Publication Ethics

The Philippine Journal of Pathology recognizes that ethical publishing is fundamental to advancing trustworthy, high-quality science and safeguarding public confidence in medical research. In keeping with this commitment, the Journal has established clear editorial policies on authorship, conflicts of interest, and unethical practices. These policies serve to promote fairness, transparency, and responsibility among all participants in the publication process.

Authorship 

Based on ICMJE Recommendations, author(s) of the manuscript refer only to all have actively and sufficiently participated in:
(1) The conception or design of the work, the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data for the work; AND
(2) Drafting the work, revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
(3) That they are all responsible for the final approval of the version to be published; AND
(4) They all agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

NOTE: All four (4) criteria should be met to qualify as an author. Otherwise, they shall be considered as contributors and appropriately recognized in the Acknowledgments section of the published article.

Author Certifications

PJP requires all authors to certify that the submitted manuscript:
(1) Represents original, exclusive, and unpublished material; AND
(2) Is not under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere; AND
(3) Will not be submitted for publication in another journal, until a decision is conveyed regarding its acceptability for publication in the PJP; AND
(4) The study on which the manuscript is based has conformed to ethical standards and/or has been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee; AND
(5) The article had written/informed consent for publication from involved subjects (for case report/series only) and that in case the involved subject/s can no longer be contacted (i.e., retrospective studies, no contact information, et cetera), all means have been undertaken by the author(s) to obtain the consent.

Author Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

To ensure scientific objectivity and independence, the PJP requires all authors to make full disclosure of areas of actual or potential conflict of interest (COI). Such disclosure will indicate whether the person and/or his/her immediate family has any financial relationship with pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment manufacturers, biomedical device manufacturers, or any companies with significant involvement in the field of health care.  Place all disclosures in the table below.  An extra form may be used if needed.  

Examples of disclosures include, but are not limited to, ownership, employment, research support (including provision of equipment or materials), involvement as a speaker, consultant, or any other financial relationship or arrangement with manufacturers, companies or suppliers. For any relationships identified, the author(s) must provide sufficiently detailed information to permit assessment of the significance of the potential conflict of interest (for example, the amount of money involved and/or the identification of any value of goods and services).

Editor Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

As part of good publication practices, all editors of the PJP (editor-in-chief, vice editor-in-chief, editorial board, associate editors, advisers) are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest, including current or recent financial relationships with any commercial entity whose products or services may be contained in the journal content.

The Editor COI Disclosure Form shall be accomplished and submitted on an annual basis. All disclosures shall be made available to the public through the PJP website page. 

Peer Reviewer Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers are also required to disclose conflicts of interest relevant to the manuscript they are being asked to review, and may voluntarily excuse themselves from proceeding with the task if the COI will influence the objectivity of their review. Conversely, the Editor-in-Chief may request that the request for review be canceled and the manuscript reassigned to another reviewer.

Unethical Publication Practices

The Philippine Journal of Pathology (PJP) is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record and does not tolerate unethical publication practices. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, transparency, and accountability in all stages of research reporting and publication.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism, including the unattributed use of another person’s ideas, processes, results, or words, whether published or unpublished, is strictly prohibited. This includes self-plagiarism, where authors reuse substantial portions of their own previously published work without proper citation or justification. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism may be rejected outright, retracted if published, and reported to the authors’ institutions when warranted.

Redundant or Salami Publication

Redundant publication, including salami publication (the inappropriate fragmentation of a single study into multiple publications), is not acceptable. Authors must disclose any prior or concurrent submissions or publications that are closely related to the submitted work. PJP reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not present sufficiently novel or substantive contributions or that duplicate previously published data without clear justification and cross-referencing.

Fabrication and Falsification

Fabrication (the making up of data or results) and falsification (the manipulation of research materials, equipment, processes, or data such that the research is not accurately represented) constitute serious breaches of research integrity. Any evidence or suspicion of fabrication or falsification will be investigated in accordance with established editorial procedures and may result in rejection, retraction, notification of relevant authorities or institutions, and sanctions against the authors.

Image Manipulation and Data Misrepresentation

Inappropriate manipulation of images or selective reporting of data that may mislead readers is considered unethical. Adjustments to images must be applied uniformly and must not obscure, enhance, or remove any features of the original data. Authors may be required to submit original, unprocessed data or images for editorial review.

Undisclosed Conflicts and Misrepresentation

Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest, misrepresentation of authorship contributions, false statements regarding ethical approvals, or inaccurate reporting of funding sources are considered unethical practices. Such omissions or misrepresentations may result in corrective actions, including rejection, publication of corrections, or retraction.

Editorial Actions

When unethical publication practices are suspected or confirmed, PJP will follow established guidelines for investigation and resolution, consistent with the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Actions shall include requesting explanations from authors, issuing corrections or retractions, informing authors’ institutions or funding bodies, and imposing restrictions on future submissions.