Publication Ethics and Policies
The Journal of Nephropharmacology (eISSN: 2345-4202), published by the Society of Diabetic Nephropathy Prevention (SDNP), is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, transparency, and scientific integrity. This page consolidates our ethical policies to ensure full compliance with the core requirements of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors, reviewers, and editors must adhere to the following guidelines.
1-Research Ethics (Human & Animal)
The Journal of Nephropharmacology requires that all research involving human or animal subjects be conducted in strict accordance with established ethical standards.
Human Subjects: All studies involving human participants must have received prior approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Research Ethics Committee. Authors must explicitly state the name of the approving ethics committee and provide the official approval reference number within the Ethical Considerations of the manuscript. All research must adhere to the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Animal Studies: All experiments involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international animal care and use guidelines. Authors must confirm that their study was approved by the relevant Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethical body, and must explicitly mention adherence to established reporting standards such as the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines. The name of the approving committee and the reference number must be clearly stated in the manuscript.
2-Informed Consent
The protection and autonomy of human participants are paramount. For all research involving human subjects, authors must obtain written informed consent from all participants (or their parents/legal guardians in the case of minors or individuals unable to provide consent).
A clear statement confirming that written informed consent was obtained must be explicitly included in the manuscript (typically in the Ethical Considerations section. For case reports or studies including identifiable clinical details or images, authors must ensure that written consent for publication has been obtained, and a statement to this effect must be included in the manuscript. The journal reserves the right to request a copy of the signed consent form during the review process.
3-Authorship Criteria
The Journal of Nephropharmacology strictly adheres to the authorship criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To qualify for authorship, an individual must meet all of the following conditions:
1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
All individuals who meet these criteria must be listed as authors. Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all authorship criteria should be credited in the "Acknowledgments" section. Any changes to authorship (addition, removal, or reordering) after submission require a written explanation and signed agreement from all original and new authors.
4. Conflict of Interest (COI)
Transparency is essential to maintain the credibility of the scientific record. The Journal of Nephropharmacology mandates that all authors disclose any potential financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the work or its interpretation. This includes, but is not limited to, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, grants, or any other financial relationships.
Authors are required to complete and submit the standardized ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest at the time of manuscript submission. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state: The authors declare no conflict of interest. This disclosure will be published alongside the article.
5. Publication Misconduct
The Journal of Nephropharmacology has a zero-tolerance policy toward publication misconduct. We clearly define and strictly prohibit the following unethical practices:
Plagiarism: Presenting another person’s data, text, or ideas as one’s own without appropriate attribution. This includes self-plagiarism (redundant publication of one's own previously published work without proper citation and justification).
Data Fabrication and Falsification: Making up data or results, or manipulating research materials, equipment, processes, or images such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Duplicate Submission: Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously, or publishing the same research in more than one journal without proper cross-referencing.
Citation Manipulation: Artificially inflating citation counts by coercing authors to cite specific works, or by engaging in citation cartels.
To uphold these standards, the journal utilizes iThenticate plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts prior to peer review. Any manuscript found to contain significant plagiarism or misconduct will be immediately rejected. If misconduct is discovered after publication, the journal will initiate corrective actions.
6. COPE Alignment
The Journal of Nephropharmacology is a proud follower of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We fully adopt and implement the COPE Core Practices and guidelines for editors, authors, and reviewers. In the event of alleged misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes, or ethical violations), the editorial office will follow COPE’s standardized flowcharts and procedures to investigate the allegation fairly, thoroughly, and confidentially. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with COPE guidelines. This may include issuing an expression of concern, publishing a correction (erratum), or formally retracting the article. Retractions will be clearly marked, watermarked, and linked to the original article to preserve the integrity and transparency of the scientific record.