Overview

All manuscripts submitted to J Cukurova Anesth Surg must be prepared and conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE; https://www.icmje.org) and the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; https://publicationethics.org).

All submissions are screened using a plagiarism detection program prior to peer review. A minimum of two independent, double-blind peer reviewers with recognized expertise in the relevant subject area are assigned by the editors for each manuscript.

1. Responsibilities of Authors

1.1. General Obligations

Authors must comply with all authorship criteria and conflict of interest disclosure requirements as defined by ICMJE (https://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/) and COPE (https://publicationethics.org/files/code_of_conduct_for_journal_editors_mar11.pdf). By submitting a manuscript to J Cukurova Anesth Surg, authors confirm that:

• The manuscript represents original work that has not been published previously in any language or format
• The manuscript is not currently under review at any other journal
• All authors have read and approved the final submitted version
• The corresponding author takes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the work on behalf of all co-authors

1.2. Predatory and Pseudo-Journals

A growing number of entities present themselves as legitimate scholarly journals while failing to meet basic standards of scientific publishing. These predatory or pseudo-journals typically accept manuscripts indiscriminately for a fee, falsely claim to conduct peer review, and may deliberately adopt names similar to well-established journals. They may also falsely claim membership of or compliance with ICMJE, COPE, or WAME.

Authors are responsible for evaluating the integrity, reputation, and publishing practices of any journal to which they submit their work. Resources to assist in identifying reputable peer-reviewed journals include:

• WAME: http://www.wame.org/identifying-predatory-or-pseudo-journals
• WAME Principles of Transparency: http://www.wame.org/about/principles-of-transparency-and-best-practice
• ICMJE member list: https://www.icmje.org/about-icmje/faqs/icmje-journals/

Consulting experienced colleagues and scientific mentors is also strongly recommended.

2. Responsibilities of the Journal

2.1. Confidentiality

All submitted manuscripts are the private, confidential property of the authors. Premature or unauthorized disclosure of manuscript content can cause serious harm to authors. Accordingly, J Cukurova Anesth Surg adheres to the following confidentiality standards:

• Editors must not share any information about a submitted manuscript — including its receipt, content, review status, reviewer critiques, or final decision — with anyone other than the authors and assigned reviewers
• Requests from third parties to access manuscripts or review reports for legal or other purposes must be refused; editors must make every effort not to provide such materials even if subpoenaed
• Reviewers and all editorial staff are required to treat manuscripts and all associated information as strictly confidential; they must not publicly discuss authors’ work or use authors’ ideas before publication
• Reviewers must not retain manuscripts for personal use; all physical copies must be destroyed and all electronic copies deleted upon submission of the review
• Upon rejection, journal editorial systems should delete copies of manuscripts unless local regulations require retention; where rejected manuscripts are retained, this practice must be disclosed in the Author Guidelines
• Upon publication, the journal will retain records of original submissions, reviewer reports, revisions, and correspondence for a minimum of three years, and potentially in perpetuity, in accordance with applicable regulations
• Reviewer identities are protected under the journal’s double-blind peer review policy and must not be disclosed to authors or third parties without the reviewer’s explicit written consent
• Reviewer comments must not be published or shared publicly without the consent of both the reviewer and the author
• Confidentiality may be breached only in cases of suspected or confirmed research misconduct; in such cases, the relevant parties will be notified before any disclosure is made

2.2. Timeliness

J Cukurova Anesth Surg is committed to processing all manuscripts in a timely and efficient manner. Editors will endeavor to communicate initial decisions within 6–8 weeks of submission. If publication will be delayed for any reason, this will be communicated to and negotiated with the authors. Manuscripts that are not suitable for the journal will be rejected as promptly as possible, allowing authors to pursue submission elsewhere without unnecessary delay.

2.3. Peer Review

J Cukurova Anesth Surg operates a rigorous double-blind peer review process in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review. Each manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two independent external reviewers with recognized expertise in the relevant field.

Key aspects of the journal’s peer review process:

• The editorial team is responsible for identifying and selecting appropriate reviewers, free from conflicts of interest
• Reviewers are provided with all materials relevant to the evaluation, including supplementary files
• Reviewer comments are assessed and interpreted in the context of each reviewer’s declared conflicts of interest
• The journal is under no obligation to send every submitted manuscript for external review; the editor-in-chief retains the right to reject a manuscript at any stage, including after acceptance, if concerns arise regarding the integrity of the work
• Final editorial decisions are the responsibility of the editor-in-chief and may take into account factors beyond scientific quality, such as relevance to the journal’s scope
• Reviewers are notified of the final editorial decision and their contributions are acknowledged on the journal website at the end of each volume year
• Editors are encouraged to share reviewer comments among co-reviewers of the same manuscript to support mutual learning and consistency
• Editors are encouraged to request research protocols, statistical analysis plans, and project-specific contracts where relevant, and to promote public availability of such documents at the time of or following publication
• The journal supports post-publication scientific dialogue; readers may submit comments, questions, or criticisms regarding published articles through the Letters to the Editor mechanism, and authors are expected to respond appropriately

2.4. Editorial Integrity

Editorial decisions at J Cukurova Anesth Surg are based solely on the scientific merit, originality, clarity, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope. Decisions are not influenced by:

• Commercial interests or relationships with the publisher
• Personal relationships or prior history with the authors
• The nationality, institutional affiliation, race, gender, or religious beliefs of the authors
• Whether the findings are statistically significant, positive, or confirmatory of accepted views

Studies with negative, null, or inconclusive findings are considered equally for publication. Such studies contribute meaningfully to the scientific record, support future meta-analyses, and help prevent unnecessary duplication of research effort.

J Cukurova Anesth Surg maintains a transparent appeals and complaints process. Authors who wish to appeal a rejection decision must submit a written rebuttal to the editorial office detailing their response to the reviewers’ and editors’ concerns. All complaints are handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

2.5. Journal Metrics

J Cukurova Anesth Surg acknowledges that journal metrics such as the impact factor are frequently misused as proxies for research quality or as measures of individual researchers’ merit in contexts such as hiring, promotion, and funding decisions. In line with ICMJE recommendations, the journal does not endorse the use of the impact factor as a singular measure of quality and encourages the use of a broader range of article- and journal-level metrics when evaluating the significance of published work.

3. Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

3.1. Confidentiality

Manuscripts submitted for peer review remain the confidential property of the authors. Reviewers must treat all manuscripts and associated materials as strictly confidential throughout and after the review process. Reviewers must not:

• Publicly discuss or disclose the content of manuscripts under review
• Use or appropriate authors’ ideas, data, or conclusions prior to publication
• Retain manuscripts for personal use beyond the review period
• Upload any portion of a manuscript to external tools, platforms, or AI systems

All copies of manuscripts — physical and electronic — must be securely destroyed or deleted upon submission of the review report.

3.2. Objectivity and Constructiveness

Reviewers are expected to provide honest, evidence-based, and constructive evaluations. Reviews must focus on the scientific content of the manuscript and must not include personal criticism of the authors. Specific and actionable recommendations for improvement are strongly encouraged.

3.3. Timeliness

Reviewers are expected to respond promptly to review invitations and to submit their completed evaluations within the agreed timeframe, typically within 3–4 weeks of accepting the invitation. Reviewers who are unable to complete a review within the agreed period must notify the editorial office immediately so that an alternative reviewer can be appointed without delay.

3.4. Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must declare any potential conflicts of interest — including personal, financial, professional, or institutional relationships with the authors or their institutions — before accepting a review invitation. Reviewers with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves from the peer-review process for that manuscript.

For further information on submission requirements and publication standards, please refer to the Author Guidelines and Ethical Principles and Publication Policy pages on this website.

Journal of Cukurova Anesthesia and Surgical Sciences (J Cukurova Anesth Surg )

Overview

The Journal of Cukurova Anesthesia and Surgical Sciences recognizes the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in scientific research and scholarly communication. This policy establishes clear and transparent standards for the acceptable use of generative AI tools — including large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and similar systems — by authors, peer reviewers, and editors involved in the journal’s publication process.

This policy is aligned with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE; https://www.icmje.org/news-and-editorials/icmje-recommendations-on-the-use-of-ai-in-scientific-publication.html), and the STM Association guidelines on generative AI.

This policy will be reviewed and updated regularly as the landscape of AI tools and their applications in scholarly publishing continues to evolve.

1. Policy for Authors

1.1. Permitted Uses

Generative AI and AI-assisted tools may be used solely to improve the language, grammar, readability, and clarity of manuscript text. Examples of permitted use include grammar checking, spell checking, and language editing for non-native English speakers.

1.2. Prohibited Uses

The following uses of AI are strictly prohibited:

• Generating, fabricating, or substantially writing any part of the manuscript content, including the Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, or Conclusion sections
• Producing, manipulating, or enhancing figures, images, clinical photographs, or graphical elements, except where AI is a defined component of the research methodology (see Section 1.4)
• Generating references, citations, or bibliographic data, as AI tools are known to produce inaccurate or entirely fabricated citations
• Conducting literature searches or systematic reviews without transparent documentation of the AI tool used and its limitations
• Using AI to interpret data or draw scientific conclusions

1.3. Mandatory Disclosure

Authors who have used any AI tool in the preparation of their manuscript must disclose this in a dedicated statement within the manuscript. This statement must appear in the Acknowledgments section and must specify:

• The name and version of the AI tool used (e.g., ChatGPT-4, Grammarly)
• The purpose for which it was used (e.g., language editing)
• Confirmation that the authors reviewed and verified all AI-generated content

Example disclosure statement: “During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used [Tool Name, Version] for the purpose of [specific use, e.g., English language editing]. The authors reviewed and take full responsibility for all content in the manuscript.”

If no AI tools were used, no statement is required.

1.4. AI as Part of Research Methodology

When AI or machine learning tools constitute a component of the research itself (e.g., AI-assisted image analysis, diagnostic algorithms, predictive modeling), this must be described in full detail in the Materials and Methods section, including the name, version, training data, validation approach, and any known limitations of the tool.

1.5. Figures, Images, and Graphical Abstracts

AI-generated or AI-modified figures, clinical images, histological images, or radiological images are not permitted in manuscripts unless the AI tool is explicitly part of the study methodology, as described in Section 1.4. The use of AI to generate graphical abstracts is not permitted. AI-generated cover art may be considered only with prior written approval from the editor-in-chief, provided that the AI-generated nature of the image is clearly attributed.

1.6. Authorship

AI tools and AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of any manuscript submitted to this journal. Authorship confers accountability, and AI tools cannot fulfill the ICMJE authorship criteria, which require the ability to approve the final manuscript, accept responsibility for the work, and respond to questions regarding its integrity. Listing an AI system as an author will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.

1.7. Author Responsibility

Authors bear full and sole responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and ethical compliance of their submitted work, regardless of whether AI tools were used in its preparation. The use of an AI tool does not diminish or transfer any aspect of this responsibility.

2. Policy for Peer Reviewers

2.1. Confidentiality Obligation

Manuscripts submitted for peer review are confidential documents that remain the intellectual property of the authors. Peer reviewers must not upload, share, or input any portion of a submitted manuscript — including text, figures, or data — into any external AI tool, platform, or language model. Doing so constitutes a breach of confidentiality and may expose the journal and its authors to violations of intellectual property rights and data privacy regulations.

2.2. Prohibition on AI-Assisted Review

Peer reviewers must not use AI tools to generate, draft, or substantially assist in writing their review reports. Peer review requires expert scientific judgment, critical thinking, and original assessment — responsibilities that cannot be delegated to automated systems. Reviewers are personally accountable for the content and quality of their evaluations.

2.3. Permitted Use

Reviewers may use standard grammar and spell-checking tools (e.g., Grammarly, built-in word processor tools) to improve the clarity of their written review, provided that no manuscript content is inputted into these tools.

2.4. Reporting Violations

Reviewers who become aware of potential AI policy violations — by themselves or others — are expected to notify the editorial office promptly.

3. Policy for Editors

3.1. Confidentiality Obligation

All manuscripts, reviewer reports, author correspondence, and editorial communications are strictly confidential. Editors must not upload any of this material to external AI tools or language models at any stage of the editorial process.

3.2. Prohibition on AI-Assisted Editorial Decisions

Editors must not use AI tools to evaluate manuscripts, assess scientific merit, or make acceptance or rejection decisions. Editorial decision-making requires expert human judgment and carries ethical and legal accountability that AI systems cannot assume. Editors are personally responsible for all editorial decisions made under their oversight.

3.3. Journal-Sanctioned AI Tools

The journal may use AI-assisted tools internally for specific administrative tasks, including similarity detection (plagiarism screening), spam filtering, and reviewer identification. All journal-sanctioned AI tools are selected with data privacy and confidentiality as primary requirements. These tools operate in compliance with applicable data protection standards and do not expose manuscript content to third parties.

3.4. Policy Enforcement

Editors who become aware of suspected violations of this AI policy — by authors, reviewers, or other editors — must report the matter to the editor-in-chief. Confirmed violations will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines for research misconduct.

4. Amendments and Updates

The journal’s AI policy will be monitored and reviewed at least annually in response to developments in AI technology, evolving best practices in scholarly publishing, and updated guidance from COPE, ICMJE, and other relevant organizations. Authors, reviewers, and editors will be notified of any substantive policy changes via the journal website.

For questions regarding this policy, please contact the editorial office at editor@jocass.org.

Journal of Cukurova Anesthesia and Surgical Sciences (J Cukurova Anesth Surg)

Overview

A conflict of interest exists when a participant in the publication process has financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could inappropriately influence — or be perceived to influence — their judgment, decisions, or actions in that process. Conflicts of interest do not necessarily imply wrongdoing; however, transparency in their disclosure is essential to maintaining the integrity and credibility of the scientific record.

All participants in the peer-review and publication process at J Cukurova Anesth Surg — including authors, peer reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and editorial staff — are required to identify, disclose, and manage any actual or potential conflicts of interest in accordance with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE; https://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE; https://publicationethics.org).

1. Authors

1.1. Disclosure Obligation

Authors are responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships that might bias, or be seen to bias, their work at the time of manuscript submission. This obligation applies to all manuscript types and all authors listed on the submission, including the corresponding author and all co-authors.

Relationships that must be disclosed include, but are not limited to:

• Employment or affiliation with any organization with a financial interest in the manuscript’s findings
• Consultancy fees, honoraria, or speaker’s bureau payments received from relevant companies or organizations
• Stock ownership or equity interests in companies related to the research
• Research funding, grants, or other financial support received from public, private, or commercial sources
• Patents held or pending that relate to the content of the manuscript
• Personal relationships (e.g., family members, close colleagues) with individuals who might benefit or be disadvantaged by the publication of the findings
• Travel grants or other benefits received from organizations with an interest in the research

1.2. Disclosure Form

Authors must complete and submit the ICMJE Disclosure Form for Conflicts of Interest at the time of submission. The form is available at: https://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/

A completed form must be submitted by every author individually. Conflict of interest disclosures will be published as part of the accepted article to ensure full transparency.

1.3. No Conflict of Interest

If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must explicitly state this in the manuscript using the following or equivalent wording: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

1.4. Funding Sources

All sources of financial support for the research must be disclosed in a dedicated Funding section in the manuscript. The role of each funding source in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and the decision to submit for publication must be described. If the funding source had no involvement in any of these aspects, this must be explicitly stated.

2. Peer Reviewers

2.1. Disclosure Obligation

Peer reviewers must disclose to the editor any relationships or circumstances that could bias, or could be perceived to bias, their evaluation of a manuscript. This disclosure must be made at the time of accepting or declining a review invitation, before the review is undertaken.

Conflicts of interest that require disclosure include:

• Current or recent (within the past three years) collaboration with any of the authors
• Employment at the same institution as any of the authors
• Personal relationships with any of the authors (e.g., close friendship, family connection, mentorship)
• Financial interest in the outcome of the review (e.g., stock ownership, competing research programs, competing patents)
• Prior public statements or published opinions that could be seen to prejudge the manuscript

2.2. Recusal

Reviewers with a conflict of interest must decline the review invitation and notify the editorial office of the nature of the conflict, so that an alternative reviewer can be appointed promptly. Reviewers must not allow potential conflicts to influence their evaluation in any direction — neither toward unwarranted criticism nor toward unwarranted endorsement.

2.3. Prohibition on Misuse of Unpublished Information

Reviewers must not use knowledge of the work they are reviewing — including methods, data, conclusions, or ideas — to further their own interests before the manuscript is published. This constitutes a serious breach of confidentiality and research ethics and will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

3. Editors and Editorial Staff

3.1. Editors

Editors who are responsible for making final decisions on manuscripts must recuse themselves from handling any submission in which a conflict of interest exists. Situations requiring recusal include:

• Manuscripts authored or co-authored by the editor themselves
• Manuscripts submitted by current or recent close collaborators, students, or mentors of the editor
• Manuscripts from the editor’s own institution where a direct benefit or disadvantage could arise
• Manuscripts related to research in which the editor has a financial interest (e.g., stock, patents, consultancy relationships)
• Any personal relationship that could bias the editorial decision

When a conflict of interest is identified, the manuscript must be transferred to another senior editor or a guest editor who has no conflict with the submission.

3.2. Editorial Board Members

Editorial board members who participate in editorial decisions must provide the editor-in-chief with an up-to-date description of their financial interests and any other relationships that might constitute a conflict of interest. Board members must recuse themselves from any decision in which a conflict of interest exists and must inform the editor-in-chief of the nature of the conflict.

3.3. Guest Editors

Guest editors handling manuscripts for special issues or supplements are subject to the same conflict of interest requirements as regular editors. Guest editors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest to the editor-in-chief before assuming editorial responsibilities for any submission.

3.4. Editorial Staff

All members of the editorial staff who have access to submitted manuscripts or who participate in any aspect of the editorial process must not use information gained through their work for private gain. Editorial staff must disclose any relationships or circumstances that could constitute a conflict of interest to the editor-in-chief and must recuse themselves from any process in which such a conflict exists.

3.5. Public Disclosure

The editor-in-chief will publish regular disclosure statements summarizing potential conflicts of interest related to their own professional commitments and those of journal staff and editorial board members. These statements will be made available on the journal’s website and updated at least annually.

4. Handling Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

If an undisclosed conflict of interest is identified after submission, during peer review, or following publication, J Cukurova Anesth Surg will investigate the matter in accordance with COPE guidelines. Depending on the nature and severity of the undisclosed conflict, actions may include:

• Requesting a formal explanation from the relevant party
• Issuing a correction or editorial expression of concern
• Retraction of the published article
• Notification of the author’s or reviewer’s institution

Authors, reviewers, and editors who become aware of an undisclosed conflict of interest at any stage of the process are encouraged to report it to the editorial office in confidence.

5. Related Resources

• ICMJE Conflicts of Interest disclosure form: https://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/
• ICMJE recommendations on conflicts of interest: https://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/
• COPE guidelines on conflicts of interest: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines
• WAME conflict of interest policy: https://www.wame.org/conflict-of-interest-in-peer-reviewed-medical-journals

This policy applies to all manuscript types considered for publication in J Cukurova Anesth Surg. For questions regarding conflicts of interest disclosure, please contact the editorial office at editor@jocass.org.

Journal of Cukurova Anesthesia and Surgical Sciences (J Cukurova Anesth Surg)

Commitment to Open Access

J Cukurova Anesth Surg is a fully open-access journal. The journal adheres to the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI; http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org) and defines open access in accordance with the original BOAI declaration:

“By ‘open access’ to peer-reviewed research literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself.”

All articles published in J Cukurova Anesth Surg are freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription fees, registration requirements, or any other access barriers.

Licence and prospective transition

Articles covered by this policy are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC 4.0). This permits sharing and adaptation for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution, a link to the licence and an indication of changes. No additional restrictions are imposed beyond the licence. Third-party material excluded from the licence must be identified with its applicable terms.

Effective 12 September 2026, this policy applies prospectively to articles first published by JOCASS on or after that date. Articles published before that date retain the copyright and licence terms stated on the individual article at the time of publication. Previously signed agreements are not amended automatically; for unpublished manuscripts covered by an earlier transfer form, an updated publication licence must be agreed before publication under the new policy.

Current author fees

No submission or publication fees are currently charged, including article processing, editorial processing, page or colour charges. Any future fees, their effective date and applicable waiver or discount arrangements will be announced before submission and will apply only to submissions received under the announced fee policy. Fee status, payment or waivers will not influence editorial decisions.

Self-Archiving and Repository Policy

In line with BOAI recommendations, authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles — or the accepted manuscript version — in institutional or disciplinary repositories (e.g., PubMed Central, Zenodo, institutional repositories) immediately upon publication. The published PDF version (Version of Record) may be self-archived, provided that the original publication in J Cukurova Anesth Surg is properly acknowledged and a link to the published article is included.

Copyright and author agreement

Authors retain copyright and grant JOCASS the right of first publication and the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish, reproduce, distribute, communicate and archive the article in print and electronic formats. Copyright and economic rights are not transferred to the journal.

All authors must agree to the JOCASS Publication License and Author Declaration Form before publication. The bilingual English–Turkish PDF and author forms and templates are available directly on JOCASS. During the form transition, contact the editorial office if an earlier transfer form is displayed in the submission system.

New article HTML, PDF and licence metadata must use: © [year] The Author(s). Published by JOCASS. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Link to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

Journal Metrics and Impact

Consistent with BOAI recommendations and ICMJE guidelines, J Cukurova Anesth Surg discourages the use of journal impact factor as the sole indicator of research quality or journal standing. The journal supports the development and use of article-level metrics and alternative indicators of research impact that more accurately reflect the reach and significance of individual contributions.

Further Information

For questions regarding the journal’s open access policy, licensing terms, or self-archiving rights, please contact the editorial office at editor@jocass.org.

Budapest Open Access Initiative: http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

No fee is charged from the author or institution under any name.

No submission or publication fees are currently charged, including article processing, editorial processing, page or colour charges. Any future fees, their effective date and applicable waiver or discount arrangements will be announced before submission and will apply only to submissions received under the announced fee policy. Fee status, payment or waivers will not influence editorial decisions.