The Al-Shifa Journal of Ophthalmology (ASJO)

The Al-Shifa Journal of Ophthalmology (ASJO) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in scholarly publishing. These policies ensure that research published in the journal complies with internationally recognized standards for responsible conduct of research and publication ethics.

1. Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Authorship must be based on substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation of the study, and drafting or revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content.
All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission.
Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria (e.g., statistical analysis, administrative support, technical assistance) should be acknowledged appropriately.
Any addition, deletion, or change in authorship after submission must be justified in writing and approved by all authors and the editorial board.

2. Complaints and Appeals Policy

Authors or readers may submit complaints or appeals related to editorial decisions, ethical concerns, or journal procedures in writing to the Editor-in-Chief.
A structured three-step process will be followed:

Initial Review – Conducted by the Editor-in-Chief.
Editorial Board Assessment – If unresolved, the issue is reviewed collectively by the editorial board.
Independent Review – In complex or disputed cases, an external ethics or advisory committee may be consulted.

Appeals against rejections must be based on strong scientific justification or procedural error and should be submitted within 30 days of the decision.

3. Conflict of Interest / Competing Interests Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including financial, professional, personal, or institutional affiliations that could influence the research or its interpretation.
A Conflict of Interest Statement must be included within the manuscript.
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in rejection or retraction of the article.

4. Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy

Authors must provide access to underlying data, statistical methods, and research protocols upon reasonable request to facilitate reproducibility.
For clinical and patient-based data, appropriate anonymization must be ensured.
Authors are encouraged to deposit relevant data in publicly accessible repositories and include a Data Availability Statement in their manuscript.

5. Ethical Oversight Policy

ASJO adheres to international ethical guidelines including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Trial Registry.
Research involving human participants, animals, or identifiable data must receive approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.
Authors must clearly state in the manuscript that ethical approval and informed consent were obtained.
Informed consent should include information on the study’s purpose, procedures, potential risks, and participant rights.

6. Policy on Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

Studies involving vulnerable populations including children, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, economically disadvantaged groups, or those with limited autonomy require special ethical consideration.
Authors must demonstrate compliance with ethical principles ensuring voluntary participation, parental or guardian consent (for minors), and protection of privacy and welfare.
The consent process must be age-appropriate and culturally sensitive.
Ethical approval from a competent authority must specifically address safeguards for such populations.

7. Clinical Trials Policy

Clinical trials must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and be registered in a publicly accessible registry recognized by the WHO Clinical Trial Registry Platform or equivalent.
Trial registration number and registry name must be mentioned at the end of the abstract and in the Methods section.
Authors should follow the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines for reporting randomized controlled trials.
Informed consent from all participants must be obtained before recruitment, and the rights, safety, and confidentiality of participants must be protected.

8. Intellectual Property Policy

Authors retain copyright of their published work while granting the journal a non-exclusive license for publication and dissemination.
ASJO operates under an open-access model and publishes articles under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license.
Authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions to reproduce third-party materials such as images, figures, or tables.

9. Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy

Readers may submit comments or discussions related to published articles through the Letters to the Editor section.
Corrections are issued under the following categories:

Erratum: Minor errors that do not affect conclusions.
Corrigendum: Author-identified errors post-publication.
Retraction: Major ethical or data integrity issues that invalidate the findings.

Retractions and corrections are processed in accordance with COPE guidelines to ensure transparency and accountability.