Editorial & Publication Ethics

We publish peer-reviewed, step-by-step surgical case reports to share practical knowledge between surgeons for the benefit of patients worldwide. Submissions must be original and must not be under consideration elsewhere.

Each submitted case is assessed by the editors and sent to one or more qualified reviewers. Reviewers evaluate clinical accuracy, educational value, clarity and ethical compliance, and recommend acceptance, revision or rejection. Reviews are confidential, and the editors make the final decision. We aim to handle submissions promptly and fairly.

Everyone listed as an author should have contributed meaningfully to the case and approved the final version. All those who qualify should be listed, and no one who does not. The submitting author is responsible for the accuracy of the author list and for resolving any authorship disputes before submission.

Authors and reviewers must declare any financial or personal interests that could be seen to influence the work or its assessment. Editors recuse themselves from handling submissions in which they have a competing interest.

Documented patient consent and full anonymisation are mandatory for every case. See our Patient Privacy & Consent policy — cases that do not meet it will not be published.

Submissions must be the authors’ own work. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, image manipulation that misrepresents findings, and redundant (“salami”) publication are not acceptable and may lead to rejection or retraction.

We investigate credible concerns about published or submitted work. Where warranted, we will publish corrections, expressions of concern or retractions, and the scholarly record will be kept transparent. Retraction notices explain the reason and are linked to the original case.

Editorial decisions are based on the quality, validity and relevance of a case and its suitability for our readers. They are independent of commercial considerations, including whether a peer-review publication token was purchased.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision or raise a concern about the process by emailing [email protected]. Appeals are considered by an editor not involved in the original decision where possible.