About Journal

Ankara Medical Journal
e-ISSN: 2148-4570

First year of publication: 2012
Publication Managing Director and Owner:

Ahmet Keskin on behalf of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine

Editor in Chief: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Keskin

Adress: Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Aile Hekimliği Anabilim Dalı, 06800, Bilkent / Ankara

Tel: +90 312 552 60 00 /622604

E-mail:[email protected]

1. Open Access Policy

Ankara Medical Journal adopts an open access publishing model in order to ensure the widest possible dissemination of scientific knowledge and to support the global exchange of research findings in medicine and health sciences.

All articles published in the journal are freely accessible online immediately upon publication. Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles without prior permission from the publisher or the authors, provided that the work is properly cited and used for non-commercial purposes.

Articles published in Ankara Medical Journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Under this license, users may share and reuse the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

For more information about this license:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

2. Copyright Policy

Authors retain the copyright of their work published in Ankara Medical Journal.

Accepted manuscripts are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Under this license:

BY – Attribution: Appropriate credit must be given to the author(s) and the original publication source.
NC – NonCommercial: The material may not be used for commercial purposes.

Authors are required to sign a Copyright License Agreement Form after their manuscript is accepted for publication.
Authors remain responsible for the scientific integrity, ethical compliance, and originality of the submitted work.

3. Editorial Process and Peer Review Policy

All manuscripts submitted to Ankara Medical Journal undergo a rigorous editorial evaluation process designed to ensure scientific quality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and relevance to the scope of the journal.

The journal employs a double-blind peer review system, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other throughout the review process.

Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field.

The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the editorial and scientific content of the journal and the timing of publication.

The journal does not charge any submission or article processing fees.

Editorial Workflow

The editorial evaluation process typically consists of the following stages:

1. Initial technical evaluation by the editorial office
2. Preliminary evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief
3. Assignment of the manuscript to an Associate Editor
4. Similarity screening using plagiarism detection software (e.g. iThenticate)
5. Editorial assessment regarding scientific relevance and scope
6. Decision for external peer review
7. Detailed technical review and verification of required documents
8. Selection and invitation of external reviewers
9. Independent peer review by at least two reviewers
10. Statistical review when necessary
11. Evaluation of reviewer reports by the Associate Editor
12. Author revision based on reviewer comments
13. Second similarity check after revision
14. Editorial evaluation of revised manuscript
15. Final decision by the Editor-in-Chief
16. Assignment of DOI number
17. Copyediting and language editing
18. Preparation of page proofs
19. Final editorial quality control
20. Online publication and issue assignment

4. Plagiarism Detection

Plagiarism is considered a serious violation of publication ethics.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using plagiarism detection software such as iThenticate during the evaluation process and again after acceptance.

Manuscripts containing significant similarity, plagiarism, fabricated data, falsification, or other forms of research misconduct may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process.

5. Clinical Trials and Reporting Guidelines

Ankara Medical Journal encourages the registration of clinical trials in publicly accessible registries such as:

ClinicalTrials.gov

WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)

The registry name and registration number must be provided in the manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to prepare manuscripts according to internationally accepted reporting guidelines.

Reporting Guidelines for Study Types

Further reporting standards are available through the EQUATOR Network.

6. Ethical Principles

The Editorial Board adheres to the ethical standards and recommendations of internationally recognized organizations, including:

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
• Council of Science Editors (CSE)
• World Medical Association (WMA)

Research involving human subjects must comply with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Ethics committee approval must be obtained for studies involving human participants and clearly stated in the manuscript.

For experimental studies involving animals, authors must confirm compliance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and indicate approval by the relevant institutional ethics committee.

In studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with ethical and scientific standards.

7. Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when authors, reviewers, or editors have financial, personal, academic, or institutional relationships that could influence the objectivity of the research or editorial process.

All authors must disclose potential conflicts of interest using the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.
Conflict of interest statements must also be included at the end of the manuscript.

Editors and reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and withdraw from the review process when appropriate.

8. Data Sharing Policy

In accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), authors of randomized clinical trials must provide a data-sharing statement.

Authors may be requested to provide raw data and analysis files when necessary. Researchers are expected to retain the data underlying their publications for at least five years after publication.

Data Sharing Statement Templates

9. Sex and Gender Policy

Ankara Medical Journal supports the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines.

Authors are encouraged to report sex (biological attributes) and gender (social and cultural constructs) appropriately in their studies.

Recommendations for Reporting Sex and Gender

10. Preprint Policy

Ankara Medical Journal does not consider preprints as prior publication.

Authors may share their manuscripts on non-commercial preprint servers such as:

• arXiv
• bioRxiv
• medRxiv

If a manuscript deposited on a preprint server is accepted for publication, authors should update the preprint record with a link to the final published article.

11. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies Policy

Artificial intelligence tools may be used to assist with language editing or organization of ideas. However:

• AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
• Authors remain fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts.
• Any use of AI tools must be disclosed when relevant.

Editors and reviewers must not upload manuscripts or confidential editorial materials into public AI systems.

Editorial decisions are made solely by human editors and reviewers.

12. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

Ankara Medical Journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record.

If errors are discovered in a published article, the journal may publish a correction, retraction, or editorial expression of concern depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

Corrections may be issued when errors that do not invalidate the scientific conclusions are identified.

Retractions may occur in cases of:

• plagiarism
• data fabrication or falsification
• unethical research practices
• major errors affecting the reliability of the findings

In cases where there are concerns about the integrity of a publication but conclusive evidence is not yet available, the journal may publish an Editorial Expression of Concern.

All correction and retraction procedures follow the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

13. Archiving Policy

Ankara Medical Journal ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content.

The journal supports digital archiving and long-term preservation through institutional and electronic archiving systems.
Published articles are stored and preserved in:

• the journal’s official website
• institutional repositories
• indexing databases and digital archiving platforms

Authors are permitted to archive the final published version of their articles in institutional repositories, personal websites, or academic platforms provided that proper citation to the original publication in Ankara Medical Journal is included.

14. Change of Authorship and Withdrawal Policy

Requests to add, remove, or rearrange author names after submission must be approved by the Editorial Board.
Such requests must include:

• a clear explanation for the change
• written consent from all authors involved

Manuscripts may be withdrawn only for compelling reasons. Authors must submit a formal withdrawal request signed by all authors.

15. Appeals and Complaints

Appeals and complaints regarding editorial decisions are handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Authors may submit an appeal explaining the scientific basis for reconsideration.

The final decision regarding appeals and complaints is made by the Editor-in-Chief.

In complex cases, an independent ethics editor or ombudsperson may be consulted.