Publication Ethics

SYNAPSE – Journal of Healthcare Innovations and Future Technologies is committed to maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, and responsibility in scholarly publishing. The journal follows internationally recognized ethical practices, particularly those outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the principles recommended by the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). All individuals involved in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—are expected to follow these ethical standards.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a double-blind peer review process to support fair and objective evaluation. SYNAPSE follows an immediate open access model. All published articles are freely available online without subscription or reader charges. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Publisher Responsibilities

SYNAPSE and its publisher, SHIFT Foundation, are responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of the publication process. This includes:

Keeping submitted manuscripts and related information confidential
Providing appropriate support for technical issues related to the journal system
Maintaining appropriate records of submissions and publications
Publishing articles after necessary editorial checks, proofreading, and author approval where applicable
Ensuring that published articles are clearly formatted and professionally presented
Addressing complaints, ethical concerns, and allegations of misconduct in accordance with recognized publication ethics standards
Maintaining the independence of editorial decisions and ensuring that they are not influenced by commercial interests

The publisher also supports the journal's open-access model and its commitment to maintaining a transparent and responsible scholarly publishing process.

Author Responsibilities

Authors play an important role in maintaining the credibility and integrity of published research. By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

The work is original and has not been published elsewhere
The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal simultaneously
All sources and references have been properly acknowledged
All listed authors have made meaningful contributions to the work
Any actual or potential conflicts of interest have been disclosed
Appropriate permissions have been obtained for copyrighted third-party material where required

The journal does not accept plagiarism, fabricated or falsified data, manipulated results, or other forms of research misconduct. Manuscripts may be screened using appropriate similarity or plagiarism detection tools.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted work complies with applicable ethical, legal, and publication requirements.

Research Integrity

Authors are expected to report their research findings honestly and accurately. Data must not be fabricated, falsified, selectively manipulated, or presented in a misleading manner.

Where applicable, authors should provide appropriate information regarding research ethics approval, informed consent, clinical trial registration, and other relevant ethical requirements.

Authors should also ensure that patient information, personal data, and other confidential information are appropriately protected and that necessary permissions or consent have been obtained before publication.

Authorship and Contributions

Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research should be listed as authors. All authors should approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

Changes in authorship after submission should be supported by a clear justification and approval from all affected authors. Authorship changes after acceptance may be considered only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the editorial team.

All authors remain responsible for the integrity and accuracy of their contributions to the published work.

Open Access, Copyright and Licensing

SYNAPSE provides immediate open access to all published articles. Published content is freely available online without subscription or reader charges.

Authors retain copyright in their work. By publishing with SYNAPSE, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive right of first publication and the right to publish, distribute, archive, and identify itself as the original publisher of the work.

Published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Under this licence, users may read, download, copy, distribute, and adapt published work for non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given. Any adaptations must be distributed under the same licence.

Commercial reuse requires separate permission from the copyright holder unless otherwise permitted by law.

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission for copyrighted third-party material that is not covered by the article licence. Such material must include an appropriate credit line identifying the copyright holder and applicable permission or licence.

Handling Misconduct

When ethical concerns or allegations of research or publication misconduct arise, SYNAPSE will assess the matter in accordance with recognized publication ethics practices and relevant COPE guidance.

Possible forms of misconduct include:

Plagiarism or unattributed use of another person's work
Duplicate publication or simultaneous submission
Fabrication or falsification of data
Manipulation or misleading presentation of research findings
Inappropriate or disputed authorship
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Citation manipulation
Manipulation of the peer review process
Misuse of confidential information obtained during peer review

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the concern, actions may include rejection of the manuscript, correction of the published article, expression of concern, or retraction.

Editor Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for ensuring that the editorial and peer review processes are fair, consistent, confidential, and unbiased. Their responsibilities include:

Evaluating submissions based on academic merit, originality, relevance, and scientific quality
Maintaining the confidentiality of manuscripts and reviewer information
Avoiding and appropriately managing conflicts of interest
Taking reasonable action when ethical concerns are reported
Issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary

Editors may submit their own work to SYNAPSE only when the manuscript is handled independently and without editorial influence from the submitting editor.

Editors must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where personal, professional, financial, or institutional relationships could affect impartiality.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers contribute to maintaining the quality and integrity of published research. They are expected to:

Provide honest, constructive, objective, and timely feedback
Evaluate manuscripts without personal or professional bias
Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and review materials
Inform the editor of any actual or potential conflict of interest
Identify relevant published work that has not been appropriately cited
Report suspected plagiarism, data manipulation, or other ethical concerns to the editor

Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional benefit or communicate directly with authors about the manuscript.

Reviewers with significant conflicts of interest should decline the review invitation.

Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research, peer review, or editorial decision-making process.

If no conflict exists, authors should state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

The editorial office will assess disclosed conflicts and take appropriate measures to support an impartial and transparent publication process.

Errors, Corrections and Retractions

If an author identifies a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, the author should inform the journal as soon as possible. The journal will assess the issue and take appropriate action.

Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, SYNAPSE may publish:

Correction: For errors that can be corrected without invalidating the overall findings of the article
Expression of Concern: When substantial concerns exist but the available evidence does not yet support a retraction
Retraction: In cases involving serious ethical violations, unreliable findings, or other circumstances that substantially affect the validity of the published work

Retracted articles will remain part of the published record where appropriate but will be clearly marked as retracted to maintain transparency.

For more information, see the COPE Core Practices.