The Journal of Preclinical Therapeutics (JPT) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and responsible scientific reporting. The journal takes seriously all forms of unethical publishing and research behaviour and follows established international principles and best practices appropriate to its preclinical scope.
Editorial Standards
JPT follows the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), together with relevant COPE guidance for publishers.
Editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and scope of submitted manuscripts, and are made independently of commercial or other inappropriate external influence.
The journal follows established procedures for handling allegations of research or publication misconduct, conflicts of interest, corrections, and retractions.
Authorship & Conflicts of Interest
JPT follows the relevant principles of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work concerning authorship qualification, contributor responsibilities, and disclosure of financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. The ICMJE provisions relating specifically to clinical-trial registration and human-subject research do not apply to JPT's preclinical-only scope.
All listed authors must have made meaningful contributions to the work, must approve the final version of the manuscript, and accept responsibility for the integrity of the work. Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation.
Editorial-office practices are further informed, where relevant, by guidance from the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
Research & Animal Ethics
Manuscripts reporting research involving live animals must include a statement confirming approval from the relevant institutional animal ethics or animal-care and use committee — such as an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent — as applicable under the regulations of the country and institution where the research was conducted, including the name of the approving body and the relevant approval/reference number. Animal research must comply with applicable national, institutional, and international requirements for animal welfare and ethical conduct.
Manuscripts involving live animals must follow the ARRIVE 2.0 reporting guidelines and include the ARRIVE Essential 10 checklist at submission. Ethics approval documentation is a mandatory requirement for applicable animal studies; manuscripts that fail to provide adequate evidence of required ethical approval, or whose ARRIVE reporting is substantially incomplete, may be rejected or returned to the authors before peer review.
JPT supports the responsible implementation of the 3Rs — Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement — and encourages the use of validated New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and other scientifically appropriate alternatives that reduce or replace animal experimentation.
As a preclinical-focused journal, JPT does not publish human clinical trials, human clinical observational studies, human case reports, or other human-subject research outside the journal's stated scope.
Peer Review Integrity
JPT follows a double-blind peer-review process for research manuscripts, normally involving at least two independent subject-matter reviewers. Reviewers are expected to:
- Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and associated information;
- Provide objective, constructive, and scientifically justified assessments;
- Declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, and decline the review where it could compromise impartiality;
- Not use unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage; and
- Alert the editor to suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, serious methodological concerns, or other potential research-integrity issues.
Reviewer identities and reports are kept confidential throughout the process.
Editorial Decisions & Appeals
Authors who believe that an editorial decision was based on a significant factual error, misunderstanding of the manuscript, procedural irregularity, or other specific grounds may submit a formal appeal to the editorial office, clearly stating the grounds for reconsideration with relevant evidence or clarification. Where feasible, an appeal will be evaluated by an editor who was not responsible for the original decision.
An appeal does not guarantee reversal of the original decision; editorial decisions following appropriate reconsideration are normally final. The appeals process is separate from the correction and retraction procedures applicable to articles that have already been published.
Plagiarism & Research Integrity
All submissions may be screened for textual similarity and other indicators of potential research or publication misconduct before or during peer review. JPT considers seriously allegations or evidence relating to:
- Plagiarism and duplicate or redundant publication;
- Fabrication or falsification of data;
- Inappropriate manipulation or selective presentation of images;
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest or authorship misconduct;
- Manipulation of the peer-review process; and
- Other forms of research or publication misconduct.
Suspected misconduct is investigated in accordance with applicable COPE guidance and flowcharts. Depending on the findings, actions may include requesting clarification or documentation, rejection of the manuscript, correction or retraction of a published article, notification of relevant institutions or authorities, or other appropriate measures.
Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern
JPT maintains the integrity and transparency of the scholarly record by following established publication-ethics principles, including relevant COPE guidance. Post-publication notices are classified according to the nature and significance of the issue:
1. Erratum
An erratum is issued when an error is introduced during the journal's production or publication process, such as typesetting, formatting, figure placement, or other editorial/production errors. The error is corrected by the journal and does not result from an error in the authors' original work.
2. Corrigendum
A corrigendum is issued when authors identify a material error in their published article, such as an incorrect value, calculation, figure, table, or other factual information. The correction is published as a formally linked notice that clearly describes the error and its correction. The original article remains part of the scholarly record, with the correction prominently linked to it.
3. Retraction
A retraction may be issued when the reliability, validity, or integrity of a published article is substantially compromised. Circumstances may include research misconduct, fabricated or falsified data, major errors that invalidate the findings, duplicate publication, plagiarism, or other serious breaches of publication ethics. Retraction decisions are made in accordance with applicable COPE guidance. The original article remains part of the scholarly record but is clearly identified as retracted and linked to the retraction notice.
4. Expression of Concern
An Expression of Concern may be issued when credible concerns have been raised regarding the reliability or integrity of a published article, but the available information is insufficient to justify a retraction at that stage. This may occur, for example, while an institutional or other formal investigation is pending. The article remains published but is prominently flagged with a linked Expression of Concern notice. The notice may subsequently be supplemented by a correction or retraction when the matter is resolved.
Data Availability & Reproducibility
Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement in every research manuscript, clearly indicating how the underlying data supporting the reported findings can be accessed. Where appropriate, authors should provide access to raw or processed research data, experimental and analytical datasets, relevant protocols or methodological resources, and other materials necessary to support interpretation or reproducibility. Where data cannot be publicly shared because of ethical, legal, privacy, confidentiality, contractual, intellectual-property, or other legitimate restrictions, authors must clearly explain the applicable restriction and, where possible, describe how qualified researchers may request access.
Authors should ensure that experimental procedures, controls, statistical methods, outcome measures, and relevant study limitations are reported clearly and accurately. For animal studies, appropriate reporting of experimental design, sample-size determination, randomisation, blinding, inclusion and exclusion criteria, animal characteristics, experimental procedures, outcome measures, and statistical methodology is expected in accordance with applicable ARRIVE 2.0 requirements.
JPT supports transparent, reproducible, and responsible preclinical research, and encourages reporting practices that improve the reliability and translational value of non-clinical evidence.
AI & Generative Tools Policy
JPT permits the use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in the writing process, subject to the following:
- AI tools may be used to improve language, structure, or readability of a manuscript, but must not be used to generate scientific content, data, analysis, or conclusions.
- Authors must disclose any use of generative AI tools in the Methods or Acknowledgements section, specifying which tool was used and for what purpose.
- AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the entire manuscript, including any content assisted by AI tools.
- Editors and reviewers may use AI tools in a supportive capacity — for example, to improve the structure or language of a review report — but must not upload unpublished manuscript content to any AI tool as part of this process, to protect author confidentiality.
Disclaimer
The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed in articles published in Journal of Preclinical Therapeutics are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal, its editors, or its publisher, Eduspread Publications. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published content, JPT does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of any information and accepts no liability for any errors or omissions, or for any loss or damage arising from reliance on published content.