1. For policies on research and publication ethics not stated in these instructions, the Good Publication Practice Guidelines for Medical Journals, the Guidelines on Good Publication Practice, the Council of Science Editors, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), or the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors (KAMJE) can be applied.

1) Clinical Trial Registration
Any research involving a clinical trial must be registered with a primary national clinical trial registration site accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

2) Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any commercial or similar relationships with products or companies related to the submitted article. Sources of funding should be acknowledged before the reference section under the title "Conflict of Interest." Authors’ affiliations must include any corporate appointments related to the article.

3) Ethical Considerations

• • Informed Consent: Manuscripts reporting experimental investigations on human subjects must include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained.
• • Declaration of Helsinki: A statement is required to confirm that the research adheres to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
• • Animal Research: Studies involving animals must minimize pain and discomfort according to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Statement for Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research.
• • Sex and Gender Reporting: Authors must correctly use the terms sex (biological factors) and gender (identity, psychosocial or cultural factors). Unless inappropriate, they should report the sex and/or gender of study participants, the sex of animals or cells, and describe the methods used to determine these attributes. If the study involves an exclusive population (e.g., a single sex), authors must provide justification, except in obvious cases (e.g., prostate cancer). Authors must define how they determined race or ethnicity and justify its relevance.

4) Publication Ethics
Research must adhere to the fundamental principles of honesty, truthfulness, and accuracy, and must not engage in fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.

5) Secondary Publication
It is possible to republish manuscripts if it satisfies the condition of secondary publication of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.

2. Manuscript Preparation and Research Ethics

All manuscripts must comply with the research and publication ethics guidelines recommended by the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors (KAMJE) (http://kamje.or.kr/publishing_ethics.html).

1) Research Misconduct
Research must adhere to ethical standards in study design, subject selection, sample collection, and control group selection. Fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism constitute research misconduct and are strictly prohibited.

2) Ethical Approval and Consent Form
For studies involving human subjects, human-derived materials, or human medical records, authors must include one of the following statements in the Methods section: "Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethics Committee approval was obtained" or "IRB/Ethics Committee ruled that approval was not required for this study." If an IRB approved the study, the IRB approval number must be included in the manuscript.

3) Managing Research and Publication Misconduct
When the journal faces suspected cases of research and publication misconduct such as redundant (duplicate) publication, plagiarism, fraudulent or fabricated data, changes in authorship, an undisclosed conflict of interest, ethical problems with a submitted manuscript, a reviewer who has appropriated an author's idea or data, complaints against editors, and soon, the resolution process will follow the flowchart provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). The discussion and decision on the suspected cases are carried out by the Editorial Board.

3. Authorship

The journal adheres to the ICMJE guidelines for authorship. Authors must meet the following four conditions:

• 1) Substantial contributions to the conception and design of the work; or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
• 2) Drafting the article or revising it critically for intellectual content.
• 3) Final approval of the version to be published.
• 4) Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to accuracy and integrity are addressed.

The corresponding author is responsible for confirming that all co-authors meet these criteria. Any statement made by the corresponding author is considered representative of all co-authors.

4. Person with Special Relationship (PSR)

1) PSR Definition and Roles
If a minor (under age 19) or a family member (spouse, offspring, or collateral blood relatives within the fourth degree) is included as an author, their specific roles and contributions must be explicitly stated in the manuscript.

2) Pre-Release Form Requirement
A "Pre-release Form for Co-authoring a Publication with Person with Special Relationship" must be submitted if a PSR is listed as an author.