Editorial Policy

The editorial policy of TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA is based on the principles of academic integrity, editorial independence, transparency, open access, unbiased peer review, and responsible scholarly publishing.

TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA is a scientific medical journal in the fields of orthopaedics, traumatology, arthroscopy, reconstructive surgery, prosthetics, rehabilitation, and related disciplines. The journal publishes original research articles, literature reviews, case reports, and other materials of scientific or practical value to specialists in orthopaedics and traumatology.

The journal aims to disseminate research findings, clinical experience, modern methods of diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system, as well as to support professional exchange between Ukrainian and international specialists.

Main Principles of the Editorial Policy

TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA adheres to the following principles:

- open access to published materials;

- academic integrity and publication ethics;

- editorial independence;

- transparency of the editorial process;

- objective and unbiased evaluation of manuscripts;

- independent peer review of submitted materials;

- prevention of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, and data falsification;

- disclosure and management of conflicts of interest;

- respect for authors’ rights;

- ensuring the quality of scholarly publications.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts are made solely on the basis of scientific quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, suitability for the journal’s scope, and the results of peer review.

Authors’ institutional affiliation, position, academic degree, personal relationships with the Editorial Office, membership in professional organizations, subscription status, financial considerations, or any other non-academic factors do not influence editorial decisions.

The Editorial Office ensures unbiased treatment of all authors regardless of country, nationality, gender, religious or political views, place of work, academic status, or any other characteristics unrelated to the scientific content of the manuscript.

Peer Review

All manuscripts submitted to TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA undergo initial editorial screening for compliance with the journal’s scope, formatting requirements, ethical standards, and plagiarism policy.

Manuscripts that meet the journal’s basic requirements are sent for independent double-blind peer review.

The detailed peer-review procedure, including the number of reviewers, review timeframe, and the process for making the final editorial decision, is described in the Peer-review Process section.

Publication Ethics

TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA adheres to the principles of publication ethics, academic integrity, and responsible scholarly publishing.

Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to act in accordance with ethical standards and to prevent any form of research or publication misconduct.

Issues related to authorship, plagiarism, duplicate publication, conflicts of interest, ethical approval, corrections, retractions, and editorial actions are governed by the journal’s Publication Ethics policy.

Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing

Issues related to open access, copyright, and licensing are governed by the journal’s Open-access Statement.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could affect the objectivity, integrity, or interpretation of the manuscript.

Editors and reviewers must not participate in the handling of manuscripts if a conflict of interest exists that may affect the impartiality of the evaluation or editorial decision.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editorial Board Members

Members of the Editorial Board may submit manuscripts to TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA; however, such manuscripts undergo the same peer-review procedure as all other submissions.

Editorial Board members, editors, and journal staff do not participate in the review, discussion, or editorial decision-making regarding their own manuscripts or manuscripts for which they have a conflict of interest.

Publication Quality and Responsibility

The Editorial Office aims to ensure the scientific, methodological, ethical, and editorial quality of published materials.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of submitted data, proper citation, compliance with ethical requirements, and disclosure of conflicts of interest and funding sources.

The Editorial Office reserves the right to return a manuscript to the authors without further consideration or to reject it if it does not comply with the journal’s requirements, ethical standards, journal scope, or principles of academic integrity.

Updates to the Editorial Policy

The editorial policy of TERRA ORTHOPAEDICA may be reviewed and updated to ensure compliance with international standards of scholarly publishing, open access requirements, publication ethics, and good editorial practice.

The current version of the editorial policy is published on the official journal website.