Editorial Policies

Obesity Research (OR), published by Openventio Publishers, maintains a comprehensive set of editorial and publication policies to ensure transparency, integrity, and consistency across every stage of the publication process. These policies are based, in large part, on the guidelines and standards developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions at OR are made solely on the basis of a manuscript's scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope. These decisions are made independently of any commercial, financial, or personal interest, including Article Processing Charges or waiver status.

Journal-Specific Policies

Policies Shared Across All Openventio Publishers Journals

Policy Review

All editorial policies are reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with evolving best practices in scholarly publishing, indexing requirements, and applicable ethical standards.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Obesity Research (OR), published by Openventio Publishers, is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, based on the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Authors

  • Authors must submit only original work and must not engage in plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, or duplicate submission.
  • Authors must accurately represent their research and provide sufficient methodological detail to allow reproducibility.
  • All individuals meeting authorship criteria, per ICMJE guidelines, must be listed, and all listed authors must approve the final manuscript.
  • Authors must disclose all sources of funding and any conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of their work.
  • Authors must promptly notify the journal of any significant error discovered in their published work and cooperate with corrections or retractions where necessary.
  • Research involving human participants or animal subjects must include documentation of appropriate ethical approval and, where applicable, informed consent.

Duties of Editors

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on their scientific merit, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, or political beliefs.
  • Editors maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and do not use unpublished material in their own research without the authors' explicit written consent.
  • Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists.
  • Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, rigorous, and timely double-blind peer review process.

Duties of Reviewers

  • Reviewers assess manuscripts objectively and provide constructive, well-substantiated feedback.
  • Reviewers maintain confidentiality and do not use information from reviewed manuscripts for personal advantage.
  • Reviewers disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where one exists.

Handling of Misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct — including plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, and undisclosed conflicts of interest — are investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines. Depending on the outcome, OR may request corrections, issue an erratum or corrigendum, or retract the affected article.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions at OR are made solely on the basis of scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the journal's scope, and are made independently of any commercial, financial, or sponsorship considerations, including Article Processing Charges or waiver status.