Privacy Policy

At the International Journal of Medical Anesthesiology, we take privacy seriously. This isn't just about ticking regulatory boxes — it's about maintaining the trust that researchers, clinicians, and study participants place in us when they share their work and their data.

Protecting Study Participants

Clinical research depends on people willing to participate in studies. We owe them our best efforts to protect their privacy. For this reason, we do not accept manuscripts that disclose personal details of individual participants. Any data that could be traced back to a specific person — whether directly or through a combination of details — must be removed or altered before submission.

This means stripping out names, hospital numbers, and similar identifiers. But it also means thinking carefully about less obvious details. A rare condition treated at a specific hospital during a particular month might be enough to identify someone, even without their name attached. Authors should err on the side of caution.

Photographs and Images

Medical images often have significant educational value, but they can also reveal more than intended. A photograph showing a patient's face — or even distinctive features like an unusual birthmark or tattoo — could compromise their anonymity.

When such images are necessary for the manuscript, we require that identifying features be masked before publication. Eyes are typically covered with black bars; other distinctive marks may need to be cropped out or digitally obscured. The goal is straightforward: preserve what's scientifically relevant while protecting the person in the image.

Authors should also check image metadata. Digital photographs often contain embedded information about when and where they were taken. This data should be removed before submission.

When Anonymization Isn't Possible

Sometimes complete anonymization simply isn't feasible — a case report about an extremely rare condition, for instance, or images where masking would obscure the clinical finding being discussed. In these situations, we require written informed consent from the patient (or their legal guardian). The consent form should make clear that the material will appear in an open-access publication and may be seen by anyone with internet access.

We don't ask authors to submit consent forms with their manuscripts, but they must confirm in writing that appropriate consent was obtained and keep the documentation on file.

Author and Reviewer Information

We collect certain information from authors during submission — names, affiliations, email addresses, and so on. This information is used to manage the review process and communicate about manuscripts. We don't sell it or share it with third parties for marketing purposes.

Peer review at our journal is confidential. We don't reveal reviewer identities to authors unless reviewers specifically choose to sign their reviews. Similarly, we expect reviewers to treat manuscripts and related correspondence as confidential.

How We Handle Data

All personal data collected through our systems is stored on secure servers with appropriate access controls. We use encryption for data transmission and conduct periodic security reviews. While no system is completely immune to breaches, we take reasonable precautions to minimize risks.

We retain submission records and related correspondence for as long as necessary to support the published literature and address any questions that may arise about published work. Data that's no longer needed is deleted or anonymized.

Your Rights

If you've submitted a manuscript or served as a reviewer, you can request access to the personal data we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct inaccuracies or, in some circumstances, delete your information. Send requests to our editorial office; we'll respond as quickly as we can, typically within 30 days.

Compliance

Our practices align with major data protection frameworks and ethical guidelines for medical research. These include the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for European residents, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) where applicable to health information, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) for Canadian users, Brazil's Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), Australia's Privacy Act, and the Declaration of Helsinki principles governing ethical conduct in medical research involving human subjects.

We also follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for maintaining ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time as regulations evolve or our practices change. When we make significant revisions, we'll note the changes on our website. We encourage authors and reviewers to check back periodically.

Questions?

If you have questions about this policy or concerns about how your data is being handled, please get in touch with our editorial office at anesthesiologypaper@gmail.com. We're happy to help.