently comprehensive to facilitate replication of the approach, encompassing specifics such as the tool's identity, version, and, where pertinent, the prompts utilized.

It is imperative that chatbots (e.g., ChatGPT) and other AI-assisted technologies are not listed as authors or co-authors, nor should they be cited. This stipulation arises from their inability to assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the scholarly work—prerequisites for authorship. Consequently, human authors bear full accountability for all submitted content, irrespective of whether AI-assisted technologies were employed in its generation. Authors are strongly advised to meticulously review and refine AI-generated outputs, as such technologies may produce content that, while seemingly authoritative, could be inaccurate, incomplete, or biased. Furthermore, authors must affirm the absence of plagiarism within their manuscript, extending this assurance to any text or imagery produced by AI. Human authors retain the ultimate responsibility for ensuring proper attribution of all quoted material, including the provision of complete citations.

Reviewers must adhere to the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, and scientific ethics when using artificial intelligence tools during the review process. AI tools may only be used for limited purposes such as language checking, text editing, or supporting the review process; however, the content of the reviewer’s report, the scientific evaluation, the originality analysis, and the final decision must be based entirely on the reviewer’s own expertise. Reviewers should be aware that the use of AI is subject to journal policies and must transparently disclose the tools they use to the editor when necessary.

Editors are responsible for ensuring that artificial intelligence technologies are used in an ethical, safe, and transparent manner throughout the publication process. Editors bear ultimate responsibility for editorial decisions, including article acceptance or rejection, reviewer selection, and the implementation of publication policies; this responsibility cannot be delegated to artificial intelligence systems. Editors must ensure that AI tools are used solely for supportive purposes, prevent the sharing of confidential information belonging to authors and reviewers with third-party systems, and clearly publish the journal’s AI usage policies.

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

The journal encourages authors to share their research data to promote transparency and reproducibility. Where applicable, authors should include a data availability statement in their manuscript, indicating where their data can be accessed or providing the rationale for not sharing data.

Correction, Retraction, Expression of Concern

Editors may consider publishing a correction if minor errors are identified in the published article that do not affect the findings, interpretations and conclusions. In the case of major errors/violations that invalidate findings and conclusions, editors should consider retracting the article. COPE Principles regarding correction, withdrawal or expression of concern are taken into account.

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

Our journal is obliged to protect the intellectual property rights of all published articles and to defend the rights of the journal and the author(s) in possible violations.

Protection of Personal Data of Participants

All personal data sent to our journal are protected in accordance with legal regulations and ethical rules.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief, clearly stating the reasons for the appeal. All complaints regarding the journal's content, policies, or procedures will be handled in a fair and transparent manner, following COPE's recommendations.