Confidentiality
The journal treats submitted manuscripts and all information associated with their evaluation as confidential scholarly communications. Confidentiality applies throughout submission, editorial screening, peer review, decision-making, and relevant post-publication procedures.
Manuscripts are the authors’ confidential intellectual property until publication. Editors, reviewers, Editorial Board members, journal staff, and other persons who obtain access through their journal responsibilities must protect the manuscript and the information it contains from unauthorized disclosure or use. ICMJE specifically regards submitted manuscripts as privileged communications and authors’ private, confidential property.
Confidentiality of Manuscripts
Unpublished manuscripts, supplementary files, datasets, figures, images, protocols, correspondence, reviewer reports, editorial comments, and other materials obtained through the editorial process must not be disclosed to persons who are not legitimately involved in handling the manuscript.
Access should be limited to those who require the information for legitimate editorial, peer-review, production, research-integrity, or technical purposes.
Confidential manuscript information must not be used for personal, academic, professional, commercial, competitive, or other advantage. Ideas, methods, data, results, or other unpublished material obtained through editorial work or peer review must not be appropriated or used in another person’s research before publication without appropriate authorization.
Double-Anonymous Peer Review
The journal operates a double-anonymous peer-review process. The identities of authors are not disclosed to reviewers through the normal review process, and reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors.
Editors and journal staff should take reasonable measures to protect this anonymity. Authors and reviewers should likewise avoid attempts to discover, reveal, or circumvent protected identities.
If a reviewer believes that they have identified an author and that this creates a potential conflict of interest or may compromise impartiality, the reviewer must promptly inform the editor.
The journal cannot guarantee that an author’s identity will never be inferred from the subject matter, citations, preprints, conference presentations, public datasets, or other external information. However, deliberate disclosure or attempts to circumvent the journal’s double-anonymous review process are not acceptable.
Reviewer Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat the manuscript and all associated information as strictly confidential. They must not discuss the manuscript publicly, share it with colleagues, contact the authors directly, distribute review materials, retain them for unrelated purposes, or use unpublished information for personal advantage.
If a reviewer wishes to involve a trainee, colleague, or another qualified person in preparing a review, prior permission from the journal must be obtained. Any authorized contributor to a review must observe the same confidentiality requirements and should be appropriately acknowledged to the journal.
COPE requires reviewers to respect the confidentiality of manuscripts and not disclose or use information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.
Editorial Confidentiality
Editors, Editorial Board members, and journal staff must not disclose information about a submitted manuscript beyond what is necessary for legitimate editorial handling.
Confidential information includes the fact and status of submission, manuscript contents, author information protected under the review model, reviewer identities, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, internal assessments, decision records, and research-integrity enquiries.
Editorial personnel must not use unpublished information obtained through their role for their own research or for personal, financial, professional, or competitive benefit.
Persons with a relevant conflict of interest must not access or handle a manuscript beyond what is necessary to arrange independent reassignment of the case.
Artificial Intelligence and External Services
Confidential manuscripts, peer-review reports, unpublished data, images, or editorial correspondence must not be uploaded to external artificial intelligence systems or other third-party services where confidentiality, data security, or appropriate use cannot be assured.
Reviewers must obtain permission from the journal before using AI technology to assist with peer review. Editors must likewise comply with the journal’s AI and confidentiality requirements.
Any permitted use of technology does not transfer responsibility from the human editor or reviewer and must comply with the journal’s Artificial Intelligence Policy.
ICMJE specifically warns that confidentiality obligations may prohibit uploading manuscripts to AI technologies where confidentiality cannot be assured.
Confidential Patient and Research Information
Particular care must be taken with manuscripts containing clinical, personal, genetic, or other sensitive information, especially information concerning newborns, infants, children, adolescents, or other vulnerable research participants.
Confidentiality obligations relating to the editorial process do not replace the authors’ responsibilities for de-identification, participant privacy, informed consent, consent for publication, data protection, and ethical approval.
Editors and reviewers must not attempt to identify research participants from information contained in a manuscript.
Exceptions to Confidentiality
Confidential information may be disclosed only when there is a legitimate and proportionate reason to do so, such as the investigation of suspected research or publication misconduct, protection of research participants, resolution of serious peer-review integrity concerns, compliance with an institutional or regulatory investigation, or fulfilment of an applicable legal obligation.
Where communication with another journal, institution, ethics committee, funder, research-integrity body, or competent authority is necessary, the journal will disclose only the information reasonably required for the legitimate purpose, with appropriate regard for confidentiality and applicable data-protection requirements.
Confidentiality must not be used to conceal research misconduct or prevent necessary action to protect the scientific record.
After Publication
Publication of an article does not automatically make confidential editorial records public.
Reviewer identities, confidential peer-review correspondence, internal editorial records, and other protected information will remain confidential after publication unless disclosure has been appropriately authorized, is required by law or a legitimate investigation, or is otherwise consistent with the journal’s declared peer-review policy.
The journal will maintain appropriate safeguards for editorial and peer-review records and will restrict access according to legitimate editorial and integrity needs.