JLO EDITORIAL POLICY

ETHICAL POLICY

Ethical Research
Authors submitting papers for publication containing original research should ensure that the quality of the research complies with high ethical standards. In this respect authors should consult "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Journals" issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Such considerations should form part of the planning process prior to undertaking the study.

Approval from a properly constituted ethical committee or ethical review board is essential, and authors submitting papers may be asked to provide documentary evidence of this requirement, in addition to a written statement to this effect in the body of the paper.

Informed Consent
One of the most important areas of ethical consideration is the obtaining of informed consent from subjects participating in medical research. This issue, of course, is one in which ethical committees have a vital interest. In many countries the issue of informed consent is laid down in statute, with regulations derived from the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki. Articles submitted to the JLO will be expected to demonstrate a valid and ethical process of informed consent for all participants in research studies.

If the Editors of the JLO consider the content of a submitted article to be ethically unsound, they may seek further advice or recommend investigation or action. This may be in addition to rejection of the article for publication. In the first instance this would involve the authors to respond to editorial concern. In addition the Editors may contact the head of department where the work was undertaken for comments and a possible investigation. In the most extreme cases, where scientific fraud or serious ethical misconduct is suspected the Editors may inform the medical registration body of the article guarantor or senior investigator.

Patient Confidentiality
Publication of any patient information usually requires informed consent - even if identifying features are removed. There are occasional exemptions to this policy, such as instances in which either the patient or next of kin are untraceable or when there is an overriding public health concern making publication of patient information desirable. Authors should note that blacking out of the eyes in patient photographs is, in itself, insufficient as a protection of anonymity and that photographs such as this must be accompanied by a signed statement from the patient giving explicit consent to the publication process.

Duplicate Publication
Articles are submitted to the JLO on the understanding that they are submitted solely to this journal and that they have not in whole or part been submitted to or previously published by another journal. Duplicate publication occurs when two or more papers submitted for publication share the same hypothesis, data and conclusions without cross-reference between the two papers.

Author Misconduct
The Editors appreciate that some minor lapses of ethical standards occur as a result of a genuine misunderstanding of research methods and ethical principles. In these instances an explanatory letter from the Editor will inform the authors of shortcomings in their submission. Authors will have the opportunity to respond to such allegations. Where serious misconduct, including blatant scientific fraud is uncovered Editors have a duty to pursue the case, in the manner documented above. A number of additional sanctions will also be considered by the Editors. These include publication of an editorial giving details of the misconduct, formal retraction of the paper, and a bar on future submissions from the authors for a specified period of time. Medical Journal Editors are increasingly in contact with one another. Otolaryngology journals in North America have formed a consortium to provide a unified approach to ethical misconduct, which includes limitation of author's privileges to publish in all the consortium's journals for a specified period of time. It is also the intention of the JLO to share information with both the American consortium and our sister United Kingdom journal, Clinical Otolaryngology and Allied Sciences.

Further Reading

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: writing and editing for biomedical publication, http://www.icmie.org 2005

The Nuremburg Code. JAMA 1996;276:1691

World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki. JAMA 1997;277:925-926

Thibeault SL, Benninger M. Informed Consent in Otolaryngology Research. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2005;133:651-653

Benninger MS, Jackler RK, Johns MME, Johnson JT, Kennedy DW, Ruben RJ, Sataloff RT, Smith RJH, Weber PC, Weber RS, Young ED. Consortium of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Journals to Collaborate in Maintenance of High Ethical Standards. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2005; 131:381-382

Youngs R, Kenyon G. Maintaining ethical standards in medical publishing. J Laryngol Otol 2006; 120: 1-2

JLO PEER REVIEW PROCESS

All papers submitted to the JLO are subject to a peer review process. All papers received are initially screened by one of the two main Editors. A proportion of papers may at this stage be deemed by an Editor to be unsuitable for publication, even when submitted to the review process. Some papers may therefore be rejected at this early editorial stage.

The majority of papers are sent out to an expert reviewer, usually an Assistant Editor. In most cases the reviewer will have a particular expertise and knowledge in the subject matter of the paper. Most papers will be reviewed by otolaryngologists, although when necessary a review will be obtained by an Assistant Editor with an expertise in maxillo-facial surgery, pathology, radiology or statistics. This review process should normally be completed within eight to twelve weeks. Reviewers are expected to declare any potential conflict of interest with regard to submitted papers. Where a conflict of interest is declared by a reviewer an alternative reviewer will be sought.

The paper, with its review, is then returned to a main Editor for a decision regarding suitability for publication in the JLO. At this stage the Editor can make one of four decisions regarding publication as follows:

• The paper may be accepted for publication with no alterations required
• The paper may be provisionally accepted for publication with minor
  alterations required
• Where the Editor feels that substantial alterations are necessary to
  render the paper suitable for publication an invitation to submit a revised
  paper, will be made. At this stage a reviewer may make detailed
  recommendations as to how a paper can be improved. If such a paper
  is re-submitted for consideration it will normally be subject to a further
  peer review
• The paper may be rejected

The results of peer review will be passed on to authors. Any comments are made in the spirit of constructive criticism, with the aim of improving submitted work, and future submissions.

Appeal process
The quality of papers published in the medical literature is upheld by the peer review process. In this respect the JLO is indebted to its Assistant Editors and reviewers who work tirelessly through the hundreds of papers submitted. We acknowledge that we also make mistakes in the editorial process. In this regard it is important for authors to have the opportunity to appeal if they consider their paper has been harshly judged by the peer review process. In these cases a letter to the Editors documenting in detail the grounds for appeal should be sent, and a further review of the editorial decision will be undertaken which will usually include an additional peer review. In addition if there is a critical response from readers to an article already published there exists the provision of "Letters to the Editor" in which critical responses and authors responses can be published.

Author Confidentiality
All manuscripts received by the JLO are treated with confidentiality. The only situation in which a manuscript may be passed to a third party is when the Editors suspect serious research misconduct.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Authors of articles submitted to the JLO should declare any potential financial conflicts of interest. Articles will not be rejected solely on the basis of conflicting interests.