Ethics and Best Practices

Ethical and Regulatory Framework

TUMI Oral Health upholds the highest standards of ethics in research and scholarly publishing. The journal adheres to the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and follows internationally recognized guidelines for the responsible conduct of research involving human participants and animals.

Editorial Principles

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific merit, methodological rigor, clarity of reporting, and ethical compliance, without influence from commercial, institutional, or personal interests. The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of scientific misconduct and ensures full editorial independence throughout the publication process.

Research Involving Human Participants

All studies involving human participants must receive prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board and comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki in its current revision. Informed consent must be obtained and documented when applicable, and the privacy, confidentiality, and dignity of participants must be protected. The publication of identifiable information, including clinical images or personal data, requires explicit and verifiable consent for academic dissemination.

Research Involving Animals

Studies involving animals must comply with internationally accepted standards of animal welfare, ensure humane treatment, provide scientific justification for the use of animal models, and demonstrate ethical oversight and transparency in the reporting of methods and outcomes.

Clinical Trials and Public Registration

Clinical trials, where applicable, must be registered in a recognized public registry prior to the enrollment of the first participant, and the registration details must be clearly reported in the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding

All authors are required to disclose fully any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest, as well as all sources of funding and the role of sponsors in the design, conduct, analysis, or publication of the study. Editors and reviewers must also declare potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when a risk of bias is identified.

Originality, Authorship, and Scientific Integrity

Originality, proper attribution of sources, and compliance with internationally accepted authorship criteria are required. The journal does not accept plagiarism, substantial self-plagiarism, redundant publication, data fabrication or falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, or fraudulent publishing practices.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence tools must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript. Such tools may not be listed as authors, and authors retain full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the submitted content.

Handling of Misconduct and Post-publication Actions

In cases of suspected or confirmed misconduct, TUMI Oral Health will follow editorial procedures aligned with international standards, which may include requests for clarification, publication of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, and notification of relevant institutions when appropriate.

Peer Review and Editorial Independence

The journal ensures a double-blind peer review process, strict confidentiality of manuscripts and evaluations, and full editorial independence. Decisions related to article processing charges, waivers, or discounts do not influence the peer review process or the final editorial decision.

Ethics Contact

For ethics-related inquiries, please contact the Editorial Office at: editorial@tumijournal.com
Subject: Ethics — TUMI Oral Health