General Editorial Policies

Integrity and transparency

The International Journal of Nutrology (IJN) is committed to integrity, transparency, accountability, fairness, and respect throughout the editorial and publication process. Authors, editors, reviewers, and journal staff are expected to comply with applicable laws, institutional requirements, and the ethical standards stated on the journal website.

IJN follows relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and other recognized organizations when appropriate. Reference to or use of these resources does not constitute a claim that IJN is a member of, formally affiliated with, or endorsed by these organizations.

Editorial independence

Editorial decisions are based on the scientific validity, originality, methodological quality, relevance, ethical compliance, and suitability of each manuscript for the journal's scope. Commercial considerations, advertising, sponsorship, article processing charges, personal relationships, institutional interests, and the authors' nationality, gender, beliefs, or professional status must not influence editorial decisions.

The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for editorial decisions. When an editor has a conflict of interest relating to a submission, the manuscript must be assigned to another qualified editor who has no relevant conflict. IJN follows the principles of editorial independence described by WAME.

Authorship and contributorship

All listed authors must meet the current ICMJE authorship criteria and must approve the submitted and final versions of the manuscript. Each article must contain an author contribution statement. IJN uses the CRediT Contributor Role Taxonomy to describe individual contributions. Contributors who do not qualify for authorship should be identified in the Acknowledgments section with their permission.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors. Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors must be justified and supported by the written agreement of all affected authors. Further requirements are available in the journal's Authorship and Contributorship Policy.

Peer review

Original research articles and review articles that pass the initial editorial screening are evaluated under a mandatory double-anonymous (double-blind) peer-review model. At least three independent external reviewers with relevant subject expertise are invited to evaluate the manuscript. The identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another throughout the review process.

Reviewers are selected and appointed independently by the handling editor. Authors do not select or appoint the reviewers who determine the editorial outcome. Editors must assess reviewer expertise, independence, institutional relationships, recent co-authorship, personal or professional relationships, and other potential conflicts before making an invitation.

Editorials, corrections, retraction notices, and other non-research content may be subject to editorial review rather than external peer review; their content type and review status must be clearly identified. The Editor-in-Chief or delegated handling editor makes the final decision after considering the reviewers' reports, and acceptance is never guaranteed.

Further information is available in the Peer Review and Publication Policies and Guidelines for Reviewers.

Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and personal information obtained during evaluation are confidential. Editors, reviewers, and journal staff must not disclose or use unpublished information for personal advantage or for the benefit or disadvantage of any person or organization. Confidential material must not be uploaded to publicly accessible artificial intelligence platforms or other unauthorized third-party services.

Competing interests

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose all financial and non-financial relationships or activities that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research, review, or editorial decision. A disclosure is required even when no competing interest exists. Editors and reviewers with a relevant conflict must recuse themselves. Funding, sponsorship, and competing-interest statements must be published with accepted articles.

Detailed requirements are available in the Policies on Conflicts of Interest, Human and Animal Rights, and Informed Consent.

Research involving human participants

Research involving human participants, identifiable human material, or identifiable data must comply with applicable laws and institutional requirements and with the ethical principles of the WMA Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must state the name of the approving research ethics committee or institutional review board, the approval number or identifier, and the date of approval. If approval was waived or the study was determined to be exempt, the competent body and the reason must be reported.

Informed consent for participation must be obtained when applicable. Research involving vulnerable participants, including children and persons with impaired decision-making capacity, requires appropriate additional safeguards. For minors, permission from a parent or legal guardian and assent from the child must be obtained when appropriate to the child's age and capacity. Editors may request supporting documentation before or after publication.

Consent for publication and protection of personal information

Written consent for publication is required when an individual may be identified through text, photographs, images, pedigrees, videos, clinical details, or other information. Consent for participation in research is not automatically equivalent to consent for publication. Identifying information that is not essential must be removed. If a potential privacy or consent violation is identified, IJN will investigate and may correct, restrict, remove, or retract content as appropriate.

Research involving animals

Studies involving animals must have prior approval from the appropriate institutional animal ethics committee or equivalent authority and must comply with applicable legislation and recognized standards for animal welfare. The manuscript must identify the approving body and approval number and describe measures taken to minimize pain and distress. Authors should report animal research in accordance with the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines.

Clinical trial registration

Prospective clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible trial registry before enrollment of the first participant, in accordance with applicable ICMJE recommendations. The registry name, registration number, and functioning link must be included in the manuscript. Any late registration must be explained and will be evaluated by the editors.

Artificial intelligence

Authors must transparently disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of a manuscript, including the tool, version when available, purpose, and sections affected. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, citations, integrity, and content of the submitted and published work. AI-generated output must not be cited as a primary source, and AI tools cannot assume authorship or accountability.

Reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts, images, supplementary files, reviewer reports, or editorial correspondence to generative AI systems when doing so could compromise confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property. IJN does not accept generative AI-created or generative AI-modified images for publication. Detailed requirements are available in the Ethical and Malpractice Policies and Declaration of Generative AI.

Originality, plagiarism, and duplicate publication

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal. Authors must disclose related manuscripts, prior dissemination, conference abstracts, preprints, and reused material. Text, data, images, ideas, and other material from third parties must be properly attributed and, when required, reproduced with permission.

IJN may use similarity-detection tools and other editorial checks, but similarity reports are interpreted by editors and are not the sole basis for a decision. Suspected plagiarism, redundant publication, citation manipulation, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate image manipulation, peer-review manipulation, and other misconduct will be investigated fairly and confidentially using relevant COPE guidance. Depending on the evidence and publication stage, action may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, notification of institutions, or other appropriate measures.

Funding and sponsor involvement

Every manuscript must contain a funding statement, including a declaration that no specific funding was received when applicable. Authors must identify funders accurately and provide grant numbers where available. The role of the funder or sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit must be stated. Funding or sponsorship must not determine editorial decisions.

Authors may consult the Crossref Funder Registry to help standardize funder names. This reference does not imply that IJN operates an automated integration with that service.

Institutional affiliations and identifiers

Authors must provide complete and accurate institutional affiliations, including institution, department when applicable, city, and country. ORCID identifiers are encouraged. The journal may use the Research Organization Registry (ROR) to help standardize institution names when a suitable record is available. This reference does not imply an automated system integration.

Reporting quality, reproducibility, and limitations

Methods and results must be reported with sufficient detail to permit critical evaluation and, where feasible, replication. Authors must use the reporting guideline appropriate to the study design and submit the corresponding checklist when requested. Applicable guidelines can be identified through the EQUATOR Network.

Manuscripts must describe relevant methodological and interpretive limitations. Selective reporting, unsupported conclusions, undisclosed outcome changes, and omission of material limitations may result in revision or rejection.

Research data and materials

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement describing whether and how the data, code, protocols, and other materials supporting the findings can be accessed. Data should be deposited in an appropriate trusted repository when ethically and legally possible. Restrictions related to participant privacy, informed consent, contractual obligations, security, or applicable law must be explained. Editors and reviewers may request access to underlying data or documentation for evaluation or integrity checks.

Preprints

Posting a manuscript on a recognized preprint server does not by itself constitute prior publication. Authors must disclose the preprint at submission and provide its DOI or persistent link. If the article is published by IJN, authors should update the preprint record with a link to the published version. A preprint policy does not permit simultaneous submission to more than one journal.

Third-party material and permissions

Authors are responsible for identifying third-party material and obtaining any permission required for its publication and reuse under the license applied to the article. Permission documentation must be provided on request. Sources must be properly credited, and alterations to reproduced material must be identified.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions

IJN is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record. Substantive errors or concerns identified after publication will be assessed promptly. When warranted, the journal will publish a correction, expression of concern, retraction, removal notice, or replacement notice that is clearly identified and linked to the affected article. Investigations will follow due process and relevant COPE and ICMJE guidance.

Further information is available in the Article Retraction and Withdrawal Policy.

Dual-use and potentially harmful research

Research that could create substantial risks to public health, safety, human rights, animal welfare, or the environment requires careful editorial assessment. Authors must disclose relevant risks and safeguards. IJN may request specialist or institutional advice and may reject, delay, limit, or correct publication when the foreseeable risks outweigh the scientific and public benefit.

Inclusive and respectful publishing

IJN evaluates manuscripts without discrimination based on nationality, geographic origin, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, institutional affiliation, career stage, or political belief. Authors should use respectful and inclusive language, justify demographic classifications, and avoid stigmatizing or discriminatory framing. The journal does not tolerate harassment, bullying, threats, or abusive conduct involving authors, reviewers, editors, staff, or readers.

Complaints and appeals

Authors and readers may submit reasoned complaints or appeals to the editorial office. Appeals must identify the decision being challenged and provide a clear scientific, procedural, or ethical basis. Whenever possible, complaints and appeals are assessed by an editor who was not directly involved in the original decision. An appeal does not guarantee reversal of the decision.

Policy implementation and review

Publication of a policy does not replace its application. IJN editors and staff are responsible for applying these requirements consistently to regular issues, special issues, supplements, invited articles, and manuscripts authored by members of the editorial team. The journal may request supporting documentation, issue queries, reject manuscripts, or take post-publication action when compliance cannot be demonstrated.

These policies are reviewed periodically and may be updated to reflect changes in recognized standards. Material changes will be dated on this page.

Last updated: August 2026.