The Journal of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine (JCCM) upholds the highest ethical standards in publishing and ensures strict confidentiality in the manuscript review and editorial processes. Editors, reviewers, and all parties involved must adhere to ethical guidelines that promote fairness, transparency, and the protection of sensitive information.

Confidentiality and Ethics

1. Confidentiality in Peer Review

Editors and reviewers must protect the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts, ensuring that the review process remains fair and unbiased.

• Manuscript Confidentiality: Editors and reviewers must not disclose details of submitted manuscripts, including their status, content, or review progress, to anyone outside the editorial team.
• Reviewer Anonymity: If following a double-blind peer review system, the identities of authors and reviewers must remain confidential.
• Unpublished Data Protection: Reviewers and editors must not use unpublished data or findings for personal research or gain.

2. Ethical Standards in Cardiology Research

All research published in JCCM must adhere to international ethical standards in human and animal research, clinical trials, and cardiovascular medicine.

• Human Research Compliance: Studies involving human subjects must have ethical approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee.
• Informed Consent: Clinical research involving patients must include informed consent, ensuring participants understand study risks and objectives.
• Animal Research Ethics: Studies involving animal models must comply with ethical guidelines on humane treatment and welfare.

3. Ethical Conduct in Publishing

JCCM enforces strict ethical standards to ensure integrity, transparency, and scientific credibility.

• Plagiarism Prevention: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism, duplicate publication, and unethical research practices.
• Authorship Transparency: Authors must accurately reflect contributions and disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Data Integrity: Authors must ensure that research data is presented truthfully, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.

4. Managing Conflicts of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must disclose any conflicts of interest that could influence research evaluation or publication.

• Editorial Independence: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have a personal, professional, or financial conflict of interest.
• Author and Reviewer Disclosure: All potential conflicts, including industry sponsorships or affiliations, must be transparently disclosed.
• Industry and Funding Transparency: Studies funded by pharmaceutical companies or medical device manufacturers must disclose funding sources and potential biases.

5. Corrections and Retractions

JCCM is committed to correcting errors and addressing ethical concerns to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.

• Errata and Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect research validity are addressed through an erratum or corrigendum.
• Article Retractions: In cases of research misconduct, ethical violations, or significant errors, articles may be retracted with a formal statement.
• Expression of Concern: If ethical concerns arise but require further investigation, an expression of concern may be issued.

6. Transparency and Ethical Accountability

JCCM ensures that its editorial policies and ethical guidelines are transparent, publicly accessible, and consistently enforced.

• Ethical Complaints: Authors, reviewers, and readers can report ethical concerns, which will be investigated following COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
• Editorial Integrity: Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance are based solely on scientific quality and relevance.
• Commitment to Diversity: JCCM promotes inclusivity in authorship, peer review selection, and editorial board representation.

By submitting to the JCCM, authors, reviewers, and editors agree to abide by these confidentiality and ethical guidelines. For any ethical concerns or clarifications, please contact the editorial office.