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Policies

PUBLICATION FREQUENCY

Folia Medica Indonesiana publishes quarterly a year (January - March, April - June, July - September, and October - December). Each published article has a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, whereby they become searchable and citable without delay.

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The journal does not accept advertisements from third parties.

APPEALS

The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) principles regarding appeals against editorial decisions and grievances related to the journal's management. Nevertheless, the author(s) must furnish compelling evidence or novel data / information to address the related issue.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Individuals who contributed to the manuscript's creation but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged, and must have been consented. Organizations who contributed funding and/or additional resources should be recognized.

AUTHORSHIP CRITERIA

Authors are advised to verify the accuracy of the author group, the corresponding author, and the sequence of authors upon submission. Modifications to authorship, including the addition or removal of author(s), alterations in corresponding authors, or changes in the order of authors, are not permitted following the acceptance of a submission. Modifying the author list during the revision stage is often prohibited; however, exceptions may be justified under certain circumstances. To initiate such a modification, the Editor-in-Chief requires the following from the corresponding author: (a) the rationale for the alteration in the author list and (b) written confirmation (by email or letter) from all authors consenting to the addition, removal, or rearrangement. The addition or removal of authors necessitates confirmation from the author in question. Should an author's affiliation change between the study conduct or paper composition and publication, the author's current affiliation must be stated, with the old affiliation acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section during the copy-editing phase, where applicable. 

Details of Contribution.
Each author's contribution will be presented in the published paper; the details are declared in the CTA form. All authors are responsible for the integrity of this form once filled and signed by a corresponding author.

CITATIONS

The argumentations in the submitted manuscript must be based on the cite relevant, up to-the last 10 years date, and peer-reviewed reference(s) to substantiate its content to meet a satisfying scientific logic. Excessive and inappropriate self-citation or collusion among authors to cite each other’s work are not acceptable, you may check at COPE citation manipulation. The reference(s) must not display undue bias(es) against any specific research group, organization, or journal.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The author(s) are obligated to disclose any actual and/or potential conflict of interest, including any financial, personal, or other relationships with individuals or organizations that could inappropriately influence or be perceived to influence their work. Folia Medica Indonesiana follows the conflict of interest guidelines as stated at https://publicationethics.org/competinginterests.

CORRECTIONS, CONCERN, RETRACTIONS

When it may come to necessarily make changes to the published work, the editor(s) ensure the changes are implemented according to the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Any modifications will be accompanied by a post-publication announcement that will be permanently linked to the original article. This may take the form of a correction notice (Corrigendum or Erratum), an Expression of Concern, a Retraction, or, in some exceptional cases, a Removal. The objective of this approach is to uphold the integrity of the scholarly record by ensuring careful and transparent changes.

A correction notice will be issued when it is necessary to rectify error(s), or omission that may affect the interpretation of the article, while preserving the scholarly integrity of the work. Examples include the mislabeling of a figure, the omission of financing information, or the absence of disclosures regarding the authors' competing interests. The journal uses two types of correction notices: a Corrigendum is generally issued for error(s) made by the authors, while an Erratum is typically issued for error(s) made by the publisher.

The authors may request the retraction of their article via the corresponding author, by emailing the Editor in-Chief, a letter of retraction with a valid justification. A coherent rationale for the retraction must be provided. A Retraction will be considered by the editors when a significant error (e.g., in the data analysis or methodology) undermines the article's result and/or conclusions; or when any type of research and/or publication misconduct occur (e.g., fabricating data, falsifying data, fallacy in logics, manipulating images, any type of plagiarism, duplication in publication, etc.). Retractions are typically not granted to address authorship issues; in such cases, issuing a Corrigendum is the optimal course of action. Although this will need the authors’ ability to substantiate the alteration in authorship, typically requiring endorsement from their respective institutions. Any Retractions published in our journal must interconnect with the original publication, and vice versa. The retracted article must be distinctly identified, and the original HTML version will persist, with both the HTML and PDF formats of the original article digitally marked as ‘Retracted.’ To mitigate the effects of erroneous or deceptive publications, all efforts will be made to publish retractions promptly. The decision to retract an article must be made in accordance with COPE principles. 

An Expression of Concern can be submitted by any scholars when significant problem, such as serious misconduct in research or publication, have been identified in a published paper; although the investigation by the journal has not yet concluded, or is delayed due to multiple factors i.e. the author(s) are not responsive after at least two notification emails have been sent by the journal. The Expression of Concern must be done by presenting objective evidence based on the peer-reviewed scientific reference(s). Once the investigation is complete, the editors will decide on whether a Retraction, or a Correction should be issued. If any, both will remain the integral part of the published record alongside the original article. 

A removal notice will only be issued in an exceptional case when issues cannot be resolved through a Retraction or Correction. Examples include cases where the article’s content is libelous, violates legal rights, or is subjected to a court order. In a case of redundant and/or duplication in publication, Folia Medica Indonesiana follows the guidelines as outlined in https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/suspected-redundant-publication-published-manuscript.

CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION

All submitted manuscripts contain details and/or photo(s) of any persons, must be done anonymously and only after obtaining a signed informed consent for publication from that individual (or from the legal guardian(s), if under 18 years old). This consent for publication must be obtained from the next of kin in the case of a deceased individual, proven by a legal form accordingly. The author(s) may use the Patient Consent for Publication form to secure permission prior to publication in our journal, or any other type of similar consent forms from the respective institution according to the study location. This form must be submitted alongside the manuscript and will be handled confidentially. The consent form must specify that the details and/or image(s) of the person(s) are allowed to be publicly accessible, and/or  may be viewed by the general public under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC-BY-NC-SA).

PROTECTION OF PATIENT'S RIGHTS TO PRIVACY

Identifying information must not be disclosed in written descriptions, images, sonograms, radiographs (including plain photos, CT scans, and MRI), or pedigrees, unless it is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or their parent/guardian, if applicable) has provided informed consent for publication. Authors must ensure that patient identities are removed from figures unless explicit consent has been obtained.

The journal follows ICMJE guidelines, which specify:

1. Authors, not the journal or publisher, are responsible for obtaining the patient consent form before publication and ensuring it is properly archived. Consent forms should not be included in the cover letter or sent via email to the editing or publishing offices.
2. If the manuscript includes patient photos that could compromise anonymity or descriptions revealing the patient's identity, a statement confirming that informed consent has been obtained must be included in the manuscript.

CONFIDENTIALITY

A submitted manuscript is considered confidential content. Folia Medica Indonesiana will not disclose any parts of submitted papers to any parties other than those involved in the processing and/or preparation of the manuscript for publication, contingent upon acceptance. The parties include, although may not be restricted to, the editors of our journal, the corresponding author on behalf of all authors, the prospective reviewers (abstract only), the actual peer-reviewers, and the publisher team. In cases of alleged misconduct, the submitted manuscript may be disclosed to the members of the ethical committees of Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, for the resolution of the issue. In this matter, Folia Medica Indonesiana adheres to the relevant COPE values (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/risk-published-data; https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/risk-unpublished-data) and also from https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/publishing-ethics.

COPYRIGHT

Authors contributing to Folia Medica Indonesiana agree to publish their articles under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license, allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, under the condition that the material is not used for commercial purpose, that appropriate credit is given, that a link to the license is provided, and that you indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

WHO CAN SUBMIT?

Anyone can submit an original work for publication in Folia Medica Indonesiana as long as he or she is the legal owner of the manuscript and has agreed to transfer the copyright of the manuscript to Folia Medica Indonesiana  (CTA).

USER RIGHTS

Folia Medica Indonesiana is an Open Access journal. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles under the following conditions https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en/; the copyright statement is also embedded in each published article.

AUTHOR RIGHTS

As further described in our CTA form, in consideration for the publication of the article, the authors transfer copyright of the article to Folia Medica Indonesiana. The journal and its publisher are granted the publishing and distribution rights. Our journal applies a CC-BY-NC-SA license; check what you can do and what you must do with this type of license whenever using our materials.

DATA FALSIFICATION AND FABRICATION

In instances where intentional measures have been employed to improperly alter or falsify data or when a manuscript is proven to contain fabricated data in part or in whole, this constitutes a serious violation intended to deceive others and undermine the integrity of the scholarly record, leading to extensive and lasting repercussions. Authors must ensure that all data in their submission are accurate and truly represent their work when submitting to the journal. Authors are required to retain all raw data used in their articles to facilitate the journal's manuscript evaluation process. If the original data cannot be provided upon request from the editor(s), the acceptance of a manuscript or a published work may be refused or retracted. In a case of lost raw data, our journal adopts the advice from https://publicationethics.org/guidance/case/lost-raw-data. The authors can also submit the supplementary data alongside the manuscript, if necessary.

Data Sharing

Folia Medica Indonesiana is committed to a more open research landscape, facilitating faster and more effective research discovery by enabling reproducibility and verification of data, methodology, and reporting standards. Authors are required to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or absence of shared data, so that this statement can be published in the paper (in the 'Data Availability Statement', typically before the 'References', please see our document templates). The authors use their own draft of the 'Data Availability Statement' and submit it under 'Others' in our Editorial Manager. For authors who have shared data, this statement will describe how the data can be accessed and include a persistent identifier (e.g., a DOI for the data or an accession number) from the repository where the data has been shared. Any shared data should be properly cited, and again, maintained with anonymity and confidentiality. Whenever possible, the scripts and other artifacts used to generate the analyses presented in the paper should also be publicly archived. All of these should be uploaded via our Editorial Manager under the 'Dataset' button. If authors are unable to share data (for example, if sharing data compromises ethical standards or legal requirements), then they are not required to share it and must provide a written statement signed by all authors explaining the reason, and submit it under 'Others' in our Editorial Manager.

All authors always ensure that the process of data sharing is kept under the license we adopt (CC-BY-NC-SA), while maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of each data related to any individuals. Please check several links that our journal adopts regarding the issue, especially to protect the minors (https://wame.org/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals; https://publicationethics.org/guidance/case/confidentiality-and-privacy-issue; https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/tools-and-resources/research-data).

Intellectual Property Policy

All content in this journal is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA. Upon signing the CTA form, authors transfer the copyright of their paper(s) to the journal. Authors may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as adapt the material, provided they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They may not apply legal terms or technological measures that restrict others from exercising the rights granted by the license.

Additionally, authors may not use the material for commercial purposes. If they remix, transform, or build upon the material, they must distribute their contributions under the same license as the original. The author(s) retain moral rights to their work but grant the journal an exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the content. Authors must ensure that their submissions are original, free of third-party copyright issues, and properly cited. The journal reserves the right to take appropriate action if copyright violations are identified.

DESK REJECTION

The Editorial Board may reject a submitted manuscript during the editorial process. These are the following conditions commonly identified:

1. The subject matter of the study is not relevant to the journal's aim and scope.
2. There are violations of publication ethics, non-compliance with international standards, or plagiarism (defined as a similarity rate exceeding 17%, detected using our similarity rate tool).
3. The study lacks significant impact and does not provide novel insights into the discipline.
4. The study design has methodological shortcomings.
5.  The study's purpose is not clearly articulated.
6.  The study's analysis is flawed and/or missing key components.
7.  There are massive grammatical errors and/or stylistic inconsistencies.
8.  The manuscript does not adhere to the Author Guidelines.

For further reference, please check https://scholarly.unair.ac.id/fk-fmi/instruction-for-author.html.

DUPLICATE SUBMISSION PUBLICATION

Upon submission, authors must confirm that their work has not been published in any type of platform anywhere else, and is not under consideration elsewhere, as stated and signed in our Author's Declaration & CTA form. Therefore, a duplicate submission or publication is considered intentional. This includes the article(s) previously published in other language(s). Authors must obtain permission from the original article’s publisher and copyright holder for acceptable secondary submissions or publications (e.g., an article translated into English), in accordance with ICMJE guidelines. The submitted manuscript in our journal must not contain the same variable(s) from any author's previous publication. Under special circumstances, the Editorial Board may continue the editorial process, a submitted manuscript containing similar variables from the author's previous publication, provided with a scientific justification and successfully show significant development from their previous work.

IMAGE MANIPULATION

Intentional measures employed to improperly alter or falsify an image constitutes a serious kind of wrongdoing intended to deceive others and undermine the integrity of the scholarly record, resulting in extensive and enduring repercussions. The journal mandates that all photographs in articles must be precise and unaltered. Specific elements within a picture must not be improved, disguised, relocated, eliminated, or inserted without proper notification of the alteration. Modifications to the brightness, contrast, or color balance of an image are permissible provided they do not obscure, remove, or mislead the information contained in the original. The organization of figures or the accompanying figure legend(s) must clearly indicate the grouping of images from various sections of gels, western blots, or microscopy images. If the original, unaltered photographs cannot be provided upon request by the journal, the acceptance of a manuscript or paper may be refused or withdrawn. Please see https://scholarly.unair.ac.id/fk-fmi/instruction-for-author.html for further details.

THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Folia Medica Indonesiana adopts values stated at https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/the-use-of-generative-ai-and-ai-assisted-technologies-in-writing-for-elsevier.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

Folia Medica Indonesiana is an Open Access journal under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-SA). The user(s) are free to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format; to adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as the user(s) follow the license terms, in which the user(s) must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The user(s) may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses the user(s). The user(s) may not use the material for commercial purposes. If the user(s) remix, transform, or build upon the material, the user(s) must distribute the user(s)' contributions under the same license as the original. The user(s) may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

ARCHIVING

All articles published in Folia Medica Indonesiana are archived in CLOCKSS to ensure a distributed archiving system among participating libraries, allowing those libraries to create a permanent archive of the journal for preservation and restoration. Articles also receive Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) from the CrossRef organization to guarantee they can always be retrieved.

REFERENCE MANAGER

Every article submitted to Folia Medica Indonesiana shall use reference management software, e.g., EndNote® or Mendeley.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Folia Medica Indonesiana adheres to the ethical standards established by the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) (https://www.wma.net/policy/current-policies/), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC) for all published manuscript containing research on humans and/or using animals models. Folia Medica Indonesiana is committed to maintaining ethical standards and protecting the rights, privacy, and welfare of participants; including for the minority groups if applicable.

This principle also pertains to the use of animal models in research (https://publicationethics.org/case/ethical-standards-animal-research). Universitas Airlangga, the publisher, maintains these standards and guarantees that editorial decisions are impartial. The author(s) and peer-reviewer(s) are both oblivious to the other, ensuring that a submitted manuscript is subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer-review. Folia Medica Indonesiana does not tolerate any form of plagiarism. We employ https://turnitin.com to evaluate the similarity rate of all submitted manuscripts. A manuscript with a similarity rate of more than 17% will be rejected.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must provide a clear and accurate report of their research, presenting an objective discussion of its significance. Data should be truthfully presented, and authors must be prepared to make raw data publicly accessible for at least two years after publication. Work must be entirely original, with proper acknowledgement of others’ ideas or work, and plagiarism is strictly unethical. Authors must disclose any financial or other conflict of interest that could influence their findings. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all contributors meet authorship criteria and have reviewed and approved the final manuscript before submission, with proper acknowledgment given to those who do not qualify as authors. If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in published work, the author must notify the editor promptly and cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction, ensuring the integrity of the academic record.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers assist the editorial board in making publication decisions by providing objective, constructive feedback aimed at improving the manuscript. Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate. Reviewers must decline invitations if unqualified to evaluate the research or unable to meet the deadline. They should also avoid evaluating manuscripts where there is a conflict of interest, such as financial, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, institution, or companies involved. Manuscript under review must be treated as confidential, and reviewers should not use it for personal gain. They are also expected to identify relevant works not cited by the authors and ensure proper attribution, reporting any significant overlap or similarity with other published works to the editor.

Editor Responsibilities

Editor decides which to publish based on reviewer recommendations and legal standards, such as those on libel, copyright, and plagiarism. Editorial decisions are impartial, free from biases related to authors’ nationality, ethnicity, politics, race, or religion. They must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts, sharing information only with those involved in the review process. Unpublished material cannot be used for personal research without the author’s written consent. Research funding sources and their role in the study or publication must be disclosed to ensure transparency. Editors oversee a fair, impartial, and timely peer-review process, ensuring unbiased handling of submission from editorial board members. Reviewer feedback is fully shared with authors unless inappropriate. Editors acknowledge reviewer contributions and discontinue the service of those providing poor-quality, discourteous, or delayed reviews. The uphold publication quality by ensuring research involving human or animal subjects has ethical approval, addressing intellectual property concerns, and correcting errors or inaccuracies in published work to maintain the journal’s integrity.

Research Ethics & Consent

All original research articles involving humans, animals, plants, biological materials, protected or non-public datasets, collections, or places must contain a written statement in an Ethics Approval section that includes the following:
- The designation of the ethical committee(s) or institutional review board(s) engaged.
- The identification number or ID and date of the ethics approval(s).
- A declaration that human subjects have given informed permission prior to their involvement in the research.
- Research involving animals must comply with ethical norms regarding animal care. All original research publications involving animals must adhere to international, national, and institutional regulations regarding the humane treatment of animals.
- Obtain approval from the ethics review committee at the institution or practice where the research was conducted, and include specifics regarding the approval process, the names of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s) involved, and the identification number or ID and date of the ethics approval(s) in the Ethics Approval section.
- Justify the utilization of animals and the chosen species.
- Furnish details regarding housing, nutrition, environmental enrichment, and measures implemented to mitigate suffering.
- Specify the method of anesthetic and euthanasia.
- Research failing to comply with the aforementioned criteria concerning ethical approval and animal welfare will be disqualified.

a. Research Involving Humans

If the research involves human subjects, the author must assure compliance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for human experimentation. The paper must adhere to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and strive for the inclusion of representative human populations regarding sex, age, and ethnicity in accordance with those guidelines. The phrases sex and gender must be utilized accurately. All protocols must have received approval from the authors' institutional or pertinent ethical commission (Institutional Review Board, IRB) to ensure compliance with national and international criteria. Submission of an article must include details of this approval, such as the institution, review board name, and permit number(s). Ethics approval must be secured prior to conducting the research; retrospective approval is typically unattainable, and publication of the work may be infeasible. Authors must add a statement in the publication confirming that informed consent was acquired for testing with human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must be consistently upheld.

b. Research Involving Animals

All animal experiments must adhere to the ARRIVE guidelines and be conducted in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986, the EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experimentation, or the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Authors must explicitly state in the manuscript that these guidelines have been followed. The sex of animals must be specified, and when relevant, the impact of sex on the study's results should be noted. Experiments with vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must adhere to the ethical criteria established by the authors' institution and applicable national or international regulations. Where relevant, a declaration of ethics approval or animal licenses should be incorporated. In every instance, a declaration must be issued to affirm that all measures were used to alleviate any animal suffering, accompanied by specifics on the methods employed.

c. Research Involving Plants

Research on plants must adhere to the protocols established by the authors' institution and any national or international regulations. Where relevant, a declaration of granted permits or licenses should be incorporated. Authors must adhere to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

 

COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

If readers have any concerns or complaints regarding published articles, we encourage them to first reach out to the corresponding author in an attempt to resolve the issue directly, prior to contacting the editorial office.

If it is impractical to contact the authors directly, if they are unresponsive, or if the issues persist unresolved, readers are encouraged to contact the editorial office. Upon receipt of such communications, the editorial office will engage with the complainant, the author(s), as well as the editor-in-chief or members of the editorial board to thoroughly investigate, discuss, and resolve any concerns or grievances raised.

Any complaints, comments, or requests for updates pertaining to the scholarly integrity, ethical considerations, or legal aspects of the published article or its peer review process will be carefully examined as necessary. The editorial office, in collaboration with the editorial board and under the final approval of the editor-in-chief, will conduct comprehensive investigations in line with publication ethics guidelines established by COPE. Additional consultations with relevant parties, such as university officials or specialists, may be sought as appropriate, especially in cases involving legal implications.

It is important to note that personal opinions or critiques will not be considered. All complaints, including those submitted anonymously, will be thoroughly assessed. Should complainants wish to discuss their concerns confidentially, they are encouraged to request such discussions with the editorial office. According to internal procedures, confidentiality will be maintained to the best of our ability.

Decisions regarding corrections, comments and replies, expressions of concerns, or retractions resulting from investigations will be made by the editor-in-chief, section editor, or editorial board members and communicated to the authors accordingly. 

In cases where complaints are found to be unsubstantiated, further communication will only be entertained upon presentation of additional evidence supporting the concerns raised.

During an inquiry, complainants may not receive updates on the investigation's progress until a final decision is reached. However, they will be promptly informed of any new developments. Please keep in mind that members of the editorial board and editorial office are not obligated to provide additional information. Communication may be terminated if discussions deviate from respectful and constructive dialogue. Readers are advised that conducting inquiries is a meticulous process that demands careful consideration and time.

 

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE

We do not apply any publication charges. We also do not apply for any other charges, i.e., submission and processing charges.

PLAGIARISM CHECK

Folia Medica Indonesiana enforces a strict rule against plagiarism, prohibiting the use of others' ideas, words, or labor without proper attribution. Submissions that exhibit plagiarism in any form, duplicate or repetitive publishing, or self-plagiarism (in the same or a different language) will be rejected. The corresponding author is accountable for the manuscript during and after the evaluation and publication processes, possessing the authority to represent all co-authors. Manuscripts exhibiting an unacceptable similarity index due to plagiarism are promptly rejected. 

PREPRINTS POLICY

Folia Medica Indonesiana does not accept manuscripts previously posted on preprint servers or repositories, as we consider such dissemination as prior publication. To ensure originality and maintain the integrity of the peer-review process, all submissions must be unpublished and exclusive to Folia Medica Indonesiana.