Medicine, Science and Education upholds research integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process. Its ethical requirements apply to authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher, and cover all journal content.
Editorial practices are guided by the ICMJE recommendations, COPE documents, the joint transparency principles of COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, and EQUATOR reporting guidelines, in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
1. Authorship and Author Accountability
Authorship requires all four of the following criteria to be met:
- substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
- drafting the manuscript or revising it substantively for scientific content;
- approval of the final version;
- accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the work and participation in resolving any questions that arise.
Individuals meeting the first criterion must be given the opportunity to participate in drafting and approving the manuscript. Individual contributions are described using CRediT roles, which supplement but do not replace authorship criteria.
Funding, administrative supervision, provision of equipment, technical assistance, or language editing alone do not qualify a person for authorship. Such assistance is acknowledged with the consent of those named. Ghost, gift, and guest authorship, and the sale or purchase of authorship, are prohibited.
All authors must approve submission. Changes to authorship or author order after submission require a reasoned written request and the agreement of all authors, including individuals being added or removed. Where a dispute arises, consideration is suspended and the determination of contributions is referred to a competent institution. Post-publication authorship changes are documented in a separate notice.
2. Originality and Reliability
Authors are responsible for the reliability of their data, the correctness of their analyses, the accuracy of references, and compliance with the rights governing materials used. Simultaneous submission to another journal is prohibited.
The following are not permitted:
- plagiarism, including the appropriation of ideas and plagiarism through translation;
- undisclosed duplicate publication and unjustified fragmentation of research;
- data fabrication or falsification;
- image substitution or distortion;
- fabricated references;
- fraudulent peer review or other manipulation of the review process;
- coercive citation and coordinated citation exchanges.
Authors must disclose related publications, preprints, dissertations, conference abstracts, and protocols. Their existence does not automatically constitute duplicate journal publication.
An editor evaluates text-similarity findings in context, considering the nature of the overlap, its sources, and the adequacy of attribution. A similarity percentage is not the sole basis for a decision.
3. Research Ethics
Research involving human participants, identifiable biological materials, or personal data must comply with applicable legislation and the 2024 revision of the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki.
Where ethics approval is required, it must be obtained before the relevant research procedures begin. The manuscript must identify the ethics committee, approval date and reference number, and informed consent procedures. Retrospective approval does not replace required prior authorization. Any exemption from ethics approval or consent must be justified, with details of the competent authority’s decision where required.
Consent to participate and consent to publish identifiable information must be obtained separately. Case reports require documented consent for publication from the patient or legal representative. Data and images must be anonymized with attention to the risk of indirect identification.
Clinical trials must be registered in a primary registry within the WHO ICTRP network or in ClinicalTrials.gov no later than the first participant’s consent to enrollment. Applicable national requirements must also be met. Late registration must be disclosed and may be considered only as a rare, justified exception following independent editorial assessment.
Animal studies must report authorization by the competent ethics body, housing conditions, pain management, and measures to minimize harm, and follow ARRIVE guidance. Research involving vulnerable groups, students, or subordinates must specifically describe voluntary participation and safeguards against pressure.
4. Transparency of Data and Methods
Methods must be described in sufficient detail to allow assessment and replication. Conclusions must be supported by the data and remain within the capabilities of the study design. Statistical significance does not replace clinical or practical importance.
Every scientific article must contain a statement on the availability of data and, where applicable, code, protocols, and supplementary materials. Restrictions and access procedures must be explained. Personal data must not be made openly available without a lawful basis.
Original research articles must identify the authors who directly verified the underlying data. The editorial team may request source materials for confidential verification.
5. Conflicts of Interest and Funding
Each author must individually disclose relevant financial and non-financial relationships, including employment, consultancy, patents, membership of governing bodies, and other potential conflicts of interest. The absence of such relationships must be stated explicitly.
Articles must identify funding sources, grant details and numbers, and the sponsor’s role in the research, manuscript preparation, and decision to publish. Sponsors must not impose undisclosed restrictions on authors’ access to underlying data or their right to publish the findings.
Editors and reviewers must also disclose conflicts of interest and withdraw from handling or reviewing a manuscript where a significant conflict exists. Financial arrangements and publication payments do not determine scientific decisions.
6. Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers
The editorial team ensures independent and impartial assessment. The publisher may not require the acceptance or rejection of an individual article on administrative, commercial, or reputational grounds.
Reviewers assess work within their expertise, justify their comments, and maintain confidentiality. Unpublished ideas and data must not be used for personal benefit. Materials may be shared with another specialist only with the editor’s prior permission.
Rewards or benefits in exchange for acceptance, accelerated publication, appointment of an expert, or alteration of a review are prohibited. Language, technical, and statistical assistance is permissible when its nature and funding are disclosed and does not confer an advantage during assessment.
7. Use of Artificial Intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence cannot be listed as an author. Its use must be disclosed in the cover letter and manuscript. Authors must personally verify facts, references, calculations, code, translations, and compliance with third-party rights.
Generating or altering research data or images in a way that misrepresents facts is prohibited. Where synthetic data or generative methods are themselves the subject of research, their nature, production, and limitations must be clearly described.
Editors and reviewers must not upload confidential materials to publicly accessible AI services. An automated AI-detector score does not constitute independent proof of misconduct.
8. Handling Allegations of Misconduct
The editorial team considers substantiated concerns before and after publication, regardless of the age of the article. Investigations are handled by an individual without a conflict of interest. Authors are informed of the material concerns and given an opportunity to respond.
Underlying data may be requested, and questions of research integrity may be referred to a competent institution. Public statements must not prejudge responsibility while an investigation is ongoing.
Depending on the findings, measures may include rejection, publication of a correction, an expression of concern or a retraction notice, notification of the institution, and other proportionate actions. Sanctions against an entire institution or all co-authors are not applied automatically.
Procedures are set out in the “Complaints and Appeals” and “Corrections and Retractions” sections. Concerns should be submitted to mse.journal@ksph.kz.