2. Guidelines and policies
2.1 General editorial policies
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis adheres to the editorial guidelines of leading bodies in the field, including the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors guidelines on editorial independence, the publication best practices code by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the EQUATOR network, ensuring editorial independence, best practice in publication, and providing checklist and advice for maintaining high standards in research reporting.
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis invites submissions of original research articles, literature reviews, systematic reviews, case reports, case series, letter to the editor and editorials. All data included in the manuscripts are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or its Editorial Board members.
For submissions to the Journal of Oral Diagnosis, it is imperative that all articles be original and not currently under evaluation or submitted elsewhere. Authors are required to include this statement in their cover letter.
Information concerning to potential conflicts of interests, authors’ contributions, ORCiD numbers, dates of initial submission, revised version submission, and final acceptance will be included in the articles. Additionally, if the study has been previously presented at conferences, this information will also be disclosed and made accessible within the article.
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis adheres to the open science model and, thus clearing authors from any article processing charges.
2.2 Peer-review process
Articles submitted to the Journal of Oral Diagnosis undergo a single-blinded review process, although authors may request an informed peer-review process. Upon submission, all manuscripts will be initially reviewed by the editorial assistant to ensure adherence to the journal’s formatting guidelines. Subsequently, the Editor-in-chief evaluates the suitability of the manuscript for publication. Those considered suitable will be assigned to an Associate Editor, who oversees the selection of a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to evaluate the scientific quality of the paper. The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles rests with the Editor-in-Chief, based on the reviewers’ comments and their own assessment.
The peer-review process for the Journal of Oral Diagnosis is conducted entirely through our online submission system. Articles undergo through evaluation and may be rejected, accepted pending minor or major revisions, or accepted without revisions. Authors are promptly notified of the decision via a letter.
Each manuscript undergoes the same rigorous peer-review process to ensure quality and integrity. The journal maintains strict adherence to ethical policies, managing any potential conflicts of interest with transparency and impartiality. Editors abstain from involvement in decisions regarding their own work, as well as that of family members, colleagues, or those with any related interest.
While the publication timely may vary, we strive to minimize the total time from submission to final publication. Articles not accepted for publication will be promptly returned to the authors along with comments from the Editor and/or Reviewers. The entire process, spanning from initial submission to the final editorial decision, can be monitored electronically via the journal’s online submission platform, accessible at https://jordi.com.br/.
2.3 Appeal and Complaints
Authors have the option to appeal an editorial decision if they believe it was based on a misunderstanding of the manuscript or concerns regarding the manuscript-handling process. To initiate an appeal, please contact the journal via email, including your manuscript ID number and providing a detailed explanation for your appeal. It’s important to note that the editor’s decision following an appeal is final.
2.4 Authorship and disclosures policies/Author contributions and responsibility
To ensure transparency, the Journal of Oral Diagnosis requires that corresponding authors provide co-author contributions to the manuscript using the relevant CRediT roles (https://credit.niso.org/). Approval of the final version of the manuscript by all authors is mandatory, with this affirmation stated in the cover letter. The authors' contributions will be acknowledged at the published articles.
2.5 Changes in authorship after submission
After submission, alterations to authorship (including changes to order, additions, inclusions or exclusions) will only be possible upon receipt of a written request signed by all authors detailing the reasons for the required changes.
2.6 ORCiD
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis requires that at least the corresponding author provide an ORCiD number (https://orcid.org/) when submitting a manuscript.
2.7 The use of artificial intelligence tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies should be utilized only for enhancing the readability and language quality of the manuscript. However, it is crucial that authors hold full responsibility and accountability for the content of their work. Consequently, authors must include a statement in the Acknowledgements section, disclosing the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies. This disclosure requirement excludes basic grammar, spelling, and reference checking tools. Furthermore, AI technologies should not be credited as authors or co-authors under any circumstances.
2.8 Acknowledgments
Contributions from anyone who does not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, with permission from the respective contributor.
2.9 Conflict of interest statement
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis requires all authors to disclose any potential Conflict of Interest by filling the ICMJE Conflict of Interest disclosure form, available at http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/.
2.10 Funding disclosure statement
Authors are required to disclose all financial support received. This should be done using the author’s initials, followed by a brief description, and should include the name of the funding agency along with any grant identification number(s).
2.11 Language
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis accepts articles written in standard, grammatically correct English, following either American or British conventions, but not both concurrently. Depending on the editorial assessment, authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts with assistance of a professional English proofreader. However, such revisions do not assure publication. Articles submitted with significantly poor English might be rejected at the initial review process, which may also be cited as a potential reason for rejection by the ad-hoc reviewers. When editing is requested by the journal's editors, authors are responsible for making these adjustments themselves and covering any associated costs.
2.12 Studies and reports involving humans
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis endorses and requests that authors adhere to the ICMJE recommendations for the protection of research participants. All studies and reports must comply with the Helsinki Declaration, as revised in 2013.
Patients have a right to privacy; therefore, obtaining informed consent is mandatory. Identifying information, such as patients’ names, initials, or institutional affiliations, should be excluded from written descriptions or photographs.
Authors are requested to declare in both the cover letter and the main manuscript’s Material and Methods section whether their study has been undergone evaluation by their national and/or institutional ethical research committee and has obtained approval. Additionally, the authors are advised to provide the process number issued by their Ethics Committee.
For case reports, case series or research articles containing patient data or photos from the patients, authors are advised to either avoid patient identification or disclose in the cover letter if informed consent has been obtained and archived. The informed consent should be kept under the researchers' responsibility and made available if requested by the journal.
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis reserves the right to reject manuscripts lacking clear evidence that the methods employed were appropriate and ethically previously approved for human experimentation.
2.13 Studies involving animals
In the Methods section of the manuscript, it is crucial to include a statement affirming that the protocol and procedures employed underwent ethical review and approval. Additionally, the name of the approving body must be specified. Authors are strongly encouraged to comply with animal research reporting standards, such as the ARRIVE guidelines, which encompass reporting on study design, statistical analysis, experimental procedures, and animal housing and husbandry. Authors should also indicate whether experiments were conducted in accordance with pertinent institutional and national guidelines governing the care and use of laboratory animals.
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis reserves the right to reject manuscripts lacking clear evidence that the methods employed were appropriate and previously ethically approved for animal experimentation.
2.14 Clinical Trial Registration
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis requires that clinical trials be registered in a publicly accessible database, with their respective registration numbers included in manuscripts reporting their findings. Registration can be completed through Clinicaltrials.gov (http://prsinfo.clinicaltrials.gov/) or the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) database (http://www.controlled-trials.com/).
2.15 Corrections and retractions
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis utilizes Plagius© software to actively screen submitted manuscripts for similarities with previously published material. Each manuscript undergoes evaluation at least once during the peer-review process. Any suspect malpractice or misconduct, either during the peer-review or after publication, must be reported via email to the Editor-in-Chief, providing a detailed report of the concerns.
All reported cases of suspected misconduct will be thoroughly investigated, including communication with the parties involved and their institutions if required. Depending on the severity of the issue and the progress of the investigation, the Editors-in-Chief might issue an expression of concern prior to its conclusion. If malpractice or misconduct is confirmed, the Editors will proceed with either a full or partial retraction notice and update the retracted article accordingly.
2.16 Publication ethics and malpractice statement
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis upholds rigorous ethical standards throughout its editorial process, prioritizing the preservation of academic integrity. Our editorial board is committed to ensuring that ethical guidelines are rigorously observed, preventing plagiarism and the dissemination of fraudulent data in this publication.
All submissions to the Journal of Oral Diagnosis will be treated as confidential documents and will be exclusively evaluated by the editorial board members. Utilizing a single-blinded peer-review strategy, we ensure that assessments are made solely on academic merit, devoid of any influence based on authors demographics or affiliations.
The editors will not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, editors, and publisher. The editorial board members will not use any information of a submitted manuscript for their research purposes before the article is published. Information obtained by the Journal staff as a result of handling the paper will be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Handling Editors will transfer to other members of the editorial board manuscripts in which they have any potential conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis adheres to the ethical guidelines proposed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE – https://publicationethics.org), the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (ICMJE - http://www.icmje.org), and Scielo’s Guidelines on Best Practices (https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Guide-to-Best-Practices-for-Strengthening-Ethics-in-Scientific-Publishing.pdf).
Editors will take active measures when ethical concerns are raised about a submitted or published manuscript, investigating issues according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines when dealing with suspected misconduct cases throughout the peer-review process, reviewers remain anonymous and are instructed to be objective, declare any conflict of interest, and maintain confidentiality.
2.17 Reporting Guidelines
Authors are encouraged to adhere to best practices when designing and writing their manuscripts. The Journal of Oral Diagnosis advises authors to consult appropriate guidelines pertaining to the specific type of study they are reporting. As outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), recommended resources include:
- Randomized trials: CONSORT
- Observational studies: STROBE
- Systematic reviews: PRISMA and PROSPERO (the registration number must be provided)
- Case reports: CARE
- Qualitative research: SRQR
- Diagnostic / prognostic studies: STARD
- Quality improvement studies: SQUIRE
- Animal pre-clinical studies: ARRIVE
- Study protocols: SPIRIT
- Clinical practice guidelines: AGREE
2.18 Open access
The Journal of Oral Diagnosis is an open access publication, providing unrestricted access to all its content without any cost to the user or their affiliated institution. The journal ensures that accepted articles are disseminated under the provisions of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
2.19 Copyright
Authors of articles published in the Journal of Oral Diagnosis retain copyright of their work without restrictions, licensing it under the Creative Commons Attribution License - CC-BY. The license permits unrestricted reuse and distribution of articles, as long as the original work is properly cited.
2.20 Statement of Clinical Significance
Provide a concise statement of clinical relevance (max 400 characters) highlighting the most impactful conclusion of your manuscript. This statement should clearly convey the practical implications of your findings for clinical practice and patient care.
