Everyone listed as an author must have made a substantial contribution to the work, taken part in drafting or critically revising it, approved the final version, and be accountable for its accuracy. Ghost and guest authorship are not permitted; the corresponding author confirms at submission that every listed author meets these criteria.

Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Confirmed plagiarism or redundant publication results in rejection, or retraction if discovered after publication.

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably be seen to influence the work or its evaluation.

Studies involving human participants or animals must state the approving ethics committee and approval number, and, for human studies, confirm informed consent was obtained.

Where warranted, we issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction following COPE guidelines. Retracted articles stay accessible, clearly marked as retracted, in both our archive and the Portico preservation copy — the scholarly record isn't erased, it's corrected.

Concerns about ethics or editorial conduct can be raised with the editorial office at any time; unresolved complaints may be escalated to COPE.