i. Duplicate submission: The journal considers duplicate submission as submission of the same manuscript in same or different languages simultaneously to more than one journal. The journal does not accept any duplicate submission. Authors will require a signed declaration stating that the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere. All submitted manuscripts without such signed declaration will be rejected.
ii. Duplicate and prior publication: The journal considers duplicate publication as a publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published, but without clear, visible reference to the previous publication. The journal does not accept any duplicate publication. The journal does not consider following as duplicate / prior publication:

• A complete report that follows publication of a preliminary report, such as a letter to the editor, a preprint, or an abstract or poster displayed at a scientific conference

• Any paper that has been presented at a scientific meeting but was not published in full text
• In the event of a public health emergency, information with immediate implications for public health should be disseminated without concern that this will preclude subsequent consideration for publication in a journal

iii.  Acceptable secondary publication: The journal considers secondary publication as materials published in other journals or online justifiable and beneficial, especially when intended to disseminate important information to the widest possible audience (e.g., guidelines produced by government agencies and professional organizations in the same or a different language). The journal will consider secondary publications for all other reasons if the following ICMJE conditions are met:

1. The authors have received approval from the editors of both journals (the editor concerned with secondary publication must have access to the primary version)
2. The priority of the primary publication is respected by a publication interval negotiated by both editors with the authors
3. The paper for secondary publication is intended for a different group of readers; an abbreviated version could be sufficient
4. The secondary version faithfully reflects the data and interpretations of the primary version.
5. The secondary version informs readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere—for example, with a note that might read, “This article is based on a study first reported in the [journal title, with full reference]”—and the secondary version cites the primary
6. The title of the secondary publication should indicate that it is a secondary publication (complete or abridged republication or translation) of a primary publication

iv.  Manuscript based on the same data base: The journal considers all those manuscripts as independent submissions which are received from either separate research groups or from the same group analyzing the same data set (for example, from a public database, or systematic reviews or meta-analyses of the same evidence) because they may differ in their analytic methods, conclusions, or both. The journal will give preference to the manuscript submitted first if the data interpretation and conclusions are similar. Secondary analyses of clinical trial data should cite any primary publication and should clearly state that it contains secondary analyses/results, and use the same identifying trial registration number as the primary trial.
v. Correspondence: The journal has a mechanism for submitting  comments,  questions,  or  criticisms  about published articles through a correspondence section or online forum. Correspondence may be edited for length, grammatical correctness, and journal style and screen discourteous, inaccurate comments. Editors will have the prerogative to reject correspondence
vi.  Supplements: The journal considers supplements as collections of papers that deal with related issues or topics, published as a separate issue of the journal or as part of a regular issue. The journal may publish supplements, theme issues, and special series from time to time. The same principles of authorship, conflict of interest, confidentiality, timeliness, peer-review, integrity, scientific misconduct and secondary publication, as discussed under relevant sections will also be applicable to supplements.
vii. Clinical trial registration: The journal requires registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrollment as a condition of consideration for publication.