Ethical standards are crucial to ensuring the quality of scientific publications, the credibility of scientific research, and the fair evaluation of authors' work. China Preventive Medicine Journal is committed to upholding and practicing the principles of publishing ethics. The journal adheres to the ethical standards set by international organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), as well as the industry standards of the People's Republic of China, as outlined in the News and Publication Industry Standard CY/T174—2019 'Academic Publishing Norms - Definition of Academic Misconduct.'

Statements below are several important ethical principles and guidelines for publication, for reference by authors, editors, and reviewers involved in the publication process.

I. Ethical Standards for Authors

Authors must strictly avoid the following academic misconduct:

1. Plagiarism: This includes unauthorized use of viewpoints, data, images, research methods, e x p r e s s i o n s, and entire unpublished works of others. Plagiarism can involve the unattributed use of the aforementioned elements published under one's own name, excessive or extensive citation of content from others' published works in the body of the article, or the unauthorized use of unpublished viewpoints, original research methods, data, or images. Any form of plagiarism is strictly prohibited by the journal.

2. Fabrication and Falsification: Authors must ensure that the data presented in their submitted articles are authentic and valid. The fabrication of false data or the manipulation of others' research data and content is strictly prohibited.

3. Improper Authorship: Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the research covered in the article. Those who have not made a substantial contribution should not be listed as authors. Substantial contributions include participation in the conceptualization and design of the research, acquisition of research data, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the article, or critical revisions to important content. Individuals or entities providing laboratory facilities or funding cannot be listed as authors. If others or other organizations have made substantial contributions to certain aspects of the research project, this should be clearly indicated in the acknowledgments. Authors submitting manuscripts must obtain the authorization and consent of all co-authors, and the order of authors generally cannot be changed after submission. Changes would require the submission of a new 'Copyright Transfer Agreement' and “Authors’ Declaration Form”.

4. Duplicate Submission: Authors are obligated to ensure that submitted articles have not been published elsewhere, and authors should not simultaneously submit the same or similar articles to multiple journals. Authors must not submit a previously published article, either as it is or with minor modifications, without proper explanation.

5. Repetitive Publication: Authors must not use content from their own previously published works without proper attribution or explanation. Content from multiple previously published works authored by the same individual (author himself) should not be combined into a new article without proper attribution or explanation. Authors must not reuse the data from a single investigation or experiment in multiple articles without proper attribution or explanation.

6. Other Academic Misconduct: Authors should not include references to literature they have not actually consulted. Unauthorized use of copyrighted literature without proper citation or with incomplete citation is prohibited. Authors should clearly state the funding situation and support or assistance with publication. Authors must not disclose key information about the article to others or to public in violation of the journal's first publication rights. Authors must not use copyrighted literature that requires permission without obtaining such permission. Authors should not interfere with the editorial process during the review process. Authors must not recommend reviewers with whom they have a conflicting interest. Authors must not engage third-party organizations or individuals unrelated to the content of the article for writing, submitting, or revising manuscripts. Publication of articles in violation of confidentiality agreements is strictly prohibited.

7. Research Involving Humans and Animals: Research involving animals should adhere to the '3R' principles—reduction, replacement, and refinement. Authors should specify that the feeding process complies with relevant standards and procedures and that the experimental process complies with relevant protection laws. Research involving humans should indicate whether the procedures followed adhere to the ethical standards set by the committee responsible for human trials (institutional, regional, or national) and provide the approval documents from that committee (with approval numbers recorded in the article) and the informed consent form from the subjects or their relatives. Authors must protect patient privacy, obscuring facial features and avoiding the exposure of patients' names or identification numbers in specimens and radiographic images.

8. Proper Declaration: Authors should declare their specific contributions to the research and potential conflicts of interest by completing and submitting the journal's 'Author's Declaration Form.' When an author's financial/personal/affiliated relationships may affect the author's decisions, work, or manuscript, there is a potential conflict of interest. When mentioning certain products in the manuscript, authors should also disclose whether there is a conflict of interest with competing products.

II. Ethical Standards for Reviewers

Reviewers must take the following responsibilities:

1. Utilize professional knowledge and expertise to review the originality, scientific validity, and practicality of manuscripts. Provide a fair evaluation of research methods, research design, accuracy of results and conclusions, and identify any potential issues such as confidentiality leaks. Offer detailed revision suggestions to help authors improve the quality of their articles.

2. Respect diverse academic viewpoints, adhere to objective principles, and evaluate reviewed manuscripts solely based on academic criteria without making personal judgments or engaging in personal attacks. Manuscript selection should not be influenced by the race, gender, religion, beliefs, or the status, qualifications, and authority of the authors. Arguments should be supported by ample evidence and facts. Any suspicion of duplicate publication, fraud, plagiarism, or other academic misconduct should be accurately reported to the editorial office.

3. Provide timely feedback on reviewed manuscripts within the stipulated timeframe. Reviewers who believe they lack the expertise to assess certain aspects of a manuscript or cannot complete the review within the specified time should immediately inform the editorial office for necessary adjustments and timely replacement.

4. Reviewers must not review manuscripts that involve conflicts of interest related to authors, institutions, or companies due to competition or collaboration.

5. Maintain strict confidentiality of reviewed manuscripts. Do not circulate or discuss with others, use, or publish data, viewpoints, or conclusions from the reviewed manuscripts. If use is necessary, obtain the author's consent is a must.

6. Refrain from using confidential information or reviewing rights obtained during the review process for personal gain.

7. Clearly indicate the source of all reports and evidence explicitly cited in the early stages of the research. Reviewers should verify that authors have not omitted references to already published works. Based on their knowledge domain, reviewers should inform authors of the similarities or duplications between the submitted article and already published articles and data.

III. Ethical Standards for Editors

Editors should take the following responsibilities:

1. Editors are responsible for all editorial processes, continuously promoting the development of the journal, ensuring high-quality and timely publication of edited manuscripts. Editors must strictly adhere to and enforce relevant national laws and regulations and academic publishing ethics standards, complying with legal requirements related to defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

2. Treat all manuscripts equally and fairly, accepting or rejecting manuscripts based solely on their originality, importance, clarity, and alignment with the journal's aims and scope, without considering the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political views. Respect the author's research results and expert review comments.

3. Follow the principle of confidentiality. Except for providing necessary information to corresponding authors, review experts, and editorial board members, editors must not disclose any information related to submitted manuscripts. Do not disclose information about authors or review experts, and do not share manuscript content outside the editorial process. Failure to properly preserve manuscripts and electronic versions leading to information leakage will be held accountable.

4. Without the express written consent of the author, editors must not use unpublished materials disclosed in the author's manuscript for editorial research. Editors must not disclose the content and research results of unpublished manuscripts without authorization.

5. Adhere to academic and ethical standards when providing editorial suggestions. Reject all submissions driven by commercial needs and exchanges that harm academic ethics. Editors must not intentionally select experts with conflicts of interest with submitting authors for review. If any conflict of interest or cooperative relationship with authors arises, the editor must replace the editor or reviewer responsible for the article review.

6. Editors must not interfere with the review, manipulate the opinions of reviewers, or unreasonably reject or distort the opinions of expert reviewers. Editors should timely collect feedback on expert review opinions and coordinate academic discussions.

7. Editors must not deliberately misrepresent authors' intentions in modifying manuscript content. When making significant changes to an article, editors should communicate with authors in a timely manner and obtain their consent. Editors should respect authors' opinions, encourage academic debate, and respond to and convey authors' different views on expert review opinions.

8. Editors have the obligation to investigate and communicate in cases of academic misconduct related to the submission or publication of articles. Once an academic ethics appeal regarding a submitted article or published article arises, editors must take timely and effective measures, such as corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies. Editors have the duty to investigate and hold authors and reviewers accountable for improper conduct.

9. When dealing with major topics, editorial staff should adhere to regulations for reporting, refrain from publishing authors' articles without permission, and avoid adding irrelevant self-citations or requesting unnecessary citations of specific literature from authors. For manuscripts requiring relevant ethical review materials, editors must not ignore the relevant requirements and procedures. Editors should comply with the relevant policies established by the journal's editorial board and adhere to legal standards related to defamation, infringement, and plagiarism in selecting articles.

IV. Protection of Intellectual Property

The editorial office strives to respect and protect intellectual property rights, and it requires editors, authors, and reviewers to do the same. Any potential infringement should be avoided. Third-party organizations must also respect the intellectual property rights of the journal and refrain from infringement.