Our editorial practices are informed by the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
1. Editorial Oversight and Peer Review
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment for relevance, scientific quality, originality, and adherence to journal standards. Manuscripts considered suitable for publication are evaluated through peer review by individuals with appropriate expertise.
Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, methodological rigor, clinical relevance, and educational value. Decisions are made independently of authors’ institutional affiliations, professional relationships, or institutional sponsorship.
Manuscripts submitted by editorial board members or individuals with close professional relationships to the editors are subject to appropriate conflict-of-interest safeguards and independent editorial evaluation.
The journal welcomes participation by trainees in the peer-review process under appropriate faculty supervision. Final editorial decisions remain the responsibility of qualified editors.
Detailed manuscript preparation and submission instructions are available through the PCCM Reports online submission system.
2. Research Integrity and Publication Ethics
PCCM Reports expects authors to adhere to accepted standards of scientific and professional integrity.
Originality and Plagiarism: Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work. Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, and misrepresentation of research findings are prohibited. The editors may employ screening tools, request supporting materials, or seek additional review when concerns arise.
Duplicate Publication: Manuscripts must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Previous dissemination through abstracts, conference presentations, or preprints must be disclosed but does not necessarily preclude publication.
Authorship: Authorship should follow ICMJE recommendations. All listed authors must have made qualifying intellectual contributions, approved the final manuscript, and accepted responsibility for their work. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.
Data Integrity and Availability: Authors are responsible for the accuracy of reported data and analyses. Editors may request additional methodological information, supporting data, or clarification when necessary to evaluate a manuscript. Authors should disclose relevant restrictions on data availability.
Research Misconduct: Allegations of scientific misconduct will be evaluated fairly and may require clarification from the authors, consultation with independent experts, or referral to the appropriate institution. Editorial action may include rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate.
3. Research Ethics and Patient Confidentiality
Institutional Review Board Approval: Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements. Authors must report approval, exemption, or waiver by an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee, as applicable.
Quality improvement and educational research must similarly comply with relevant institutional requirements, including any required determinations regarding human-subjects research.
Patient Privacy and Consent: Authors must protect patient confidentiality and comply with applicable privacy laws, including HIPAA where relevant.
Identifying information should not be included unless scientifically necessary and supported by appropriate consent. Written informed consent for publication should be obtained for case reports and clinical images, and documentation must be available to the editors upon request.
Clinical Trials: Clinical trials must comply with applicable ethical requirements and recognized standards for prospective trial registration.
4. Conflicts of Interest and Financial Disclosure
All authors must disclose financial and nonfinancial relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their work. These may include research funding, consulting arrangements, institutional relationships, intellectual property interests, or other relevant associations.
Funding sources and the role of sponsors in study design, data analysis, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions must be disclosed.
Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when those conflicts could compromise impartial evaluation.
Publication decisions are made independently of commercial interests, institutional affiliations, and financial sponsorship.
Relevant author disclosures and funding statements will be included in published articles.
5. Use of Artificial Intelligence
PCCM Reports recognizes that artificial intelligence tools may assist with research, manuscript preparation, and editorial workflows. Their use must preserve scientific accuracy, confidentiality, transparency, and human accountability.
Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI in manuscript preparation or research, identifying the tool and its purpose. AI tools cannot qualify as authors, and human authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of submitted material.
Reviewers and editors must protect the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and must not upload confidential manuscript material to external AI systems without appropriate safeguards and author permission.
AI-assisted evaluations cannot substitute for independent scientific judgment.
6. Open Access and Copyright
PCCM Reports is an open-access journal. Published articles are freely available online without subscription fees or access restrictions.
Publication Fees
PCCM Reports currently charges no manuscript submission fees or article processing charges (APCs). There are no fees associated with manuscript evaluation, peer review, or publication.
Copyright: Authors retain copyright to their scholarly work and grant PCCM Reports the right of first publication.
Licensing: Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), unless otherwise specified.
This license permits reading, downloading, sharing, redistribution, and adaptation for noncommercial purposes, provided appropriate attribution is given and applicable license conditions are followed.
Authors may share and deposit their published work in institutional or subject repositories, consistent with the applicable license and with appropriate acknowledgment of the original publication.
7. Digital Archiving and Preservation
PCCM Reports publishes articles electronically through its journal publishing platform, with full-text content available in PDF and, where applicable, HTML.
The journal maintains its published content and associated editorial records through its electronic publishing infrastructure.
As a developing journal, PCCM Reports intends to establish additional long-term digital preservation arrangements, including participation in recognized archival or repository services where feasible.
Information regarding formal preservation arrangements will be updated as those services are established.
8. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
PCCM Reports is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the published scientific record.
Corrections: Errors that warrant correction but do not invalidate an article’s principal findings may be addressed through a published correction notice linked to the original article. When an article is revised, the changes will be documented.
Expressions of Concern: An expression of concern may be issued when substantial questions regarding an article’s reliability or integrity remain unresolved.
Retractions: Articles may be retracted when findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, or when serious ethical or publication violations are established. Retractions will be accompanied by a public explanation and clearly identified in the publication record.
These actions will be guided by recognized publication ethics recommendations, including those developed by COPE.
9. Appeals, Complaints, and Editorial Concerns
Authors may appeal editorial decisions when they believe a substantive scientific or procedural error has occurred. Appeals should identify the grounds for reconsideration and include supporting information.
Concerns regarding peer review, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, or editorial conduct may be submitted to the editorial office.
Complaints and appeals will be reviewed by an appropriate editor or other qualified individual who does not have a relevant conflict of interest. Appeals do not guarantee reconsideration or acceptance of a manuscript.
10. Policy Review
PCCM Reports periodically reviews its editorial and publication policies to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research ethics, and professional standards.
Changes to journal policies will be published on the journal website.
For questions regarding editorial or publication policies, please contact the editorial office at editor@pccmreports.org.
