Discover STM Publishing Ltd is committed to integrity, transparency, fairness and trust in the scholarly record. This Code of Conduct sets common principles for authors, reviewers, editors and the publisher across participating journals. Individual journals may publish additional requirements appropriate to their disciplines. The Code is informed by recognised publication-ethics guidance, including ICMJE and COPE, and should be read alongside the publisher’s detailed policies.
Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are based on scholarly or clinical merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, methodological and ethical integrity, originality, reporting quality and applicable journal policies. Decisions must be independent of commercial considerations, advertising, sponsorship, Article Processing Charges, an author’s ability to pay, and inappropriate personal or institutional influence. Authors must not be treated unfairly because of nationality or institutional affiliation.
Peer Review
Manuscripts considered suitable after initial editorial assessment proceed to external peer review under the relevant journal’s policy. Journals published or hosted by Discover STM Publishing Ltd use a double-blind process for manuscripts proceeding to external review, with a minimum of two independent external experts. Reviewer identities and reports are treated confidentially, subject to legal obligations. Reviewers must disclose relevant competing interests and protect submitted material. Their recommendations are advisory; the responsible editor makes the final decision. Further details are in the Peer Review Policy.
AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain accountable for all submitted content, must disclose relevant AI assistance under publisher and journal requirements, and must not use AI to fabricate, falsify or misrepresent data, results, references or clinical information. Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, patient information, data, images or other unpublished submission material to publicly accessible generative-AI systems or services where confidentiality cannot be assured. They remain responsible for their own professional judgement; AI must not replace editorial or peer-review assessment. See Ethical Policies.
Authorship and Contributorship
Discover STM Publishing Ltd follows the ICMJE authorship criteria. Listed authors must meet the requirements for substantial contribution, drafting or critical revision, final approval and accountability for the work. Guest, gift and ghost authorship are not permitted. Changes to the author list after submission require an appropriate explanation and agreement in accordance with publisher and journal policy. A genuine authorship disagreement is not automatically misconduct and may require resolution by the relevant institution; deliberate misrepresentation may constitute misconduct. See Authorship Criteria.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work and appropriately acknowledge others’ contributions. Plagiarism, unattributed copying and inappropriate redundant publication breach publication ethics. Manuscripts may be screened for textual similarity, but similarity findings must be assessed in context and are not by themselves proof of plagiarism. Manuscripts previously posted on recognised preprint servers may be considered; authors must disclose relevant preprints at submission under the publisher’s Ethical Policies and individual journal requirements.
Data Integrity
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of reported data. Fabrication, falsification, selective or misleading presentation, and inappropriate manipulation are unacceptable. Authors should cooperate with reasonable requests for supporting data or source material, subject to ethical, legal, confidentiality and privacy restrictions. Images must accurately represent the underlying material; legitimate adjustments must not misrepresent findings. Editors may request original images where appropriate, and undisclosed inappropriate manipulation may constitute misconduct.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers and editors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial competing interests. Disclosure does not automatically disqualify a manuscript. Reviewers and editors should recuse themselves where an interest could reasonably compromise impartiality. Authors must also declare funding sources, relevant grant information and the role of funders where applicable, under the publisher’s Ethical Policies.
Corrections and Retractions
Discover STM Publishing Ltd and its journals will take proportionate, transparent post-publication action when material errors, integrity concerns or confirmed misconduct affect the scholarly record. Depending on the circumstances, this may include a correction, clarification, expression of concern or retraction, in accordance with applicable publication-ethics guidance. Retracted articles should remain accessible with a clear notice of their status. See Corrections, Retractions and Allegations of Misconduct for the detailed policy.
Human and Animal Research
Research involving human participants must comply with applicable local requirements and internationally accepted ethical standards, with prospective ethics approval where required. Manuscripts should report approval or exemption/non-requirement where relevant and address applicable informed-consent duties. Participant privacy must be protected. Identifying patient information should be omitted unless essential; written consent for publication is required where a person may reasonably be identifiable under journal policy. Publication consent is distinct from treatment consent and research-participation consent. Animal research must comply with applicable ethical, institutional and regulatory standards, with appropriate approval or oversight where required. See Ethical Policies for details.
Applicable clinical trials must be registered prospectively in an appropriate publicly accessible registry, normally before the first participant is enrolled. The registry and registration number should be reported in the manuscript in accordance with the publisher’s Ethical Policies and journal requirements. Authors should follow reporting guidelines appropriate to the study type. Data sharing and availability must respect journal, ethical, privacy, legal and funder requirements. Research with dual-use implications must comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements; individual journals may set specific policies where relevant to their scope.
Handling Misconduct
Concerns or allegations of research or publication misconduct must be assessed fairly, confidentially and proportionately under publisher procedures and relevant COPE guidance. An allegation is not a finding of misconduct. The journal or editor may seek information from authors and, where appropriate, refer matters to institutions or other responsible bodies able to investigate formally. Concerns about an author or manuscript should normally be raised with the relevant journal/editor; allegations concerning journal staff or editors should be directed to the publisher at contact@discoverpublish.com. Authorship manipulation may constitute misconduct, while a genuine authorship dispute is not automatically proof of it.
Publisher Responsibilities
Discover STM Publishing Ltd maintains clear policies, supports editorial independence and peer-review confidentiality, and addresses ethical concerns within its publishing responsibilities. It works with journals to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and to publish corrections, expressions of concern or retractions when warranted. Commercial interests must not improperly determine editorial decisions. Formal investigation of research conduct may require the involvement of the relevant institution or responsible body.
For concerns or queries regarding publication ethics, please contact us at: contact@discoverpublish.com
