Publication Ethics

a. Authors duties and ethics:

The manuscript must not be submitted to another journal after publishing in in Al-Azhar Dental Journal for girls. In addition, the manuscript has not been published previously in other journals.

A single study must not be divided up into several parts to increase the quantity of submissions and submitted to various journals or to one journal over time.

The author should clearly indicate all references that have supported the research. Furthermore, the author should give acknowledgment to all of those who have made contributions to the research. Those who have contributed significantly to the research should be listed as co-authors. The author should ensure that all co-authors have affirmed the final version of the paper and have agreed on its final publication. 

The author should inform the journal editor of any error(s) in his or her published paper and cooperate with the editor in retraction or correction of the paper. If the editor is notified by any party other than the author that the published paper contains an obvious error, the author should write a retraction or make the correction based on the medium of publication.

No data should have been made-up or manipulated (including images) to support the material and methods and results. Moreover, no data, text, or principles stated by others are presented as if they were the authors own (“plagiarism”). Proper acknowledgements to other works must be given. If the paper is still revised, it may be rejected and returned to the author.

Authors consent form is submitted to the journal where the work has been carried out before the work is submitted. Regarding papers extracted from thesis, the primary (submitting) author submits a consent form where s/he declares that all supervisors with claims to the intellectual property of this submission have read the paper and signs. In addition to that,  authors whose names are on the submission have contributed to the scientific work and therefore share collective responsibility and accountability for the results.

Requests to add or delete authors at the revision stage or after publication is a serious matter and may be considered only after receipt of written approval from all authors and a detailed explanation about the role/deletion of the new/deleted author. The decision on accepting the change depends on the Editor-in-Chief of the journal. Changes of authors or in the order of authors are not accepted after the acceptance of a manuscript. 

b. Editors duties and ethics:

The journal editor is responsible for deciding which of the papers are accepted, accepted with major or minor changes or totally rejected. The editor may consult with other editors or reviewers in making this decision. The editor evaluation would be regarding intellectual content without regard to race, gender, religious belief, ethnic origin or citizenship of the authors.

The editor and any editorial staff must not reveal any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

The paper must not be submitted to the journal without the written consent of the author.

All submissions will undertake a submission check to prevent the handling of non-original manuscripts and will systematically employ plagiarism detection to ensure the originality of submitted manuscripts. Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. In cases of suspected or proven misconduct, dishonest publication or plagiarism, editors will take action to seek clarity on the situation and to amend the article. 

c. Reviewers duties and ethics:

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions through the editorial communications with the author to improve the paper.  Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the paper reported in a manuscript should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process. Moreover, Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Thus, any information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. 

d. Publishers ethics:

It is very important that the publisher understands and supports the efforts made by journal editors, and the work undertaken by peer reviewers, in maintaining the integrity of the scientific research record. The publisher has a responsibility in ensuring that best practices are followed in the publications.

Publisher must provide extensive education and advice on publishing ethics standards, particularly for other researchers on the scientific paper.

The publisher is also responsible for ensuring that the publication system works smoothly and that ethical guidelines are applied to assist the editor, author, and reviewer in performing their ethical duties.