The Journal of Clinical Nephrology (JCN) is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in nephrology research and publishing. Editors play a critical role in ensuring that published content maintains scientific integrity, clinical relevance, and adherence to ethical guidelines. Editorial decisions must be free from bias and guided by principles of fairness, transparency, and research integrity.

Ethics for Editors

1. Editorial Integrity and Independence

Editors must ensure that all manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scientific merit, originality, clinical significance, and adherence to ethical guidelines. Decisions must not be influenced by personal relationships, institutional affiliations, financial interests, or political pressures.

• Impartiality: Editors should assess manuscripts fairly, without bias related to authors' gender, nationality, ethnicity, or institutional affiliation.
• Transparency: Editorial policies, peer review processes, and decision-making criteria should be clearly communicated to authors and reviewers.
• No External Influence: Editorial decisions should not be affected by external parties, including journal sponsors, pharmaceutical companies, or political entities.

2. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts, including details related to authors, reviewers, and manuscript content, until the publication process is complete.

• Protection of Author Data: Editors must not disclose manuscript details to anyone except the corresponding author, reviewers, and editorial staff involved in the review process.
• Reviewer Anonymity: If a double-blind peer review system is used, editors must ensure that author and reviewer identities remain confidential.
• Data Security: Editors must ensure that unpublished research data and findings are not used for personal research or any other unauthorized purpose.

3. Fair and Objective Peer Review

Editors are responsible for ensuring a robust, unbiased, and transparent peer review process. This includes selecting qualified reviewers and ensuring constructive and ethical feedback.

• Reviewer Selection: Editors must choose independent reviewers with expertise in nephrology and related disciplines, avoiding conflicts of interest.
• Timeliness: Editors should ensure that reviews are conducted within a reasonable timeframe to maintain the efficiency of the publishing process.
• Constructive Feedback: Editors should provide authors with balanced, clear, and constructive feedback based on reviewer comments, allowing for manuscript improvement.

4. Ethical Oversight and Research Integrity

Editors must ensure that all published research adheres to the highest ethical standards, particularly in studies involving human subjects, clinical trials, and nephrology research.

• Human and Animal Research Compliance: Studies involving human participants must have appropriate ethical approval, and informed consent must be documented. Research involving animal models must comply with ethical treatment standards.
• Plagiarism and Misconduct Prevention: Editors should ensure manuscripts are screened for plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, and other forms of scientific misconduct.
• Ethical AI and Big Data Use: For nephrology studies involving artificial intelligence or large-scale data analysis, editors must ensure that privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and ethical AI principles are followed.

5. Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure

Editors must actively identify and manage conflicts of interest to maintain the credibility of the editorial process.

• Editorial Conflicts: Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have personal, professional, or financial conflicts of interest.
• Author and Reviewer Disclosure: Editors must ensure that authors and reviewers disclose any potential conflicts of interest before manuscript evaluation.
• Sponsorship and Funding Transparency: Any financial relationships that could influence editorial decisions should be transparently declared and managed.

6. Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

If significant errors, ethical concerns, or research misconduct are identified after publication, editors must take appropriate corrective action.

• Corrections: Minor errors that do not affect research validity should be corrected through an erratum or corrigendum.
• Retractions: In cases of serious ethical breaches, data falsification, or plagiarism, articles may need to be retracted with a clear explanation of the reasons.
• Expression of Concern: If an investigation is ongoing, editors may issue an expression of concern to inform readers of potential issues with published research.

7. Transparency in Editorial Policies

Editors must ensure that journal policies, ethical guidelines, and submission criteria are publicly accessible and consistently applied.

• Editorial Guidelines: The journal's policies on peer review, ethical standards, and conflict resolution should be clearly stated and updated regularly.
• Ethical Complaints: Any ethical concerns raised by authors, reviewers, or readers should be investigated and addressed transparently.
• Inclusivity and Diversity: Editors should promote diversity in authorship, editorial board representation, and research topics to ensure an inclusive publishing environment.

8. Editorial Independence and Accountability

The editorial team must ensure that all publication decisions are made independently and in the best interest of advancing nephrology research.

• Independent Decision-Making: Editorial decisions should be based solely on scientific quality and relevance to nephrology, free from external influence.
• Accountability: Editors should take responsibility for the content published in the journal and address ethical concerns appropriately.
• Professional Conduct: Editors should engage with authors, reviewers, and editorial board members professionally and with respect.

By serving as an editor for the JCN, individuals commit to maintaining the highest ethical standards in publishing and upholding the integrity of nephrology research. For any ethical concerns or clarifications regarding editorial responsibilities, editors are encouraged to contact the journal’s editorial office.