1. Review System: The journal employs a double-blind peer review system, with an acceptance rate of approximately 70 %.
2. Editorial System: Authors bear responsibility for their submissions. The journal reserves the right to edit, technically modify, and abridge content. Any significant changes that may alter the meaning will be negotiated with the authors.
3. Review Process: Submissions undergo preliminary, external review, and final review stages. Authors receive an acknowledgment of receipt upon successful submission. Manuscripts failing initial review due to lack of originality, significant scientific or technical flaws, or irrelevance are rejected. After passing the initial review, authors must then submit the required documents to the editorial office for an external peer review by 2 experts. Manuscripts approved in this review undergo editing and revision. The editor-in-chief will finally determine whether this manuscript is qualified to be published.
4. Special Issues and Columns: The review process for special issues and columns follows the same procedure as the regular issues, including identical review and editorial processes, with the editor-in-chief making the final acceptance decision. The editor-in-chief is responsible for all content, including special issues and columns. For special issues, authoritative experts in the field are invited to serve as guest editors, overseeing theme proposal, manuscript solicitation, peer review organization, and addressing any publication issues under the editor-in-chief's supervision to ensure fairness in the review process.
5. Submissions by EBMs/Editors/Guest Editors: Submissions by Editorial Board Members/Editors/Guest Editors must adhere to the journal's review and editorial procedures, ensuring independence from the involved individuals and their research groups. They cannot participate in reviews of manuscripts with whose authors they have conflicts of interest.
6. Corrections and Retractions: Articles published online or in print are deemed final versions, generally not subject to author-initiated corrections or retractions. However, exceptions are made in necessary cases:
Corrections: For unintentional scientific errors not significantly impacting results or conclusions, the journal will publish correction notices, detailing changes made and citing the original article.
Retractions: Articles may be retracted for severe scientific inaccuracies which render the conclusions and results of the article unreliable or academic misconduct, such as plagiarism or data falsification. In such cases, the editorial office will initiate an investigation and make public the findings, issue retraction notices, ensure removal from online platforms, and may notify the authors' institutions. The journal reserves the rights to seek damages for any reputational or other losses.