Editorial ethics and research ethics

Editorial ethics and research ethics

Investigación e Innovación Clínica y Quirúrgica Pediátrica explicitly adheres to internationally recognized standards of editorial ethics and research ethics.

The journal follows the recommendations and best practice guidelines established by:

• the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE),

• the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE),

• and the Council of Science Editors (CSE).

In addition, the journal applies international standards related to research integrity, responsible conduct of research, informed consent, animal welfare, and the use of respectful and inclusive language.

All ethical issues arising during the editorial process are handled in accordance with the official guidelines and flowcharts provided by these organizations.

1. Authorship and contributions

Only those who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data collection, or data analysis, as well as to drafting or critically revising the manuscript, and who have approved the final version and agree to take responsibility for the content, will be recognized as authors.

Specific contributions must be declared using the CRediT taxonomy, through the Conflict of Interest Disclosure.

Authorship disputes will be handled following COPE flowcharts:

• Adding an author before publication
• Removing an author before publication
• Adding an author after publication
• Removing an author after publication

2. Complaints and appeals

Any complaint or appeal related to editorial decisions, the review process, editorial conduct, or ethical issues must be sent to the journal’s official email (revistapediatrica@insnsb.gob.pe). These matters will be handled confidentially by the Editorial Committee.

Applicable COPE flowcharts:

• Responding to concerns raised directly
• Responding to concerns raised via social media

3. Research misconduct

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data manipulation, duplicate publication, fabrication of results, or any other form of scientific misconduct. In cases of well-founded suspicion, the journal will act in accordance with COPE procedures and may reject or retract manuscripts.

Applicable COPE flowcharts:

• Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript
• Plagiarism in a published article
• Fabricated data in a submitted manuscript
• Fabricated data in a published article
• Redundant publication in a submitted manuscript
• Redundant publication in a published article

4. Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, academic, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest that could influence the evaluation or interpretation of a work. This information will be published when applicable.

Applicable COPE flowcharts:

• Undisclosed conflict of interest in a submitted manuscript
• Undisclosed conflict of interest in a published article

5. Post-publication discussions

The journal encourages post-publication academic dialogue through comments, replies, or letters to the editor. These must be submitted via the institutional email and will be reviewed by the Editorial Committee.

Applicable COPE guidance:

• Handling post-publication criticism

6. Corrections and retractions

When relevant errors are identified in published articles, the journal will issue corrections, errata, or retractions, which will be linked to the original article.

Applicable COPE guidance:

• Retractacion guidelines
• How to correct a published article

 

Plagiarism, data fabrication and falsification, and duplicate publication

Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of someone else’s idea (e.g., an explanation, theory, conclusion, hypothesis, or metaphor), in whole or in part, or with superficial modifications, without giving credit to its creator.

Data fabrication occurs when research data are invented. Data falsification involves manipulating data with the intention of creating a misleading impression or favoring a particular conclusion. Falsification includes image manipulation (including microscopy images, radiological images, electrophoresis gels, etc.), as well as removing outliers or “inconvenient” results, changing, adding, or omitting data, among others.

Duplicate publication occurs when a published work (or substantial sections of a published work) is published more than once, in the same or another language, without appropriate acknowledgment of the original publication.

If any of these practices are identified during the editorial process, the manuscript will be automatically rejected. If detected after publication, the journal may correct, retract, or amend the original publication, considering the extent of the misconduct, the context within the published article, and its impact on the overall integrity of the study.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo similarity checking software (Turnitin) prior to the first round of peer review and again once the Editorial Committee decides to accept the manuscript for publication.

In the event that any of the practices described above are detected, the journal’s Editorial Committee will evaluate the case and adopt procedures based on COPE guidance and flowcharts.

 

Informed consent and ethics approval

The journal requires that all articles involving research in humans, including case reports and case series, include an explicit statement that the study was approved by a duly accredited Ethics Committee. In addition, informed consent must have been obtained from the participant and, in the case of minors, informed assent when applicable.

Information regarding consent and/or assent must be clearly stated in the Ethical aspects subsection of the Methods section, and must also be appropriately reported in the sworn statement submitted with the manuscript.

It is recommended that informed consent for case reports follow COPE guidance: “Ensuring consent for publishing medical case reports”.

Research involving animals must comply with institutional and international standards on the ethical treatment of animals in research (e.g., ARRIVE: Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments).

Authors must ensure confidentiality, anonymity, and appropriate handling of sensitive personal data in accordance with international standards.

The journal reserves the right to reject or retract any manuscript that does not comply with these ethical requirements.

 

Respect for the dignity and rights of individuals

The journal requires that all content submitted for publication respects the dignity and rights of individuals. Researchers must carefully evaluate the potential implications of their studies, including unintended consequences, especially when working with human groups identifiable by characteristics such as ethnicity, origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, age, diseases, disabilities, or other conditions.

EIt is essential that authors honestly acknowledge their position in relation to the study group, particularly if they are not part of it, and appropriately contextualize their findings to minimize the risk of misinterpretation, misuse, or harm to the populations involved..

Language used in manuscripts

Authors are encouraged to use inclusive, respectful, and non-stigmatizing language. Writing should be free of stereotypes or cultural assumptions.

Authors may refer to the American Psychological Association (APA) guidance on Bias-Free Language.