About the Journal

1. Aims and Scope
General Surgery is a scientific specialized medical journal for the Ukrainian and international surgical community.

The project is unique because it is the first English-language specialized journal in Ukraine that is both a destination for publication and an arena for practicing and academic surgeons to exchange their opinions on contemporary issues and the further development of surgery.

The editorial board consists of a team of leading scientists from Austria, Latvia, Germany, Turkey, Sweden, and Ukraine, who have outstanding professional and academic credentials and act as founders and ambassadors for the new English-language journal. Priority is given to scientific manuscripts that feature an interdisciplinary approach to solving scientific and medical problems; provocative comments and opinions; a comparative analysis; and a synthesis of the achievements of national, European, and world surgery.

Since English is the language of world science, General Surgery becomes a platform for the global promotion of the Ukrainian school of surgery: its history, achievements, and perspectives; as well as innovative research trends and cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign professional surgical associations.

The journal publishes a variety of content types that reflect original scientific research in medicine and biology, such as “Original Research”, “Clinical Case”, “Review”, and “History of Medicine”.

The medical section of the journal features the latest original research contributions on any topic connected with general surgery, bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, pancreatic surgery, biliary tract and liver surgery, proctology, endocrine surgery, vascular surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, oncology surgery, thoracic surgery, military, emergency and trauma surgery.

The biological section of the journal contains pharmacological and microbiological experimental studies, the results of which are important in the development of new surgical strategies.

Ever since martial law was imposed in Ukraine in response to Russian Federation aggression, the editorial team has had a special interest in studies highlighting the invaluable experience of military doctors, especially in the context of surgical treatment of mine and shrapnel wounds, combat injuries, and gunshot wounds of civilians, which makes it possible to significantly improve medical and surgical tactics, thus reducing disability among military personnel and civilians.

2. Language and publication frequency
General Surgery is a quarterly journal (4 issues per year). The journal considers manuscripts in English. Abstracts should be submitted in both English and Ukrainian, advertising in Ukrainian.

3. Open access policy
General Surgery is a journal that offers authors of original research immediate open access to publication, supporting the principles of free dissemination of scientific information and the global exchange of knowledge.

4. Journal availability
Each electronic issue of the journal is available online on the official website www.generalsurgery.com.ua and on the specialized medical information portal www.vitapol.info. Publications are received by subscribers. The journal is also published in print and is distributed among leading scientists, surgical specialists, scientific, educational, and clinical institutions of the health care system, and scientific and specialized medical libraries of Ukraine.

5. Editorial policy and publication ethics
The journal advocates and adheres to the established ethical standards for scientific publication and also ensures that its editors and publishers follow the guidelines recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Ukrainian Council of Science Editors. In its publishing activities, the editorial team commits to international copyright regulations, current legislation of Ukraine, and international publishing standards.
The editorial office implements a policy of preventing editorial conflicts and their regulation.

The Editor-in-Chief organizes and manages the work of the editorial team and expert reviewers and makes the final decision on the publication. The submitted manuscript is accepted if it is compliant with the criteria of scientific excellence, is novel and evidence-based, relevant to the journal’s readership and important to the scientific community, as well as has been approved by the editorial team after an objective and double-blind peer review without any favouritism or bias based on the author’s race, gender, citizenship, ethnicity, religion or political views. Data, ideas, and information from reviewed manuscripts cannot be used for personal gain or transferred to third parties.

The Editor-in-Chief is obliged to reject publication if the materials contain facts or information that violate copyright laws or constitute plagiarism. In order to prevent dishonest practices in scientific publications, the Editor-in-Chief must consider all claims regarding peer-reviewed manuscripts and published articles and take measures to restore unfairly violated authors’ rights.

The author(s) certifies the originality and reliability of the results of scientific research. The primary sources used must be indicated and formatted according to the editorial requirements.

Publishing policies are available at http://generalsurgery.com.ua/about/submissions#authorGuidelines

By submitting a manuscript for publication, the author(s) agrees to the copyright terms and conditions stated in the “Copyright” section.

All forms of plagiarism, data falsification, and fabrication are unethical and unacceptable.

The author’s submission of identical manuscripts to different journals is also considered a dishonest practice of scientific publication.

All authors who made a personal contribution to the concept, design, and execution of the study should be listed in the manuscript. Before submitting a paper for publication, co-authors must approve its final version and give consent for publication. Other contributors who were responsible for funding the research, selection of material, etc., cannot be listed as authors. They may be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgments” section.

If the author(s) discovers a significant error in the manuscript during the pre-publishing stage or after publication, they must notify the editorial office and make corrections as soon as possible, or prepare an official refutation to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal.

6. Copyright Policy
The concept of authorship is important in the world of scientific information from an academic, socio-financial, and legal perspective.

The editorial board of the journal adheres to the authorship criteria developed by the ICMJE. The author is considered a person who has made a significant intellectual contribution to the preparation of the manuscript based on the results of the research and is aware of the responsibility for the consequences of its publication.

The author is fully responsible for the content, selection, presentation of facts in the article and proper use (citation) of primary sources.

The following four standards of authorship are defined:

  • significant contribution to the concept development, research design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation;
  • creation of a scientific work project;
  • critical evaluation and approval of the manuscript before publication;
  • consent to bear responsibility for all stages of research and published results.

All individuals who satisfy the aforementioned requirements can be regarded as authors of a scientific publication.

7. Peer review process
The journal employs peer review for all submitted manuscripts.

The manuscripts are evaluated according to the journal’s standards of excellence and are required to meet the criteria of novelty, substantial impact of research on medical science, design and methodology, significance of findings, data processing and presentation, literature selection, and literature review.

An initial assessment of the submitted manuscripts is carried out by the editors. The Editor-in-Chief may, at their own discretion, decide to reject a manuscript based on a preliminary evaluation or refer the manuscript to a double-blind peer review.

The journal ensures double-blind peer review, which means that both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from reviewers, and vice versa. Each manuscript is objectively evaluated by at least two reviewers. The editorial team is the final arbitrator of the decision to publish or reject publication in light of the peer reviewers’ remarks.

The period between manuscript submission and the final report from reviewers is an average of 30 calendar days.

The editorial decision to accept the manuscript for publication must be consistent with the results of peer review.

The expert reviewer must provide an accurate and unbiased report with a final recommendation about the suitability of the submitted manuscript for publication.

The expert reviewer is committed to the following ethical principles:

  • the manuscript submitted for review has the status of a confidential document and is not transferred to third parties without proper authorization;
  • the data contained in the author’s manuscript cannot be used by the reviewer for personal or other purposes;
  • objectively evaluating original research, the expert reviewer does not resort to personal criticism of the author.

8. Policy for consideration of manuscripts requiring correction
If the author(s) reports a significant error in the article published in General Surgery, a correction notice with detailed information about the changes and a link to the citations of the original publication on the website and in the printed version will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal.

A new version of the article is published with details of the changes to the original version and the date when the changes were made.

In the future, the latest version of the article should be cited.

9. Editorial policy on plagiarism and falsification of research
The journal regards plagiarism, data falsification, and fabrication as serious types of scientific misconduct and takes measures to prevent them.

In addition to a peer review procedure, all submitted manuscripts are checked for plagiarism and falsification using anti-plagiarism software, including StrikePlagiarism.com.

10. Conflict of interest
All authors should notify the editors of any potential conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or their interpretation in the manuscript. In any case, the author(s) should state that there are no conflicts of interest that could influence the study or disclose any financial or other potential conflicts of interest.

Along with the manuscript submission, all authors are required to provide a signed Conflict of Interest Statement (ICMJE forms) (http://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/), in which they should indicate all entities and relationships that could influence the content of the manuscript. All authors should complete a standard form, which is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gnnOtK5n8cfIqwFF2dYpGqsfimX7bPoC/view?usp=sharing.

11. Data sharing
The journal supports a policy of open research and encourages authors to make their data available for verification and sharing.

Authors can provide information about the availability of data in the data sharing statement, specifying a publicly available repository.

Authors have the right to withhold data due to ethical or legal regulations or privacy restrictions.

If shared data is used in manuscripts accepted for publication, authors are required to provide a link to the repository where the data is archived.

The Editor-in-Chief appoints experts to confirm the quality of data sharing and its completeness and submit the conclusion for consideration by the editorial team.

12. Editorial policy on the use of artificial intelligence technologies
The use of artificial intelligence technologies is expanding rapidly in the scientific and research field. The new stage in the development of science digitization significantly intensifies the information exchange.
Artificial intelligence models built on neural networks, including ChatGPT, Large Language Models, Manubot, Elicit, Dall E, can process large data volumes from the Internet to provide automated summaries of thematic information at the user's request and thus increase the productivity of researchers.
However, the results of the use of modern language models of artificial intelligence are ambiguous and may result in the rise of ethical problems. The artificial intelligence technologies a priori cannot possess the functions of creative (critical) comprehension of information, they do not create products with scientific novelty and do not make references to the primary sources when selecting information, enhancing the risks of possible violations of copyright and norms of academic integrity.
In this connection, the Editorial Board of the General Surgery journal neither considers texts generated with the artificial intelligence instruments as the scientific manuscripts, nor accepts them for consideration and publication.
At the same time, language models of the artificial intelligence may be used as a tool for writing the scientific papers, in particular for the searching for information in different languages, translation, metadata formation, etc, however analysis of the received data, their processing, interpretation, check for plagiarism is the responsibility of a user-researcher.
The Editorial Board of the General Surgery journal supports ICMJE policy, as stated in the section "Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors" subsection "4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Technology" (https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html), and COPE position statement “Authorship and Artificial Intelligence” from 13th February, 2023. It declares that Artificial Intelligence tools cannot be copyrighted, as non-legal entities, they cannot take responsibility  for the submitted work, that is against the principles of authorship. It is stated that: “Authors who use Artificial Intelligence tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the Artificial Intelligence tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics”. https://publicationethics.org/cope-position-statements/ai-author

13. Policy for research participant protection
Research involving patients or animals must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized rules and consensus.

If photographs of patients are used in the article, they must be submitted with written consent or in such a form that the identity of the patient cannot be established.

All researchers must ensure that the planning and reporting of research on human subjects complies with the 2013 edition of the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects). All authors must obtain approval for the study from an independent local, regional, or national regulatory body (e.g., ethics committee, institutional review board). If there is doubt that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, the authors must justify their approach and demonstrate that the local, regional, or national regulatory body has approved the questionable aspects of the study. Despite the approval of the authorised expert body, the editors can express their own opinion about whether the research was appropriate.

Patients have the right to privacy, which should not be violated without informed consent. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be included in case descriptions and photo captions, except when such information is important for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) provides written informed consent for publication. A sample form is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NkSjR0Tvi_lDSEyQydydrKmrhPR3CJF8/view?usp=sharing. Authors should inform patients whether any potentially identifiable material may be made available online as well as in print after publication.

Irrelevant identifying information should be omitted. Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt about the possibility of maintaining anonymity. For example, masking the eye area in patient photos is insufficient protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are not identified, authors should provide assurances and editors should note that such changes do not distort scientific meaning.

If informed consent is obtained, this should be indicated in the information published in the article.

When reporting animal experiments, authors should indicate whether institutional and national standards for the care and use of laboratory animals have been followed. Further guidelines on the ethics of animal research are available in the Consensus Guidelines on Veterinary Ethics and Welfare of Animals of the International Association of Veterinary Editors (http://www.veteditors.org/consensus-author-guidelines-on-animal-ethics-and-welfare-for-editors). All experiments on animals must also comply with the ARRIVE guidelines (https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/arrive-guidelines) and be carried out in accordance with the main principles of EU Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/legislation_en.htm).

14. Copyright and licensing
The co-founders of the journal, Bogomolets National Medical University and “VIT-A-POL” Limited Liability Company, own the copyright for General Surgery.

The authors of the published articles retain copyright.

The author(s) certifies that their scientific or other manuscript is original research, that it has not previously been published, and that the publication’s copyright has not been transferred to other individuals or legal entities.

If the manuscript is accepted for publication in General Surgery, the author(s) grants the publisher, “VIT-A-POL” LLC, a free non-exclusive license for its publication and use, including:

  • initial publication of the submitted manuscript in General Surgery under the terms of the CC BY-ND 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/);
  • revision of the research paper in accordance with the editorial requirements;
  • checking the submitted manuscript for plagiarism;
  • the use of metadata of the article through processing and systematization, making it public;
  • distribution of electronic copies of the article by placing it on the journal’s website and on specialized medical information websites;
  • inclusion in reference and scientometric databases;
  • translation of the article into other languages;
  • distribution of the article in an unlimited number of copies in any format for commercial and non-commercial purposes via various electronic and digital means;
  • transfer, storage, and processing of personal data without a time limit in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of Personal Data.”

Along with the manuscript submission, all authors are required to provide a signed form of License Terms Agreement, which is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WSLN4j3Cp2p4ndsnywoo1drZxyB5Sshv/view?usp=sharing.

The specified license rights to the published article are retained by the publisher for the entire term of the copyright and are valid in all countries.

The authors of the scientific article retain personal non-proprietary rights.

When using the article, be sure to indicate the original source and copyright information.

The editors of the journal in accordance with the CC BY-ND 4.0 license pursue a policy of encouraging authors and readers to legally share, copy, and distribute the material in any format, provided that the authorship, bibliographic reference to the journal, and DOI of the article are indicated, but without abbreviations and changes.

If necessary, to obtain permission to use the article under other terms, you should contact the publisher at vitapol3@gmail.com.

The founder, the publisher, and authors are not responsible for possible losses or damages related to the use of information contained in the published materials.

15. Publication fee
Manuscript publication in the journal is free. For additional editorial services (translation into Ukrainian or English, editing of text, development of graphic tasks, processing of full-colour illustrations, etc.), the author(s) pays according to the established fees.

16. Advertisement policy
The journal offers both print and online advertising.

The advertisement policy of the journal complies with the principles outlined by the national legislation of Ukraine.

Advertising materials are identified and marked with a special sign ℗.

The Editor-in-Chief makes a decision to publish or reject advertisements.

Advertising activity does not affect the content of the journal or editorial decisions.

Advertiser is responsible for the content of advertising materials.

17. Sources of funding
The journal receives funding from advertising, subscription and the sale of its print edition at specialized medical forums, as well as from LLC “VIT-A-POL”, its publisher.

18. Archiving policy
The journal utilizes the LOCKSS (https://www.lockss.org) and CLOCKSS (https://clockss.org/) systems, and preserves all the published content on the PKP Preservation Network (https://pkp.sfu.ca/pkp-pn/).

Electronic versions of the journal are stored in the digital repository of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine.

Print versions of the journal are available in the scientific libraries of Ukraine:

  • The National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadsky;
  • The National Library of Ukraine named after Yaroslav Mudryi;
  • State Scientific Institution “Book Chamber of Ukraine named after Ivan Fedorov”;
  • Lviv National Scientific Library of Ukraine named after V. Stefanyk;
  • Odesa National Scientific Library;
  • Kharkiv State Scientific Library named after V. G. Korolenko;
  • The State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine;
  • The National Scientific Medical Library of Ukraine.

19. Repository and self-archiving policy
In accordance with the «Licensing terms of the use of papers in the General Surgery journal» and the License CC BY-ND 4.0, the Editorial Board allocates the published papers on its own website http://generalsurgery.com.ua, information portal http://vitapol.info/, in the repositories of the National Medical Library of Ukraine https://library.gov.ua/ and V.I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine  http://nbuv.gov.ua/.
Authors of the papers have the right to independently archive published versions in institutional scientific repositories, research and educational institutions, in the thematic repositories, repositories of Internet libraries and on a personal website, provided the original source and copyright owner are clearly indicated.
The authors may also reuse their papers with both commercial and non-commercial purposes, but it is not allowed to make changes, edits and additions in the published version.
The Editorial Board of the General Surgery journal is not responsible for possible damages caused by the use of information in the published articles by the authors or third parties.
For the purpose of effective exchange of modern scientific information (ideas, hypotheses, problematic discussions), the  Editorial Board recommends to the manuscripts’ authors to place them in the institutional repositories, on personal sites, and non-commercial preprint servers. However, the author’s version of a paper is not considered as an official scientific publication, as it was not subjected to the review and appropriate editing process and cannot be included in the list of primary sources for referencing.

20. Indexing
The journal is indexed by the following abstracting and indexing services: Index Copernicus, CrossRef, Google Scholar, OUCI, Scilit, WorldCat.
The journal is registered in the national databases “Ukrainika Naukova” and “Scientific Periodicals of Ukraine” of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine.
The research materials are published in the Ukrainian Abstract Journal “Dzherelo”.

21. Co-founders
Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv, Ukraine www.nmuofficial.com
“VIT-A-POL” Limited Liability Company, Kyiv, Ukraine
www.vitapol.com.ua

22. Publisher
“VIT-A-POL” Limited Liability Company, Kyiv, Ukraine
www.vitapol.com.ua