EDITORIAL POLICY

The Journal of the Brazilian College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery follows the guidelines and recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors – ICMJE (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations), applicable to editorial conduct and standards for medical journals.

Peer Review Process

The journal adopts a double-blind peer review system to ensure the quality, impartiality, and integrity of the editorial process. In this model, the identities of authors and reviewers remain anonymous to one another throughout the evaluation.

It is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief to ensure that reviewers have access to all materials necessary for a thorough assessment of the manuscripts. The Editor-in-Chief also holds final authority over all editorial decisions and may reject a manuscript at any stage before publication—even after acceptance—should any concerns arise regarding the integrity or originality of the work.

Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscripts and the information contained within them. Disclosure or public discussion of the reviewed content, as well as its use for personal purposes, is strictly prohibited. Only the journal retains copies of manuscripts after the completion of the review process.

Pre-Analysis

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor. This stage assesses whether the topic aligns with the journal’s scope, the study’s relevance to the scientific community, the manuscript’s originality in relation to existing literature, and the methodological consistency of the study. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria are promptly rejected and returned to the authors. Suitable manuscripts proceed to the next stage of evaluation.

Technical Review

At this stage, the manuscript is checked for compliance with the Instructions for Authors and the required submission documents. If it fails to meet the established requirements, it will be returned to the authors for appropriate corrections. Once compliant, the manuscript is forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor.

Scientific and Content Evaluation

The manuscript is then sent to two reviewers in the relevant field, who will assess its scientific merit, methodological rigor, and relevance. Based on their analysis, reviewers may recommend one of three outcomes: acceptance, revisions, or rejection. The decision is then submitted to the editors.

Decision

The final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief. If revisions are required, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author for the necessary modifications. The revised version, with all changes clearly highlighted, must be resubmitted and re-evaluated by the editors and, if needed, by the reviewers.

Once approved for scientific merit, the manuscript undergoes final English language editing by the journal’s specialized team.

The estimated average time for a final decision (acceptance or rejection) is 90 days, though it may vary depending on the process stages. After acceptance, the average time to publication is 50 days.

Data Availability

The journal strongly encourages the sharing of data used in submitted manuscripts. These data include results from observations or experiments that support the research findings and may also include software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods, and other materials relevant to the study.

Data availability must comply with current ethical and privacy regulations, ensuring the protection of sensitive or personal information. Authors are responsible for accurately completing the data availability statement, thereby ensuring research transparency and integrity.

Fees and Charges

The journal is open access and does not charge any submission or article processing fees (APCs). All submitted articles are reviewed and published free of charge for the authors.

The journal’s financial sustainability is ensured by the Brazilian College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, which fully supports the publications maintenance and operations, guaranteeing unrestricted and free access to its content.

Policy on Misconduct, Erratum, and Retraction

The journal enforces a strict policy on scientific misconduct to ensure the ethical and academic integrity of its content. Misconduct includes plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, improper authorship, simultaneous submission to different journals, and any practice that compromises research reliability.

When identified, such practices will be investigated by the editorial team and may result in corrective actions such as manuscript rejection, notification to involved institutions, and, for published articles, issuance of errata or retractions, in accordance with the severity of the infraction and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE (https://publicationethics.org/guidance).

An erratum is published when corrections are needed in previously published articles to ensure accuracy, clarity, and integrity of the published information.

In exceptional cases—such as confirmed severe misconduct or errors that completely or partially invalidate the findings—a retraction will be issued. This retraction will be communicated to readers and indexers, and the article will remain online, accompanied by an explanatory note indicating the retraction and its reasons.

The journal is committed to maintaining a transparent, impartial, and evidence-based process during all investigations of possible irregularities, upholding the trust of the scientific community and the rigor of scholarly communication.

Conflict of Interest Policy

The journal follows the ICMJE guidelines (link) for managing potential conflicts of interest in research. Conflicts of interest can be personal, commercial, political, academic, or financial.

At the time of submission, authors must declare any real or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research. Examples include financial interests in specific tests or procedures or sponsorship from manufacturers of equipment or materials being evaluated.

All external sources of research support—such as funding, equipment, or supplies—must be clearly disclosed. Authors must also report any financial or non-professional benefits that may result from the publication and be perceived by reviewers or readers as influencing the development or reporting of the work. Editors and reviewers must likewise declare any conflicts of interest.

For further guidance, authors are encouraged to read the statement by the World Association of Medical Editors – WAME – on conflicts of interest (https://wame.org/wame-editorial-on-conflict-of-interest).

Funding

When submitting a manuscript, authors must declare all funding sources or support received for the research, including grants from public or private agencies, foundations, companies, or institutions.

If funding was obtained through a specific process, the corresponding grant or contract number must be provided.

This declaration is essential for ensuring transparency and integrity in research, allowing readers to recognize any potential external influences on the development and results of the study.

Sex and Gender Equity in Research

In studies involving humans or animals, authors must explicitly state the definitions of sex and/or gender used to increase accuracy, rigor, and reproducibility and to avoid ambiguity in terminology and constructs. The journal recommends authors consult the SAGER Guidelines (link) and the Checklist (link).

Inclusive Language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, respects all individuals, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content must use inclusive language throughout. Authors must ensure their writing is free from bias, stereotypes, and assumptions. The journal recommends the South African Journal of Science’s Inclusive Language Policy (link) as guidance.

Informed Consent Statement

Case reports submitted to the journal must comply with ICMJE guidelines on participant protection (link). No identifiable personal information should be disclosed without explicit consent.

If the case report includes identifiable information, written informed consent must be obtained. This informed consent must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

Copyright

The journal operates under an open access policy. Authors retain the copyright of their articles, which are published under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license (link).

Intellectual Property and Terms of Use

All content published in the journal is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. Authors retain copyright and may share and reproduce content with proper citation. The journal encourages self-archiving with full citation.