The Journal of Clinical Nephrology (JCN) is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in nephrology research and ensuring strict confidentiality in the editorial and peer review process. Editors, reviewers, and authors must adhere to ethical guidelines that promote integrity, fairness, and respect for patient confidentiality.

Confidentiality and Ethics

1. Confidentiality in Peer Review and Publication

Editors and reviewers must handle all submitted manuscripts with strict confidentiality to protect authors' intellectual property and research integrity.

• Manuscript Confidentiality: Manuscripts under review must not be shared, discussed, or disclosed outside the peer review process.
• Reviewer Anonymity: In double-blind peer review, the identities of authors and reviewers must remain confidential.
• Unpublished Data Protection: Editors and reviewers must not use or distribute unpublished research findings for personal or professional gain.

2. Ethical Standards in Clinical Nephrology Research

All research published in JCN must comply with ethical principles governing nephrology, dialysis, kidney transplantation, and clinical studies.

• Human Research Compliance: Research involving human participants must have prior approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee.
• Informed Consent: Clinical trials and patient case studies must include written informed consent, ensuring patients understand study risks and objectives.
• Animal Research Ethics: Studies involving animal models must follow humane treatment protocols and comply with applicable regulatory guidelines.

3. Ethical Conduct in Publishing

JCN enforces strict ethical policies to ensure transparency, accuracy, and fairness in research dissemination.

• Plagiarism and Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism, duplicate publication, and data fabrication.
• Authorship Transparency: All authors must meet authorship criteria, ensuring appropriate recognition of contributions.
• Data Integrity: Clinical and laboratory findings must be reported truthfully, with no data manipulation or falsification.

4. Managing Conflicts of Interest

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

• 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 financial sponsorships, affiliations, and personal relationships, must be disclosed.
• Industry and Funding Transparency: Research funded by pharmaceutical companies, dialysis device manufacturers, or biotech firms must fully disclose sponsorship details.

5. Corrections and Retractions

JCN is committed to maintaining the scientific record by addressing errors and ethical concerns transparently.

• Errata and Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect research validity will be corrected through an erratum.
• Article Retractions: Research misconduct, ethical violations, or significant errors may lead to article retractions with a formal statement.
• Expression of Concern: If an ethical concern is under investigation, an expression of concern may be published to alert readers.

6. Transparency and Ethical Accountability

JCN ensures that its editorial policies and ethical guidelines are publicly accessible, consistently enforced, and aligned with global nephrology research standards.

• Ethical Complaints: Ethical concerns raised by authors, reviewers, or readers will be investigated in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
• Editorial Integrity: Editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of scientific quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to nephrology.
• Diversity and Inclusivity: JCN promotes diversity in authorship, peer review selection, and editorial board representation.

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