Editorial Policies
Upholding scientific integrity through transparent editorial standards in ophthalmic research publishing.
Committed to Ethical Excellence
The Journal of Ophthalmic Science adheres to the highest standards of publishing ethics, ensuring fairness, transparency, and scientific rigor in all ophthalmology and vision science publications. Our policies align with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines and reflect best practices in medical publishing.
Journal at a Glance
- ISSN: 2470-0436
- DOI Prefix: 10.14302/issn.2470-0436
- License: CC BY 4.0 (open access)
- Peer Review: Single-blind
- First Decision: 2-4 weeks from submission
- Publication: Within 2 weeks of APC payment
JOS employs rigorous single-blind peer review to ensure scientific quality while maintaining efficiency. Each manuscript undergoes evaluation by at least two independent ophthalmology specialists with expertise relevant to the submission.
Initial Screening
Upon submission, the Editor-in-Chief performs an initial assessment to verify scope alignment, basic formatting compliance, and overall scientific quality. Manuscripts outside scope or with fundamental flaws may be desk-rejected within 5 business days.
Reviewer Selection
The handling editor selects reviewers based on subspecialty expertise: anterior segment, glaucoma, retina, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, or oculoplastics. Reviewers are screened for conflicts of interest before assignment.
Review Timeline
Reviewers are requested to submit evaluations within 14-21 days. Authors typically receive an initial decision within 2-4 weeks of submission. Expedited review may be available for time-sensitive clinical findings.
Decision Categories
Possible decisions include: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Authors receive detailed feedback from reviewers along with the editorial decision letter outlining required changes.
All clinical research published in JOS must comply with established ethical standards for human subjects research:
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval: All studies involving human subjects require documented approval from an institutional ethics committee
- Declaration of Helsinki: Research must comply with the ethical principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki
- Informed Consent: Written informed consent must be obtained and documented; for clinical photographs, specific consent for publication is required
- ARVO Statement: Animal research must adhere to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research
- Clinical Trial Registration: Interventional studies must be registered in a public registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) prior to patient enrollment
Patient Privacy in Ophthalmology
Clinical photographs showing periocular or facial features require explicit patient consent for publication. De-identification via black bars is discouraged; proper consent documentation should be obtained instead. Fundus photographs and OCT images without patient identifiers do not require publication consent but do require clinical consent.
Transparency regarding potential conflicts is essential to maintaining research integrity. Authors must disclose:
- Financial relationships with pharmaceutical or medical device companies whose products are discussed
- Consulting fees, honoraria, or speaker fees from relevant entities
- Patent holdings or stock ownership related to the research topic
- Funding sources for the research, with grant numbers where applicable
- Employment or contractual relationships with interested parties
Reviewers and editors must also declare conflicts and recuse themselves from manuscripts where objectivity could be compromised.
JOS follows the ICMJE criteria for authorship. All listed authors must have:
- Made substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
- Drafted or critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content
- Approved the final version to be published
- Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work
Contributors who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged. Ghost authorship and honorary authorship are prohibited.
JOS uses iThenticate plagiarism detection software to screen all submissions. Manuscripts must represent original work with proper attribution of sources. Self-plagiarism (substantial overlap with authors' previous publications) is also monitored. Manuscripts with similarity indices exceeding acceptable thresholds will be returned for revision or rejected.
Duplicate Submission
Concurrent submission to multiple journals is a violation of publication ethics. Authors must confirm that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere. If a manuscript is withdrawn from JOS after 3 days of submission, a 30% withdrawal fee applies.
| Issue | Action |
|---|---|
| Minor errors discovered post-publication | Erratum or Corrigendum published |
| Serious errors affecting conclusions | Correction notice with updated article version |
| Evidence of misconduct or fabrication | Retraction per COPE guidelines |
Authors who disagree with editorial decisions may submit a formal appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days, providing justification and any additional evidence.
Authors are encouraged to make datasets available in appropriate repositories. A Data Availability Statement is required for all empirical manuscripts, describing how and whether underlying data can be accessed by other researchers.
Questions About Our Policies?
Our editorial team is available to address any questions regarding ethical compliance, authorship, or publication standards.
Contact Editorial Office
