Critical Care Science – Editorial Policy
Editorial Standards

Critical Care Science is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, transparency, and scientific integrity.

Peer Review Process

Critical Care Science operates a single-blind peer review process, where reviewers remain anonymous to the authors. All submitted manuscripts are evaluated initially by the editorial team for scope, originality, and adherence to journal guidelines.

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers. The review process typically takes 4–6 weeks. Final decision categories include:

  • Accept without revision
  • Minor revisions required
  • Major revisions required
  • Reject

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision based on reviewers’ recommendations and editorial judgment.

Editorial Independence

The journal’s editorial decisions are made independently of any external influence, including commercial interests, funding sources, or institutional affiliations. Editors are guided solely by:

  • Scientific merit and rigor
  • Clinical relevance
  • Adherence to ethical standards

Editors who have conflicts of interest regarding a submitted manuscript will recuse themselves from the decision-making process.

Ethical Standards

The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and principles of the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving human participants.

  • Informed consent required from participants
  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be documented
  • Animal studies must follow ARRIVE guidelines
  • Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry
Misconduct & Plagiarism

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using professional software. The following constitute misconduct:

  • Plagiarism (including self-plagiarism)
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate or redundant publication
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Alleged misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE flowcharts. Sanctions include rejection, retraction, or ban on future submissions.

Conflict of Interest (COI)

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could influence their work. Authors must complete the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form at submission.

Reviewers who identify a potential COI (e.g., prior collaboration with authors, competing research) must recuse themselves immediately.

Typical COI disclosures include:

Employment, consultancy, stock ownership, grants, honoraria, patents, or personal relationships with relevant organizations.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship should be based on the ICMJE criteria, which require all four of the following contributions:

  1. Substantial contributions to conception or design, OR data acquisition/analysis/interpretation
  2. Drafting or critical revision of the manuscript
  3. Final approval of the version to be published
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

The journal strongly recommends using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) system to specify each author’s role. Any change to authorship after submission requires signed consent from all authors.

Corrections & Retractions

If errors are identified after publication, the journal will issue:

  • Correction – for minor errors that do not affect conclusions
  • Expression of Concern – while investigation is ongoing
  • Retraction – for major errors, misconduct, or invalid findings

All corrections and retractions are linked to the original article and are freely available to readers.

Data & Reproducibility

The journal supports open science and encourages authors to:

  • Deposit research data in public repositories
  • Share statistical code and analytical methods
  • Make raw data available upon request

A Data Availability Statement is required for all original research articles.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal a rejection decision by submitting a formal letter to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision. Appeals must provide a detailed rationale and address reviewer comments point-by-point.

Complaints regarding editorial process, ethical concerns, or misconduct should be directed to the editorial office. All complaints will be investigated confidentially and in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Contact for appeals/complaints: editorial@criticalcarescience.com
Editorial Board Responsibilities

Members of the Editorial Board and advisory bodies contribute to the journal’s strategic direction, peer review, and quality assurance. Their responsibilities include:

  • Handling peer review in their area of expertise
  • Advising on journal scope and policies
  • Promoting the journal within their networks
  • Recusing themselves from reviewing manuscripts where COI exists