Author Ethics

1. Authors are responsible for the originality of their papers and must ensure that at least one of the main results or methods of proof is original. Non-original results or methods must be properly cited. Authors are also responsible for the authenticity and validity of the data, and the accuracy of the names and approval numbers of funding projects.
2. Authors must ensure that their submissions are not under consideration elsewhere, do not involve confidentiality or patent issues, and have no disputes regarding authorship.
3. Authors must adhere to the "Five Prohibitions" principle: no third parties are allowed to write, submit, or modify the content of the paper, provide false peer reviewer information, or violate authorship standards (see Articles 4–6). The authors should resist listing individuals without substantive academic contributions as authors.
4. Authors listed must have made substantial contributions to the paper, including: (i) significant contributions to the study's conception, results, or methodology; (ii) drafting or revising the intellectual content of the paper; (iii) approving the final version; (iv) taking responsibility for all aspects of the work to ensure any accuracy or integrity issues are properly investigated and resolved. Those not meeting all four criteria should not be listed as authors but can be acknowledged.
5. Author names are usually determined collectively by the authors and finalized upon submission. After submission or publication, changes to authorship or affiliations are generally not allowed. If changes are necessary, the primary author(s) must submit a written request to the editorial office with reasons, signed by all authors, including those affected by the change.
6. Typically, only one corresponding author is indicated in the paper.
7. Authors should specify their names and affiliations upon submission. The affiliations should be relevant to the research content. If not, authors must explain their contributions or provide a certificate from their institution confirming their involvement in the research.
8. When the author's institution differs from the institution where the research was conducted (e.g., after graduation, postdoctoral research, visiting scholars, collaborative research), the institution providing the research conditions and conducting the work should be listed as the primary affiliation.
9. For human research, authors must take precautions to protect participants' privacy, and the paper must not include personal identification information, including facial images.
10. If authors disagree with reviewers' comments or decisions, they may submit a written appeal to the editorial office, providing detailed explanations for each point of contention.