All Policies

Trichology and Cosmetology

Published by Openventio Publishers

1. About the Journal

Trichology and Cosmetology is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering the science of hair, scalp, and skin health, and the cosmetic and dermatologic practices that address them. We publish original research, clinical studies, and critical reviews spanning trichology, cosmetic dermatology, and aesthetic medicine.

Peer review. Every submission undergoes double-blind peer review by at least two reviewers with relevant subject expertise, coordinated by our editorial board. Reviewers with a personal, financial, or institutional connection to a submitted manuscript are recused from the process.

Open access. All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, with no subscription or paywall for readers. An Article Processing Charge (APC) of $1000 USD applies upon acceptance; see our APC and Waiver Policy for details.

Publication ethics. The journal follows Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on authorship, data integrity, plagiarism, and conflicts of interest. All submissions are screened for originality using iThenticate before entering peer review.

Who we are. Edited by a board of active researchers and clinicians in the journal's field. Published by Openventio Publishers.

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2. Aims and Scope

Scope. We welcome submissions on (but not limited to):

• Hair loss and alopecia (diagnosis and treatment)
• Scalp disease and dermatology
• Cosmetic dermatology and skin aesthetics
• Hair transplantation and restorative techniques
• Cosmetic product safety and formulation science
• Aesthetic medicine procedures
• Ethnic and gender-specific hair and skin research
• Consumer safety in cosmetic practice

Article types. Original research, clinical case studies, and critical reviews.

Audience. Trichologists, dermatologists, cosmetic scientists, and aesthetic medicine practitioners.

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3. Author Policies

1. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts submitted to Trichology and Cosmetology should be prepared in English, double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font, with page and line numbers throughout. A typical manuscript includes a title page, an abstract (250 words or fewer), 4-6 keywords, the main text, an acknowledgments section, a conflict of interest declaration, a funding statement, and a reference list. References must follow IEEE format. Figures and tables should be numbered in order of reference, with clear captions, submitted as separate high-resolution files (minimum 300 dpi).

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2. Complaints Policy

Complaints about editorial decisions, reviewer conduct, or publication ethics can be sent to the editorial office at info@openventio.us. Complaints are acknowledged within 5 business days and investigated by an editor not involved in the original decision, following COPE guidelines.

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3. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent

Studies involving identifiable human participants require documented informed consent for participation and publication. Identifying details must be removed or explicit consent for their inclusion obtained. Case reports require a signed patient consent form on file with the editorial office.

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4. Human and Animal Rights Policy

Human subjects research must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki, with the approving ethics committee/IRB and approval number stated in the Methods section. Animal research must comply with relevant institutional guidelines (e.g. ARRIVE), with IACUC approval and number stated.

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5. APC Waiver Policy

Trichology and Cosmetology charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of $1000 USD upon acceptance (see the Article Processing Charge policy below). We recognize this can be a genuine barrier for some researchers, and we consider fee waivers and discounts on a case-by-case basis for authors from low- and middle-income countries, unfunded independent researchers, and students, evaluated on financial need rather than on manuscript quality. Waiver requests should be submitted at the time of manuscript submission, not after acceptance, by writing to info@openventio.us with a brief explanation of the circumstances. A waiver request has no bearing on the editorial or peer review decision, which is made independently and prior to any waiver determination.

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6. Author's Agreement Form

Before publication, the corresponding author must complete and sign an Author's Agreement Form on behalf of all co-authors, confirming originality, authorship contribution, accountability, disclosed conflicts of interest, and the rights granted under our Copyright Policy. See the Download Forms section for the template.

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7. English Language Editing

Manuscripts should be submitted in clear, grammatically correct English. We do not provide in-house language editing or endorse a specific commercial provider; use of a professional editing service prior to submission is optional and has no bearing on the editorial decision.

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8. Digital Preservation

Published articles are preserved through CLOCKSS and LOCKSS, independent not-for-profit archiving networks, and through the PKP Preservation Network via our OJS hosting. All published content is assigned a persistent DOI via Crossref.

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9. Article Processing Charge

Trichology and Cosmetology charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of $1000 USD, payable only upon acceptance of a manuscript following peer review — there is no submission fee, and no charge if a manuscript is rejected. The APC covers editorial handling, peer review coordination, production, and permanent open-access hosting. Payment instructions are provided by the editorial office at the time of acceptance. See our APC Waiver Policy for fee reduction or waiver eligibility.

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10. Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright of their published work. Upon acceptance, authors grant Trichology and Cosmetology a non-exclusive license to publish under CC BY 4.0. Authors are free to reuse, share, and republish their own work, provided the original publication is cited.

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11. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy

We correct the record transparently: a corrigendum for author-introduced errors that don't undermine the conclusions, an erratum for publication-process errors, and a retraction for findings found unreliable due to misconduct or fundamental error. All follow COPE's retraction guidelines and are linked prominently to the original article.

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12. Open Access Policy

All articles are immediately and permanently open access — free to read, download, and share, with no embargo and no subscription required.

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13. Rights and Grants to the Author

Authors retain the right to reuse their own article in future works or teaching materials, post the published version on personal or institutional repositories with no embargo, and be properly credited in any subsequent reuse or citation.

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14. Withdrawal Policy

Authors may request withdrawal at any stage before publication by writing to info@openventio.us, stating the reason. Withdrawal after formal acceptance requires editorial approval, and a withdrawal notice is published in place of the article.

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15. Licensing Policy

Trichology and Cosmetology publishes all content under CC BY 4.0 by default. Anyone may share and adapt the material for any purpose, including commercially, provided appropriate credit is given. Authors requiring a different license variant should raise this with the editorial office at submission.

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16. Sample Paper

A formatted sample manuscript following IEEE format is available on the Downloads page (Manuscript Template). Authors are encouraged to prepare their manuscript directly in this template.

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17. Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are screened for originality using iThenticate before entering peer review. This includes direct plagiarism, paraphrasing plagiarism, and self-plagiarism. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity, or evidence of uncredited copied content, are returned or rejected depending on severity.

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18. Data Sharing Policy

Authors are expected to make the data underlying their findings available, either within the manuscript, as supplementary material, or via a recognized public repository. Where this isn't possible, a Data Availability Statement explaining why is still required.

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19. Check List

Before submitting, please confirm: manuscript follows formatting guidelines; title page complete; abstract and keywords included; figures/tables numbered and high-resolution; references complete and consistently formatted; ethics approval and informed consent statements included where applicable; conflict of interest and funding statements included; data availability statement included; manuscript is original and not under review elsewhere; all authors have approved the final version.

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20. Submission of Manuscript

Manuscripts are submitted online through the Trichology and Cosmetology OJS portal. Authors register for an account, then submit the manuscript, a separate title page, and any supplementary files. Authors receive an automatic acknowledgment of receipt, followed by an initial editorial screening (typically within 7 days) to confirm scope fit and basic requirements before the manuscript proceeds to peer review.

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4. Editorial Policies

1. Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures (Specific to Editors)

Editors must disclose any relationship that could reasonably be seen to influence their handling of a manuscript, and recuse themselves when handling submissions from close collaborators, family, or their own institution within the past three years, or where they have a financial interest in the outcome. Editors submit an annual disclosure statement kept on file by the editorial office.

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2. Editorial Policies

Editorial decisions are made independently of commercial considerations, based solely on scientific merit, originality, and clarity, evaluated through peer review. The same standards apply to every submission regardless of author seniority, institution, or geography. The Editor-in-Chief holds final responsibility for what the journal publishes.

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3. COPE Recommendation for Plagiarism

We follow COPE guidelines and flowcharts for suspected plagiarism, both before and after publication. Before publication, submissions with unacceptable similarity are returned or rejected. After publication, claims are investigated by an independent editor, with corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction issued as appropriate.

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4. Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

We uphold COPE's Core Practices for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. Authors must submit original work and disclose conflicts of interest; editors evaluate solely on merit and maintain confidentiality; reviewers provide honest, timely, confidential evaluations; the publisher supports enforcement of these standards and preserves the published record.

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5. Peer Review Process

Manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review: an initial editorial screening confirms scope fit, at least two independent reviewers are assigned, reviewers provide written comments and a recommendation, and the handling editor makes the final decision, weighing reviewer input as advisory rather than binding. See the Reviewer Process page for the full flow diagram.

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6. Advertisement Policies

The journal may display clearly labeled third-party advertisements, which have no influence on editorial content. We do not accept advertisements placed adjacent to related editorial content or from parties currently involved in a submission under review.

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7. Editorial Process

From submission to publication: submission, editorial screening, peer review, editorial decision, revision (if applicable), acceptance, production, author proof review, and publication with DOI assignment and archiving.

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8. Publisher Policies

Openventio Publishers provides the infrastructure, editorial support, and long-term stewardship that allows each journal's editorial team to operate independently. Openventio Publishers does not influence individual editorial decisions and does not accept payment or sponsorship in exchange for favorable editorial treatment.

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9. COPE Recommendation for Conflict of Interest (Specific to Editors)

Following COPE guidance, the journal maintains a publicly available editorial board list with institutional affiliations, ensures the Editor-in-Chief's own submissions are handled entirely independently, and reviews board composition periodically to avoid concentration in a single institution.

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10. Creative Commons License

All content is distributed under CC BY 4.0. Anyone may share and adapt the material for any purpose, including commercially, provided appropriate credit is given and changes are indicated. This license cannot be revoked once applied.

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5. Reviewer Policies

1. Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosures (Specific to Reviewers)

Reviewers must disclose any relationship that could compromise objectivity before agreeing to review, including collaborations, institutional overlap, financial interests, or prior supervisory relationships with the authors. Reviewers must not use unpublished data or ideas from a manuscript under review for their own advantage.

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2. Reviewer Guidelines

Reviewers are asked to evaluate manuscripts on merit alone, provide specific and constructive feedback, flag ethical concerns directly to the handling editor, maintain confidentiality of the manuscript, respond within the requested timeframe, and disclose conflicts before starting. A useful review includes a brief summary of the paper's contribution, major and minor concerns, and a clear recommendation (accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject).

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6. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this a legitimate, peer-reviewed journal?

Yes. Every submission to Trichology and Cosmetology goes through double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise before a publication decision is made.

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2. Is this journal open access? Do I have to pay to read the articles?

Yes, fully. Every article is immediately and permanently free to read, download, and share — no subscription, no paywall, no login required.

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3. Do I have to pay to publish?

Yes. Trichology and Cosmetology charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of $1000 USD, payable only after your manuscript is accepted following peer review — there's no fee to submit, and no fee if your manuscript is rejected. Fee waivers and discounts are available for eligible authors; see our APC Waiver Policy.

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4. How do I submit a manuscript?

Submissions are made online through our OJS portal. Register for a free account, then follow the guided submission process, including uploading your manuscript, a separate title page, and any supplementary files.

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5. What format should my manuscript follow?

Manuscripts should follow IEEE format, including numbered citations and standard section structure. A template is available in the Downloads section.

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6. How long does peer review take?

We aim to provide a first editorial decision within a reasonable turnaround window; timelines can vary depending on reviewer availability.

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7. Is peer review blind? Will reviewers know who I am?

We use double-blind peer review — reviewers don't know the identity of the authors, and authors don't know the identity of their reviewers.

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8. What happens if my manuscript is rejected?

You'll receive the editorial decision along with reviewer comments explaining the reasoning. You're welcome to revise and resubmit elsewhere, or raise a concern through our Complaints Policy.

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9. Can I appeal an editorial decision?

Yes. Contact the editorial office in writing if you believe a decision was affected by an error, an undisclosed conflict of interest, or a misunderstanding of your work.

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10. Who owns the copyright to my published article?

You do. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a license to publish under CC BY 4.0.

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11. Can I post my article on my personal website or an institutional repository?

Yes, at any time, with no embargo, as long as the original publication is cited.

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12. Will my article get a DOI?

Yes. Every published article is assigned a persistent DOI via Crossref.

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13. Is this journal indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, or PubMed?

Not yet. As a newly launched journal, we're still building the publication track record these databases require, and getting indexed is an active goal for us. In the meantime, the journal is already indexed in Google Scholar, so your published work is discoverable from day one.

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14. How is this journal preserved for the long term?

Published content is archived through CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, and the PKP Preservation Network.

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15. Does this journal check submissions for plagiarism?

Yes. Every manuscript is screened using iThenticate before entering peer review.

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16. Do I need to share my underlying data?

Yes, in general. We ask authors to make the data underlying their findings available, either within the manuscript, as supplementary material, or via a public repository. A Data Availability Statement is required in every submission.

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17. Can I withdraw my manuscript after submitting it?

Yes, at any stage before acceptance, by contacting the editorial office in writing. Withdrawal after formal acceptance requires editorial approval.

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18. Who can I contact with questions about my submission?

The editorial office can be reached at info@openventio.us, or through your OJS account.

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19. Does this journal accept AI-generated or AI-assisted manuscripts?

Authors may use AI tools to assist with tasks like language editing, but AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the submitted work.

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20. How do I become a peer reviewer?

We welcome reviewer applications from qualified researchers. Express interest via info@openventio.us, including your area of expertise and a link to your publication record or ORCID profile.

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