Ethical and Editorial Policies

Salud UIS journal adheres to the relevant ethical regulations for each type of publication (human research following the Declaration of Helsinki and the regulations of the country where the research is conducted). It also follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Publication Ethical Guidelines of Academy Publisher, and Elsevier. Additionally, every manuscript submitted for review must meet the following requirements:

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must confirm, through a copyright transfer agreement and a conflict of interest declaration or a statement of originality, that they agree to submit their article for evaluation by the journal's editorial committees. The article must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration or accepted elsewhere.
Authors must disclose any potential conflict of interest (academic, commercial, financial, personal, or political) that could unduly influence any part of the publication process.

Authors' Contributions

Authors must include the initials of their names and detail their specific contributions to the research. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) defines authorship based on compliance with all the following four criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; 
2. Drafting the article or critically revising it for important intellectual content;
3. Final approval of the version to be published;
4. Accountability for all aspects of the work to ensure integrity and accuracy.

Ethical Considerations

Authors must provide information about the ethical approval of their studies by the corresponding institutions and bioethics committees, if applicable. They must report on informed consent from participants, including presentation of study objectives, right to decline participation, risks and benefits, confidentiality, contact information of the investigators, and the right to ask questions. If videos or recordings are involved, this must be explicitly addressed in the consent form.

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of research funding, or otherwise declare that the article was self-funded.

AI Technology Support

Authors must indicate whether or not artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in the writing of the manuscript, specifying their purpose if applicable. If not used, they must include a statement affirming that no AI, language models, machine learning, or similar technologies were involved in the creation of the article. Salud UIS allows the use of AI to improve the readability and language of text, tables, and figures. However, AI cannot be cited as an author nor be used to perform research tasks such as scientific knowledge generation, data analysis or interpretation, or drawing scientific conclusions, as authors must ensure the originality and integrity of the manuscript.

Reviewers' Responsibilities

The double-blind peer review system implemented by Salud UIS encourages reviewers to provide constructive feedback to improve manuscripts and contribute significantly to editorial decisions. Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest (e.g., collaborative relationships with authors), decline if they feel unqualified, or report if they lack time to complete the review within the given deadline.
Manuscripts must be handled confidentially and not shared or discussed without editorial permission. Reviews must be objective, clearly reasoned, and supported by literature if necessary. Reviewers should avoid inappropriate criticism. They must also identify relevant literature not cited by the authors and provide proper references. If similarity with another published work is identified, reviewers must inform the editor.

Editors’ Responsibilities

The editor’s decision is based on peer review and editorial board input, guided by scientific content without regard to ethnicity, political beliefs, nationality, race, or gender. Editors must ensure compliance with legal requirements related to copyright, reject plagiarism and defamation, and maintain confidentiality.
Editors must not use unpublished material for personal benefit and must disclose conflicts of interest related to the manuscripts under consideration. Articles not subject to peer review (letters, editorials, special communications) are accepted based on academic and scientific merit and reader interest, not commercial influence.

Editorial Policies

Open Access Policy: All editorial process costs are covered by the publisher. Salud UIS does not charge authors any fees for submission or article processing (APC).

Author Fees Policy: The journal provides immediate free access to its content under the principle that open access to research fosters global knowledge exchange.

Similarity Policy: Salud UIS uses Turnitin to detect plagiarism. Only manuscripts with a similarity index below 20% will be accepted.

Complaints Policy: If readers, authors, or editorial team members identify significant errors in a published article, they must notify the editor immediately. Authors must provide evidence, cooperate in publishing an erratum, correction, or, if necessary, retract the article.

Retraction Policy: Salud UIS follows COPE's retraction guidelines to uphold the scientific integrity of the journal. A manuscript may be retracted if:

1. Results are unreliable due to data fabrication, falsification, or serious errors
2. Plagiarism is confirmed;
3. The article is a redundant publication without proper justification or permission;
4. Unauthorized use of materials or data is identified;
5. Copyright has been infringed or legal issues are present;
6. Peer review was manipulated;
7. Undisclosed conflicts of interest are deemed to have influenced interpretations;
8. Simultaneous submission/publication is detected.

The retraction process will follow COPE guidelines: COPE Retraction Guidelines 2019 and be announced across all indexing databases and at http://retractionwatch.com.

Retractions are issued when errors compromise data interpretation or when ethical misconduct is involved. Article withdrawal (removal) is permitted only in cases involving legal violations, defamation, or false/inaccurate data, and a withdrawal notice will be issued accordingly.