Journal policies

Aging and Disease (A&D) maintains rigorous editorial, publishing, and peer review policies to uphold the highest standards of scientific integrity and academic excellence.

Editorial and Publishing Policies

Aging and Disease (A&D) is committed to editorial independence, research transparency, and publication ethics. Below are the core elements of our editorial and publishing policies:

• Peer Review Process
  a. All submitted manuscripts undergo rigorous peer review by field experts to ensure scientific accuracy, rigor, and relevance.
  b. Reviewers provide constructive feedback and recommend acceptance, revision, or rejection.
• Editorial Independence
  a. Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, free from commercial, personal, or political influence.
  b. The editorial team makes independent judgments aligned with A&D’s mission and standards.
• Authorship and Acknowledgment
  a. Authorship must reflect substantial contributions to study design, data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript writing.
  b. Non-author contributors should be acknowledged appropriately.
  c. Conflicts of interest and funding sources must be disclosed.
• Plagiarism and Research Ethics
  a. A&D maintains a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, duplicate publication, and research misconduct. A&D use the Crossref Similarity Check service to detect plagiarism and follow guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in dealing with cases of suspected plagiarism.
  b. Manuscripts are screened using advanced plagiarism detection tools.
  c. Authors must ensure the accuracy, originality, and ethical conduct of their work.
• Corrections and Retractions
  a. Errors or issues in published content will be corrected or retracted as needed, following COPE guidelines.
  b. Expressions of concern may be issued during investigations of scientific integrity.
• Data Availability and Reproducibility
  a. Authors are encouraged to share underlying data and materials to support reproducibility and transparency.
  b. Methodological transparency is a core publication value.
• Open Access and Licensing
  a. A&D is an open-access journal. Articles are published under the Creative Commons CC BY license, permitting reuse with proper attribution.
• Copyright and Permissions
  a. Authors retain copyright while granting A&D a non-exclusive license to publish.
  b. Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions for third-party material and proper citation of previously published content.
• Editorial Board and Conflicts of Interest
  a. Editorial Board members are selected based on expertise and commitment to advancing aging research.
  b. All editors must disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when necessary.
• Editorial Integrity and Quality Control
  a. The editorial team ensures all content meets A&D's standards for accuracy, clarity, and scientific merit.
  b. Policies are regularly updated to reflect evolving best practices in academic publishing.

 

Peer Review Policies

A&D enforces strict peer review procedures across all stages—from submission to decision and appeals.

For complete details, please visit our Peer Review Policies page.

 

Conflict of Interest Policy

To preserve the integrity of the publication process, A&D requires full transparency from authors, reviewers, and editors:

• For Authors
  a. Disclose all financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence the research.
  b. Include funding sources, affiliations, or any related interests in a comprehensive statement within the manuscript.
• For Reviewers and Editors
  a. Must disclose any potential conflict of interest and recuse themselves if necessary.
  b. The editorial office may reassign manuscripts to avoid biased evaluations.
• Transparency and Disclosure
  a. Each published article includes a Conflict of Interest statement.
  b. If no conflicts exist, a statement to that effect will be included.

 

Human and Animal Rights

Ethical research practices involving humans and animals are paramount:

• Human Subjects
  a. Research must comply with international and national regulations.
  b. Authors must confirm informed consent, confidentiality, and appropriate ethical review.
  c. Vulnerable populations require special ethical considerations.
• Animal Research
  a. Studies must adhere to established animal welfare guidelines.
  b. Institutional approval and ethical review must be documented.
  c. Authors must describe measures taken to minimize pain and reduce animal usage.
• Compliance and Reporting
  a. Ethical approvals and consent procedures must be explicitly stated.
  b. Manuscripts lacking clear ethical compliance may be rejected.

 

Informed Consent Policy

Patient privacy must be safeguarded at all times. Personal details should not be disclosed without explicit written consent. Authors must:

• Obtain informed consent before including identifiable information.
• Inform patients about the potential use of their data in both print and digital formats.
• Confirm in the publication that consent was obtained.
• Anonymize or alter identifying details without distorting scientific meaning.

 

Advertising Policy

A&D’s advertising practices ensure editorial independence and transparency:

• Editorial Separation
  Advertising does not influence editorial content and must be clearly distinguished as such.
• Content Appropriateness
  Ads must align with the interests of A&D’s professional readership and meet ethical and legal standards.
• Scientific Claims
  Any scientific or clinical claims must be supported by credible evidence.
• Approval and Review
  All advertisements are subject to approval by the editorial team. A&D reserves the right to reject or remove any advertisement that violates this policy.

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) Use Policy

Aging and Disease does not recognize AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, image generators) as authors or coauthors, and AI-generated content may not be cited as a source.

Authors using AI-assisted tools in research or manuscript preparation must disclose this in the cover letter, Acknowledgments, and Methods sections, including the tool name, version, and prompt used. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work, including any AI-assisted content.

Reviewers are not allowed to use AI tools during the peer review process to ensure confidentiality and ethical compliance.

AI-generated images or multimedia are not permitted unless approved in advance by the editors. All figures must reflect original, unaltered data, and any assembly from multiple sources must be clearly indicated.

This policy may evolve with advancements in AI and publishing ethics.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

A&D follows a transparent process when issues arise post-publication:

1. Identification: Concerns may be raised by any party regarding ethical breaches, data errors, or misconduct.
2. Preliminary Review: The editorial office conducts an initial assessment.
3. Consultation: Experts, editorial board members, and authors may be consulted.
4. Editorial Action:
• Corrections for minor factual errors.
• Retractions for major issues such as fraud, plagiarism, or irreproducibility.
• Expressions of Concern when further investigation is needed.
5. Communication: All updates are linked to the original article and communicated clearly to readers.