Journal information and quality standards connects these policies with the journal’s editorial model and current public status. Indexing and preservation reports identifiers and external coverage separately.
NeuScience's policies explain the evidence, ethical safeguards and responsibilities expected throughout submission, review and publication. This page is the policy directory; use the detailed requirements below when preparing or assessing a manuscript.
Research standards and participant protection
Research must have suitable design, transparent methods and justified conclusions. Authors must report relevant ethical approval, consent, trial registration and safeguards for human participants and animals. Include reporting checklists applicable to the design, explain exclusions and provide the evidence needed to assess the principal claims.
Research standards and reproducibility covers sample size, randomisation, blinding, statistics, clinical research, animals, biomarkers, AI and evidence synthesis.
Data, code and materials
Describe what can be accessed, where it is held and any lawful restriction. Deposit appropriate supporting outputs in a durable repository and cite their versions. Protect identifiable participants and respect consent and third-party rights. Do not claim that confidential data are publicly available when they are not.
Data, code and materials provides repository guidance, availability statements, controlled-access requirements and computational documentation.
Originality, authorship and integrity
Submit accurate work that is not under concurrent journal review. Disclose preprints and overlapping reports. Authors must meet the ICMJE criteria, approve the submission and account for contributions. Changes to authorship require explanation and agreement from affected authors. Keep original records and disclose consequential image processing and AI assistance.
Research integrity and responsible publication explains originality assessment, the image-review process, authorship changes, AI confidentiality, biosecurity and handling of concerns.
Competing interests and independence
Authors must disclose all support for the work and relevant relationships during the five years before submission, with older interests disclosed when still relevant. Reviewers and editors must declare conflicts and decline or recuse themselves when impartial assessment is compromised. Fees and waivers must not influence scientific decisions.
Competing interests and editorial independence provides examples, disclosure periods and management arrangements.
Peer review and the published record
Editors independently select reviewers and assess the manuscript and reports. Confidential material must not be shared without authorisation. Research proceeding to external review normally needs two completed independent expert reports before acceptance. Authors must respond to queries and check the current proof before publication.
Peer review and editorial selection describes triage, reviewer selection, confidentiality, decisions and revisions. Corrections, concerns, complaints and appeals explains linked notices and the 28-day decision-appeal period.
Raise a concern
Send the manuscript NS-ID or article identifier, a specific account and supporting evidence to editorial@neuscience.org. Ask for a secure route before sending sensitive records. A conflicted person must not lead the assessment. The journal may seek independent advice or refer research-conduct matters to the responsible institution.
NeuScience refers to COPE guidance, ICMJE recommendations and relevant reporting standards. This does not claim COPE membership, ICMJE endorsement, a commercial screening subscription or independent reproduction of every published result. Confirmed editorial appointments and operational metrics will be reported separately.