Ethics Statement, International Surgery, Official Journal of the International College of Surgeons

International Surgery is owned by the International College of Surgeons (ICS) and is the official Journal for the ICS. The position of Editor-in-Chief is approved by the governing body of the International College of Surgeons, the International Executive Council. International Surgery has the important role in the International College of Surgeons of fulfilling the educational mission of the College. The Editor-in-Chief provides semi-annual reports on the functioning of International Surgery to the governance of the College, the International Executive Council.

International Surgery publishing standards are based on the principles and guidelines outlined by the following:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

• Council of Scientific Editors (CSE)

• National Information Standards Organization (NISO), in particular Recommended Practices for the Presentation and Identification of E-Journals (PIE-J)

Every step in the publishing process involves ethical principles. Clear expectations are associated with the ethics of International Surgery.

Authors are defined as having contributed significantly to the scientific work, who are accountable for their part of the work, and who critically reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Copyright and licensing information is clearly stipulated and the International Surgery editorial staff rigorously follow the associated guidelines.

Strict procedures are followed to maintain the highest ethical scientific medical publishing standards. Authors must stipulate and acknowledge that all authors of a respective manuscript are responsible for all communications associated with their submission of the manuscript and must acknowledge in writing that the submitted manuscript has been seen and approved by all these authors. All authors must sign documents that all authors of the submitted manuscript are required to stipulate that all data and information in the manuscript are original.

A manuscript summary must be submitted, including major findings from the submitted research, what the findings add to existing scientific knowledge, what is already known in the field of study, and what should change as a result of the submitted research information. All authors are required to sign a copyright statement. The copyright statement requires authors to assign, transfer, and convey all ownership and right of republication to International Surgery. Authors must warrant that the submitted manuscript is original, is not under consideration by any other journal, and has not been previously published.

Authors must warrant that the investigations reported in the submitted manuscript were performed in conformity with the Recommendations from the Declaration of Helsinki and the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals.

Authors must obtain permission and fully acknowledge any information used from another publication or other unpublished sources. Authors are required to acknowledge any financial assistance and other material support from other contributors, who do not meet the criterial for authorship.

Authors are required to keep all information related to the submitted manuscript and peer review process confidential, that their respective work is subject to embargo considerations for non-open access manuscripts, and that none of the authors may discuss the findings of the manuscript with the media.

An excellent Editorial Review Board exists to maintain the integrity of the process and is comprised of respected academic reviewers. The publication editorial staff works closely with those providing peer reviews for International Surgery, with the objective of providing completed reviews on a timely basis for those authors who submit their manuscripts for consideration.

The fees associated with International Surgery that are charged to authors in reference to the various publishing options are clearly indicated on the International Surgery website and in related printed materials.