Editorial Policy - European Medical Journal

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Editorial Policy

The purpose of EMJ is to elevate the quality of healthcare globally. We do this by supporting all healthcare professionals with free and easy access to independent education and lifelong learning opportunities. The EMJ portfolio of medical journals provides coverage of the leading congresses in clinical medicine, delivering world-class insights into the key developments and advancements in medicine. The journals also publish research articles, reviews, and features covering key developments in the field.

We aim to publish quality, peer-reviewed, journals. Our unrivalled collaborations with eminent, independent industry bodies create a dynamic tool which assists physicians, clinicians, and leading industry professionals to continuously develop their effectiveness and productivity.

Editorial Expertise

EMJ is supported by various levels of expertise:

  • Guidance from an Editorial Board consisting of leading authorities from a wide variety of disciplines
  • Invited contributors who are recognised authorities in their respective fields
  • Peer review, which is conducted by expert reviewers who are invited by the Editorial team and appointed based on their knowledge of a specific topic.
  • An experienced team of editors and technical editors
  • A team of internal and independent medical writers

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship implies responsibility and accountability for published work as well as providing credit for a researcher’s contributions to a study. Assignment of authorship is to individuals who have contributed to the analysis and interpretation of a study but who may not have contributed to its conception and design. The contribution and responsibility of every author should be included. Authors may wish to acknowledge other contributors, such as a professor, who has helped during the process but who may not have made the required contribution to the article to be labelled as an author.

The lead author of a paper is defined as one who takes the lead for writing and managing each publication. Clear descriptions of the role of each contributor during preparation of the article should be included in the manuscript submission. A medical writer may qualify for authorship if they have defined the scope of a review article and are willing to take public responsibility for relevant portions of the content.

EMJ’s authorship guidelines are based on the ICMJE’s guidelines. All those designated as authors should meet the following four criteria:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
Final approval of the version to be published; and
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Please note that all those who meet the criteria should be acknowledged as authors. Furthermore, these criteria should not be used to disqualify those who meet the first criterion from authorship by denying them the opportunity to meet other criteria. For example, all those who meet the first criterion should have the opportunity to participate in the writing, drafting, and approval of the manuscript. Author contributions should be specified, e.g., Author A designed the study. Authors A, B, and C analysed the study data. Author B reviewed the literature. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript and approved the final version for submission.

If you wish to add or remove an author after your manuscript has been submitted and/or published, you will need to provide an explanation for the requested change and a signed Statement of Agreement from all listed authors as well as the author who is being added or removed.

Contributors who meet fewer than all four of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors, but they should be acknowledged. Examples of activities that alone (without other contributions) do not qualify a contributor for authorship are acquisition of funding; general supervision of a research group or general administrative support; and writing assistance, technical editing, language editing, and proofreading. Those whose contributions do not justify authorship may be acknowledged individually or together as a group under a single heading (e.g. “Clinical Investigators” or “Participating Investigators”), and their contributions should be specified (e.g., “served as scientific advisors,” “critically reviewed the study proposal,” “collected data,” “provided and cared for study patients,” “participated in writing or technical editing of the manuscript”).

If there is an individual or individuals who have contributed to the manuscript (e.g., proofreading, general administrative support, general supervision of a research group) but have not fulfilled all four criteria outlined above in the Authorship guidelines, their contribution should be acknowledged in the acknowledgements section. Their contribution should be specified, e.g., XXX participated in proofreading the manuscript.

For further guidance on authorship criteria, please see the ICMJE recommendations.

Peer Review

  • Every review article, case report, feature, and research article published in EMJ undergoes peer review by at least two independent experts.
  • On submission, all manuscripts are assessed and undergo a technical check by the EMJ Editorial staff to determine their suitability for the journal and appropriateness for peer review. Following a technical check, manuscripts may be rejected, sent back for modifications, or progressed to peer review.
  • Editorial staff, identify appropriate reviewers, who are selected based on their specialist knowledge in the relevant area. Editorial staff might consult with a member of the Editorial Board, if necessary, to identify suitable reviewers.
  • All peer review is double-blind.
  • Following review, manuscripts are either accepted without modification, returned to the author(s) to incorporate required changes, or rejected.
  • Editorial staff are responsible for ensuring that necessary amendments to the manuscript have been made, with input from our Editorial Board or the original reviewers where necessary. The Editor of EMJ has final discretion over any proposed amendments.
  • Manuscripts authored by members of the Editorial Board are subjected to the same double-blind process.
  • Short opinion pieces are published following internal review and publication is at the discretion of the Editor.
  • Congress-associated content, including congress features and congress highlights which are authored by the EMJ Editorial staff, undergoes internal quality control checks and does not undergo peer review.
  • Congress-associated content that is sponsored or funded by our industry partners, which includes poster review articles, symposium review articles, and Key Opinion Leader (KOL) interview articles, undergoes quality control checks by an independent medical writer but does not undergo peer review. Exceptions to this might apply if the sponsored content coverage goes beyond the scope of the congress in which case the Editor might decide that double-blind peer review is necessary.
  • Industry-supported content that falls into any of the categories that are eligible for peer review, such as review articles, undergoes double-blind peer review.
  • For further guidance on peer review, please see our peer reviewer guidelines.

Publication Fees

  • EMJ obtains funds for publishing by working with partners from the Pharmaceutical Industry. Any content that has been sponsored by a Partner contains a support statement at the start of the content.
  • There are no article processing charges or other fees associated with publishing in EMJ for independently commissioned content or unsolicited content. Exceptions might only apply to research funded by an existing Partner of EMJ.

Submissions​

  • Contributors are identified and invited by editorial staff with guidance from the Editorial Board when necessary
  • Following acceptance of an invitation, the author(s) and editorial staff formalise the working title and scope of the article
  • Editorial staff will provide instructions to authors, or submission details can be found through our website: www.emjreviews.com/contributors/
  • Editorial staff are always keen to hear from healthcare professionals wishing to discuss potential submissions and will consider unsolicited submissions.

Post-publication Critiques

Critiques or commentaries on work published in the EMJ family of journals may be sent to the Editorial office. These might be listed as letters to the Editor or as commentaries. Such critiques will be internally reviewed and may also be discussed with our Editorial Board or be peer-reviewed. The authors of the original work to which the critique refers will be given the opportunity to respond. Depending on which route is deemed appropriate in each case, an amendment to the original article might be made, which will include post-publication changes, or the critique as well as any response from the authors may be published in the journal as a commentary or as a Letter to the Editor.

Post-publication Changes

In cases where errors are identified in a manuscript, a post-publication correction might be necessary. Reasons for publishing a post-publication correction include errors or omissions that affect the scientific integrity of an article. A post-publication correction may not be appropriate for major errors that affect the scientific conclusions or undermine the reliability of the article as a whole.

Minor spelling or grammatical errors that do not affect the scientific integrity or meaning of the paper may be corrected post-publication without a post-publication correction. For errors introduced during the publishing process by EMJ an erratum will be published whereas for corrections to an author’s error, a corrigendum will be published.

If a correction is needed, EMJ will publish an erratum or a corrigendum as appropriate. A post-publication correction will be published as soon as possible detailing changes from and citing the original publication. The post-publication correction will have an electronic record in the form of a DOI. A new article version with details of the changes from the original version and the data on which they were made will also be published. Previous versions of the article are saved in the EMJ archive and can be made available to the readers upon request.

Scientific Misconduct

Scientific misconduct includes but is not limited to data fabrication, data falsification including deceptive manipulation of images, purposeful failure to disclose relationships and activities, and plagiarism. When scientific misconduct is alleged, or concerns are otherwise raised about the conduct or integrity of work described in submitted or published papers, the Editor will initiate appropriate procedures as detailed by COPE, will consider informing the institutions and funders, and may choose to publish an expression of concern pending the outcomes of those procedures. If the procedures involve an investigation at the authors’ institution, the Editor might seek to discover the outcome of that investigation, notify readers of the outcome if appropriate, and if the investigation proves scientific misconduct, publish a retraction of the article. If no misconduct is proven, an exchange of letters to the editor might be published to highlight matters of debate to readers.

Retractions and Withdrawals

Reasons for retracting a published article can involve but are not limited to:

  • Work containing a major error.
  • Published data being the result of fabrication or falsification (eg, image manipulation).
  • Strong evidence of plagiarism.
  • Findings have previously been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication).
  • Content contains unauthorised use of material or data and copyright infringement.
  • It reports unethical research.
  • There is evidence that the peer review process has been compromised or manipulated.
  • The author(s) failed to disclose a major competing interest (aka, conflict of interest) that, in the view of the editor, would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers.

If any of the above reasons come to the attention of EMJ staff and if a retraction is deemed necessary following further investigation, a retraction notice will be published as soon as possible to avoid further damage.  Notices of retraction will be clearly identified as such and will be linked to and identify the retracted article. Similarly to all EMJ content, any retraction notices will be open access and available to all readers and state the reason for the retraction and who is retracting the article.

Deceased Authors

If an author passes away during the submission process, EMJ will seek to verify the death of the author before proceeding. If the death occurs at the pre-acceptance stages and the article co-authors wish to retain the name of the deceased in the list of authors, the co-authors and EMJ are responsible for obtaining approval from the deceased’s next-of-kin for publication. If the death occurred prior to receiving the individual’s conflicts-of-interest statement, EMJ will seek to obtain this from the individual’s next-of-kin. If the death occurs prior to the final approval stage, EMJ will seek approval from the individual’s next-of-kin. In circumstances where the deceased individual is the sole author, EMJ will contact the individual’s next-of-kin to obtain publication permission.
If the article is published, EMJ will include a statement within the metadata to acknowledge that the author passed away prior to the final approval stages and that we have determined to our best ability that no conflicts of interest exist.
If EMJ or the co-authors are unable to contact the deceased individual’s next-of-kin, EMJ would consider placing the individual’s name in the acknowledgement section of the metadata, following discussion with and agreement from all co-authors.
Copyright declarations can be completed by the corresponding author for the article.

Name Changes After Publication

Authors who wish to change their name in any work they have published with EMJ post-publication may contact the Editorial Office, explaining the reasons for their request. Evidence of a legal name change is not necessary, but proof of Identity is required to validate the required permission to request a change of name. EMJ will exercise its best efforts to update all versions of the author’s published work, including pdf and html formats. EMJ will endeavour to ensure that the article metadata in indexation databases is also updated. Publication of a correction note will be considered following a discussion with the author.

Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes may include, but are not limited to: changes to authorship, suspected systematic manipulation of the publishing process, suspected ghost, guest, or gift authorship, authorship misconduct (plagiarism; falsified data; undisclosed conflicts of interest; stolen data; disputes involving multiple authors/groups/institutions/countries), corresponding author unable to respond to peer review comments, authorship changes without notification, drafting or revision of the manuscript by an individual not listed as an author or acknowledged in the article, similarity reports identify that the work is derived from a thesis where the original author of the work is not acknowledged or listed. Further information can be found here: https://publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/recognising-authorship-problems-cope-infographic.pdf

When considering pre- and post-publication authorship disputes, EMJ will act in accordance with COPE guidelines. Further information can be found here: https://publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/COPE_DD_A4_Authorship_SEPT19_SCREEN_AW.pdf

If pre-publication authorship disputes arise, EMJ will suspend Editorial processes until resolution occurs and will act in accordance with COPE guidance to make a disposition decision.
For unresolved questions surrounding authorship or competing interests, EMJ will halt Editorial and peer review processes until a resolution has been achieved.

If post-publication authorship disputes arise for articles published ahead of the online journal issue publication, EMJ will not publish the article in the eJournal unless the dispute is resolved before the journal publication date.

If post-publication authorship disputes occur after the article has been published in the journal, the Editor has discretion to implement minor corrections such as the spelling of names and affiliations, or credentials without consulting all named authors. However, all authors will be notified of the correction to their article.

Written consent from all named authors will be obtained if any changes to the authorship are made; this includes addition or removal of an author or the order of authorship.
If investigations of authors are required, EMJ will endeavour to maintain open communication within legal parameters, with the author’s institution. EMJ will act to maintain the integrity of the journal record.

Appeals and Complaints

If an author wishes to appeal the decision made about their manuscript, they may initiate an appeals process by emailing [email protected] with the word ‘appeal’ and the manuscript number in the subject line. For the appeal to be valid, all co-authors need to agree to the submission of the appeal.
The authors need to provide reasons and evidence for their appeal and responses to any comments made by EMJ and/or the reviewers. Authors also need to provide supporting evidence to substantiate any claims of erroneous judgment made in the evaluation of their manuscript.
It is important to note that mere differences in opinion regarding the significance, originality, or suitability of the manuscript for the journal do not qualify as grounds for an appeal.
Appeals should be submitted no later than 1 month after the date of the editorial decision. While the appeal is under consideration, the manuscript must not be submitted to any other journal for consideration.
The appeal request will be assessed by the EMJ editorial team in collaboration with members of the journal Editorial Board. Should it be determined that the decision warrants re-evaluation, the manuscript might need to undergo another round of peer review by new or previous reviewers, and revisions might be requested. This does not guarantee acceptance of the manuscript.
Only one appeal can be considered per manuscript, so any submitted appeal should be given due time and effort. As per EMJ’s policy, appeals will be prioritised behind the normal workload.

If you have any complaints related to lack of adherence to processes or publication ethics (e.g., misconduct by authors, editors, or reviewers) please contact us. The EMJ editorial team will investigate complaints about process failures, and get back to you as soon as possible. Complaints about publication ethics will be reviewed based on  COPE guidelines.
EMJ will acknowledge receipt of a complaint within a week of receipt, and will aim to resolve it within a month, informing the complainant in writing on the outcome. Depending on the nature of a complaint, this might have to be escalated to senior team members at EMJ or an external body. Confidentiality will be maintained throughout this process.

Data Sharing

For any research articles, EMJ strongly encourages that data generated by the research that supports the article be made available as soon as possible, wherever legally and ethically possible. Authors may provide a data availability statement, including an identifier and/or link to the repository they have used. Any data availability statements provided will be published in the final article. All shared data should be cited in the text and listed in the references.

Any clinical trials that began enrolling participants on or after 1 January 2019 must include a data-sharing plan in the trial’s registration as per the ICMJE policies.

Preprints

EMJ  considers submissions of articles previously published as preprints. Please inform our Editorial staff if your submitted manuscript has been posted on a preprint server and please provide a link to the preprint.  Subject to acceptance of the manuscript for publication, we expect the authors to ensure that preprints are amended to point readers to the final published version of their article.

Reprints

  • All articles included in EMJ are available as reprints (minimum order 1,000). Please contact [email protected] if you would like to order reprints

AI Statement

For manuscripts submitted to EMJ, AI may only be used to improve readability and language and not to generate content or draw scientific conclusions. AI should not be listed as an author or cited as a source. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their submitted manuscript at all times.

Distribution and Readership​

  • EMJ is distributed through controlled circulation to healthcare professionals in the relevant fields across Europe

Indexing and Availability​

  • EMJ is indexed on DOAJ, the Royal Society of Medicine, and Google Scholar
  • EMJ is available through the websites of our leading partners and collaborating societies
  • EMJ journals are all available via our website: www.emjreviews.com
  • EMJ journals are also digitally archived by the British Library

Editorial Independence

As a publisher, EMJ and its editors will act in accordance with publication ethics policies to achieve successful publications without compromising integrity. EMJ supports the notion of editorial freedom.

EMJ acts in accordance with COPE and ICMJE recommendations on editorial freedom, which give the editor the authority to make publication decisions throughout the submission and peer review processes without interference from the publisher or journal owners. Decisions will be made based on the academic merit and validity of the work and the significance to EMJ’s audience.

EMJ commits to ensuring that potential commercial revenue interest bears no influence on editorial decisions.

EMJ will ensure that all editorial decisions are made independently from commercial interests. Decisions will be made by utilising peer review feedback and aid from the Editorial Board and not commercial interest.

EMJ’s Editorial Boards act to uphold and aid the Editor in maintaining the editorial policy on editorial freedom.

EMJ commits that the commercial side of the business cannot comment on or interfere with editorial decisions.

If complaints, concerns, or queries are felt to be legal in nature, EMJ will approach their legal team whilst maintaining the confidentiality of authors and peer reviewers.

At EMJ, the Editor has discretion over final publication decisions.

Advertising

  • EMJ accepts display advertising within its journals. Adverts are displayed within the journals in accordance with the The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice. Adverts are clearly labelled.
  • Advertising does not influence Editorial decisions.
  • The decision around the publication of adverts is made by the EMJ Creative Director.