·         License:  

·         Publisher: Romanian Association of Balneology / Asociația Română de Balneologie - shall ensure that good practice is maintained to the standards outlined in this document.

Commitment to Scientific Quality, Research Integrity, and Editorial Independence

Last updated: June 2026

Publisher: Romanian Association of Balneology

Journal website: Balneo and PRM Research Journal

Language of publication: English

Publication model: Open Access

Publication frequency: Four issues per year, with continuous online publication within scheduled issues where applicable

·        Citation  Policy:   https://bioclima.ro/CP2026.pdf                

·         Artificial Intelligence Policy:   https://bioclima.ro/AIP2026.pdf       

·        COPYRIGHT, AUTHORSHIP AND PUBLISHING RESPONSIBILITIES Policy:   https://bioclima.ro/CC2026.pdf       

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1. Our Editorial Commitment

Balneo and PRM Research Journal is an international peer-reviewed open-access scholarly journal dedicated to the advancement of scientific knowledge in Balneology, Balneoclimatology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Physiotherapy, Kinesiotherapy, Neurorehabilitation, Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Healthy Ageing, Climatology, Hydrotherapy, Aquatic Therapy and Thermal Rehabilitation.

The journal is committed to maintaining rigorous standards of:

• scientific quality;

• editorial independence;

• research integrity;

• transparent peer review;

• ethical publishing;

• accurate reporting;

• responsible authorship;

• appropriate citation practices;

• protection of the scholarly record;

• clear alignment between the journal’s scope and its published content.

All editorial decisions are made on the basis of scientific merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, originality, clinical or functional relevance, and alignment with the journal’s aims and scope.

The journal’s editorial policies are informed by internationally recognized principles and recommendations, including the standards of the Web of Science Core Collection, ICMJE Recommendations, COPE principles, DOAJ transparency requirements, the Declaration of Helsinki, and relevant reporting guidelines for biomedical and rehabilitation research.

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2. Journal Identity

Journal title: Balneo and PRM Research Journal

International title: Balneo and PRM Research Journal

Index name: BALNEO

Publisher: Romanian Association of Balneology

Scientific fields: Balneology, Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Physiotherapy, Sports Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Healthy Ageing

Publication language: English

Publication frequency: Four issues per year

Access model: Open Access

Editorial responsibility: Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board

The journal title, ISSN information, publisher identity, editorial board, aims and scope, author instructions, peer-review process, access model, publication charges, licensing terms and ethical requirements are maintained transparently on the journal website.

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3. Aims and Scope

Balneo and PRM Research Journal publishes peer-reviewed scholarly content in the following fields:

• Balneology and Balneoclimatology

• Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

• Physiotherapy and Kinesiotherapy

• Neurorehabilitation

• Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation

• Pain Medicine and Functional Recovery

• Rheumatologic and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

• Sports Medicine and Injury Prevention

• Lifestyle Medicine and Health-Related Physical Activity

• Healthy Ageing

• Climatology and Bioclimatology

• Hydrotherapy, Aquatic Therapy and Thermal Rehabilitation

• Functional Assessment and Rehabilitation Outcomes

• Rehabilitation Technologies

• Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in Rehabilitation

The journal prioritizes manuscripts with clear relevance to:

• rehabilitation;

• physical and functional recovery;

• disability prevention;

• chronic disease management;

• quality of life;

• patient-centered outcomes;

• clinical assessment;

• therapeutic intervention;

• health-related physical activity;

• functional independence;

• evidence-based rehabilitation practice.

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3.1 Operational Editorial Scope

To ensure clarity, consistency and alignment with the journal’s scientific identity, all submissions undergo an initial editorial scope screening before peer review.

Manuscripts are considered suitable when they address one or more of the following areas:

1. Balneology, balneoclimatology and thermal rehabilitation;

1. Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine;

1. Physiotherapy and kinesiotherapy;

1. Neurorehabilitation and functional neurology;

1. Musculoskeletal rehabilitation, chronic pain and functional recovery;

1. Pulmonary, cardiac, oncological, geriatric and pediatric rehabilitation;

1. Sports medicine, injury prevention and return-to-activity / return-to-play;

1. Functional assessment, biomechanics and rehabilitation technologies;

1. Lifestyle medicine, health-related physical activity and healthy ageing;

1. Hydrotherapy, aquatic therapy, climatotherapy and thermal medicine.

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3.2 Sport-Related Manuscripts

Sport-related manuscripts are considered only when they demonstrate explicit relevance to one or more of the following:

• sports medicine;

• injury prevention;

• rehabilitation;

• functional assessment;

• exercise therapy;

• return-to-activity;

• return-to-play;

• health promotion;

• lifestyle medicine;

• functional performance related to health or recovery;

• prevention of disability or functional decline.

The journal does not consider manuscripts whose primary focus is:

• sport pedagogy;

• coaching methodology;

• sport management;

• fan behaviour;

• sport marketing;

• advertising;

• general educational theory;

• curriculum development;

• character education without clinical or health-related outcomes;

• physical education studies without rehabilitation, medical, functional or health relevance.

Manuscripts outside the operational editorial scope may be declined before peer review.

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4. Article Types Considered

The journal considers the following manuscript types:

• Original Research Articles;

• Clinical Studies;

• Randomized Controlled Trials;

• Observational Studies;

• Case Reports;

• Case Series;

• Systematic Reviews;

• Scoping Reviews;

• Meta-Analyses;

• Narrative Reviews;

• Short Communications;

• Letters to the Editor;

• Editorials by invitation;

• Methodological or Technical Notes relevant to rehabilitation or functional assessment.

Systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-analyses must follow appropriate reporting standards, including PRISMA where applicable, and should provide a protocol or registration number when available.

Clinical trials should be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible registry.

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5. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently and are based exclusively on:

• originality;

• scientific merit;

• methodological soundness;

• ethical compliance;

• relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;

• clarity of presentation;

• validity of conclusions;

• contribution to the field.

Editorial decisions are not influenced by:

• commercial interests;

• institutional affiliations;

• author nationality;

• gender, ethnicity, religion or political views;

• personal relationships;

• sponsorship;

• Article Processing Charge payments.

The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for editorial decisions, while ensuring that all manuscripts are handled according to journal policies and international editorial standards.

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6. Peer Review Policy

Balneo and PRM Research Journal uses a single-blind peer-review process.

All scholarly submissions undergo an initial editorial screening before peer review. This screening evaluates:

• alignment with the journal’s scope;

• originality and relevance;

• ethical documentation;

• methodological adequacy;

• reporting quality;

• citation appropriateness;

• language clarity;

• completeness of required statements;

• plagiarism and text similarity.

Manuscripts that pass editorial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise relevant to the topic.

Reviewers assess:

• originality;

• scientific quality;

• methodological rigor;

• appropriateness of study design;

• ethical compliance;

• validity of results;

• adequacy of statistical analysis;

• relevance and appropriateness of citations;

• clarity of tables and figures;

• strength of conclusions;

• alignment with journal scope.

Possible reviewer recommendations include:

• Accept;

• Minor Revision;

• Major Revision;

• Reject.

The final editorial decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or by a designated handling editor.

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7. Editorial Decisions

Editorial decisions may include:

Accept

The manuscript is accepted for publication after editorial and technical checks.

Minor Revision

The manuscript requires limited changes before final acceptance.

Major Revision

The manuscript requires substantial scientific, methodological, structural or editorial revision before it can be reconsidered.

Reject

The manuscript is not suitable for publication because of insufficient originality, methodological limitations, ethical concerns, poor reporting quality, lack of relevance to the journal scope, or failure to meet scientific standards.

A revised manuscript may be sent back to the original reviewers or evaluated by the handling editor, depending on the extent of the changes required.

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8. Editorial Board Manuscripts

Members of the Editorial Board may submit manuscripts to the journal.

Such submissions are handled independently and are subject to the same editorial screening, peer-review, ethical and scientific standards as all other submissions.

An editor, Editorial Board member, reviewer or journal officer who is an author or co-author of a submitted manuscript is excluded from:

• editorial handling;

• reviewer selection;

• peer-review management;

• editorial evaluation;

• final decision-making.

Editorial Board membership does not guarantee acceptance, accelerated review, preferential treatment, APC waiver or discounted publication.

Any waiver or reduction of publication charges, if granted, is based only on transparent editorial, institutional, invited-content or hardship criteria and is never granted solely on the basis of Editorial Board membership.

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9. Special Issues, Thematic Sections and Guest Editors

Special issues, thematic sections and guest-edited content must fall within the journal’s aims and scope.

The Editor-in-Chief retains full responsibility for all content published in the journal, including special issues and thematic collections.

Guest Editors must:

• have recognized expertise in the relevant field;

• disclose conflicts of interest;

• follow the journal’s peer-review procedures;

• ensure that all manuscripts are independently reviewed;

• avoid preferential treatment of invited authors;

• avoid inappropriate citation practices.

Manuscripts submitted by Guest Editors to their own special issue must be handled independently by another editor.

Special issue articles are subject to the same editorial, ethical, peer-review and quality standards as regular submissions.

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10. Authorship Policy

Authorship must be based on substantial scholarly contribution.

All authors should meet the following criteria:

• substantial contribution to study conception or design, data acquisition, analysis or interpretation;

• drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;

• approval of the final version;

• agreement to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of the work.

All individuals who contributed substantially but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

The journal does not permit:

• honorary authorship;

• guest authorship;

• ghost authorship;

• gift authorship;

• undisclosed writing assistance.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors meet authorship criteria and approve the submitted and final versions of the manuscript.

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11. Contributor Roles

Authors are encouraged to describe individual contributions using a structured contributor-role taxonomy, where applicable.

Examples of contributions include:

• conceptualization;

• methodology;

• investigation;

• data curation;

• formal analysis;

• funding acquisition;

• project administration;

• supervision;

• writing – original draft;

• writing – review and editing.

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12. Changes in Authorship

Any change in authorship after submission must be requested in writing and approved by all authors.

Changes may include:

• addition of an author;

• removal of an author;

• change in author order;

• change in corresponding author.

The journal may request a detailed explanation and written consent from all authors before approving the change.

Authorship disputes should be resolved by the authors’ institutions whenever necessary.

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13. Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the submitted work.

Examples include:

• employment;

• consultancy;

• advisory roles;

• institutional relationships;

• honoraria;

• grants;

• funding;

• stock ownership;

• patents;

• personal relationships;

• academic competition;

• ideological or professional conflicts.

Conflict-of-interest statements must be included in the manuscript.

If no conflict exists, authors should state:

“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Editors and reviewers with a conflict of interest must decline involvement in the manuscript.

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14. Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of funding, financial support, institutional support, grants or sponsorship related to the submitted work.

The role of the funder should be clearly stated, including whether the funder had any role in:

• study design;

• data collection;

• analysis;

• interpretation;

• manuscript preparation;

• decision to submit for publication.

If there was no funding, authors should state:

“This research received no external funding.”

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15. Human Subjects Research

Research involving human participants must comply with:

• the Declaration of Helsinki;

• applicable national and institutional regulations;

• ethics committee or institutional review board requirements.

Manuscripts involving human participants must include:

• name of the ethics committee;

• approval number or reference code, where applicable;

• date of approval;

• informed consent statement;

• protection of confidentiality and personal data.

If ethical approval was waived, the manuscript must state the reason and identify the authority granting the waiver.

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16. Informed Consent

Authors must obtain informed consent from all participants involved in research, where applicable.

For case reports, clinical images, identifiable patient information or individual clinical details, authors must confirm that appropriate consent for publication was obtained.

Patient confidentiality must be protected at all times.

Identifiable personal information must not be published unless essential for scientific understanding and supported by explicit consent.

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17. Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

Research involving vulnerable participants requires special ethical consideration.

Vulnerable groups may include:

• children;

• older adults with impaired capacity;

• persons with disabilities;

• persons with cognitive impairment;

• institutionalized individuals;

• patients with severe illness;

• persons unable to provide full informed consent.

Authors must describe additional safeguards used to protect vulnerable participants.

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18. Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with applicable international, national and institutional animal welfare regulations.

Authors must provide:

• ethics committee approval;

• approval number, where applicable;

• description of animal welfare measures;

• justification of animal use;

• reporting according to recognized animal-research reporting standards where applicable.

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19. Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before recruitment of participants.

Examples include:

• ClinicalTrials.gov;

• ISRCTN;

• EU Clinical Trials Register;

• WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

Manuscripts reporting clinical trials must include:

• registry name;

• registration number;

• date of registration.

Unregistered trials may be considered only with a transparent explanation and at the discretion of the editors.

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20. Reporting Guidelines

Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to study type.

Examples include:

• CONSORT for randomized trials;

• STROBE for observational studies;

• PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;

• PRISMA-ScR for scoping reviews;

• CARE for case reports;

• STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;

• TRIPOD or TRIPOD-AI for prediction models;

• CHEERS for health economic evaluations;

• COREQ or SRQR for qualitative research;

• ARRIVE for animal research.

The relevant checklist should be submitted when applicable.

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21. Data Availability Policy

The journal supports transparency, reproducibility and responsible data sharing.

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement in every manuscript.

The statement should specify:

• whether data are available;

• where data can be accessed;

• whether restrictions apply;

• whether data are available upon reasonable request;

• whether data cannot be shared and why.

Examples:

“The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

“The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in [repository name].”

“Data cannot be shared publicly due to ethical and privacy restrictions.”

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22. Reproducibility and Research Transparency

Authors should provide sufficient methodological detail to allow verification, replication or critical appraisal of the research.

Where applicable, manuscripts should include:

• study protocol;

• statistical analysis plan;

• sample size calculation;

• inclusion and exclusion criteria;

• details of interventions;

• details of measurement instruments;

• software and version numbers;

• code availability;

• data processing steps.

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23. Statistical Reporting

Statistical methods must be appropriate to the study design and research question.

Authors should report, where applicable:

• sample size and power calculation;

• descriptive statistics;

• confidence intervals;

• effect sizes;

• exact p-values;

• adjustment for multiple comparisons;

• handling of missing data;

• assumptions of statistical tests;

• software used.

Conclusions must be supported by the data presented.

Overstatement of findings, unsupported causal claims and selective reporting are not acceptable.

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24. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism and text similarity before peer review or during editorial evaluation.

The journal may reject manuscripts showing:

• plagiarism;

• unattributed text overlap;

• duplicate publication;

• redundant publication;

• inappropriate paraphrasing;

• self-plagiarism;

• excessive reuse of previously published text.

Similarity reports are assessed by editors in context.

A high similarity score does not automatically imply plagiarism, but unexplained overlap may result in rejection or further investigation.

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25. Research Integrity Policy

The journal investigates allegations of:

• plagiarism;

• data fabrication;

• data falsification;

• image manipulation;

• duplicate publication;

• redundant publication;

• undisclosed conflicts of interest;

• inappropriate authorship;

• citation manipulation;

• peer-review manipulation;

• unethical research;

• undisclosed use of artificial intelligence;

• manipulation of editorial processes.

Depending on the outcome, editorial actions may include:

• request for clarification;

• manuscript rejection;

• publication of a correction;

• expression of concern;

• retraction;

• notification of institutions or funders.

The journal follows recognized publication-ethics principles when handling suspected misconduct.

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26. Image Integrity

Images, figures, graphs and diagnostic materials must accurately represent the original data.

Unacceptable practices include:

• selective enhancement;

• inappropriate manipulation;

• duplication of images;

• misleading cropping;

• undeclared composite images;

• removal or addition of features.

Adjustments to brightness, contrast or color balance are acceptable only if applied uniformly and do not alter interpretation.

Editors may request original image files.

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27. Citation Integrity Policy

The journal is committed to appropriate and responsible citation practices.

Citations must be selected for scientific relevance and not for the purpose of influencing journal metrics, author metrics or institutional metrics.

The journal does not require, request or encourage citation to Balneo and PRM Research Journal unless such citation is scientifically necessary.

Citations to articles previously published in Balneo and PRM Research Journal are acceptable only when they are directly relevant to the scientific, methodological, clinical or evidential content of the manuscript.

Editors, reviewers and guest editors must not recommend citations for the purpose of increasing citation counts or influencing journal-level metrics.

Manuscripts with unusual citation patterns may undergo additional citation-integrity review.

The journal may request removal or replacement of citations that are excessive, irrelevant, coercive, honorary or not scientifically justified.

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28. Journal Self-Citation Control

To maintain citation integrity, the journal applies manuscript-level self-citation screening.

A manuscript may be flagged for additional review if:

• it contains more than three citations to recent articles from Balneo and PRM Research Journal;

• more than 10% of the reference list cites Balneo and PRM Research Journal;

• reviewer or editor recommendations include citations to the journal without clear scientific justification;

• references appear clustered, repetitive or weakly related to the manuscript topic.

Flagged manuscripts are reviewed by the editorial office before acceptance.

Journal self-citations may be retained only when they are scientifically necessary and directly relevant.

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29. Artificial Intelligence Policy

Generative Artificial Intelligence tools may be used only to improve language, grammar, readability or formatting.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the integrity, originality and accuracy of the work.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

• accuracy of content;

• originality;

• data integrity;

• citations;

• ethical compliance;

• interpretation of findings;

• final submitted text.

The use of AI tools should be disclosed when they contributed substantially to writing, analysis, image generation, translation or data processing.

AI tools must not be used to fabricate data, generate false references, manipulate images, create misleading content or replace critical scientific judgment.

Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts to AI tools without permission from the journal.

Editors must ensure responsible use of AI in editorial workflows.

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30. Peer Review Confidentiality

Manuscripts under review are confidential documents.

Reviewers must not:

• share manuscripts;

• use unpublished data;

• contact authors directly;

• use manuscript content for personal advantage;

• upload manuscripts to third-party AI tools without permission;

• disclose review content.

Reviewers should provide fair, constructive, evidence-based and respectful feedback.

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31. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

• evaluate manuscripts objectively;

• assess scientific quality and methodological rigor;

• identify ethical concerns;

• identify possible plagiarism or duplicate publication;

• assess citation relevance;

• declare conflicts of interest;

• maintain confidentiality;

• submit reviews on time.

Reviewers should not recommend citations to their own work or to the journal unless scientifically justified.

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32. Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for:

• ensuring fair and independent editorial evaluation;

• selecting qualified reviewers;

• managing conflicts of interest;

• protecting confidentiality;

• ensuring scope alignment;

• upholding ethical standards;

• preventing inappropriate citation practices;

• maintaining the integrity of the published record.

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest.

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33. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for:

• originality of the work;

• accuracy of data;

• ethical compliance;

• correct attribution;

• appropriate citations;

• disclosure of funding and conflicts of interest;

• obtaining necessary permissions;

• protecting participant confidentiality;

• responding to reviewer comments transparently.

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal.

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34. Duplicate, Redundant and Overlapping Publication

The journal does not accept manuscripts that substantially overlap with published or submitted work without appropriate disclosure and justification.

Authors must disclose related manuscripts, preprints, conference abstracts or previous publications at submission.

If overlap is identified after submission or publication, the journal may investigate and take appropriate editorial action.

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35. Preprints

The journal may consider manuscripts previously posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that this is clearly disclosed at submission.

Authors must include:

• preprint title;

• server name;

• DOI or permanent link;

• date of posting.

Preprints do not replace peer review.

If accepted, authors should update the preprint record with a link to the final published article.

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36. Corrections, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

The journal is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

When necessary, the journal may publish:

• corrections;

• corrigenda;

• expressions of concern;

• retractions.

Corrections may be issued when errors affect interpretation but do not invalidate the article.

Expressions of concern may be issued when serious concerns are under investigation but final evidence is not yet available.

Retractions may be issued when findings are unreliable, unethical, plagiarized, fabricated, falsified or seriously misleading.

All post-publication notices are linked to the original article and remain part of the scholarly record.

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37. Post-Publication Review

The journal welcomes responsible post-publication discussion.

Readers may contact the editorial office if they identify:

• factual errors;

• ethical concerns;

• methodological concerns;

• citation concerns;

• authorship concerns;

• image or data integrity issues.

All concerns are assessed objectively and confidentially.

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38. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned scientific response.

Appeals must address the reviewers’ and editors’ comments in detail.

Appeals are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief or by an independent editor when appropriate.

Complaints regarding editorial conduct, peer review, ethics or publication procedures are handled confidentially and according to recognized publication-ethics principles.

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39. Open Access Policy

Balneo and PRM Research Journal is an open-access journal.

Published articles are freely available to readers without subscription barriers.

Readers may access, read, download and share published content according to the applicable license terms.

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40. Copyright and License

Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right to publish, distribute and archive the article.

Unless otherwise stated, articles are published under the license indicated on the journal website and within each article PDF.

License terms must be clearly displayed on the article page and in the article PDF.

The journal currently uses the Creative Commons license specified on the journal website.

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41. Article Processing Charges

The Article Processing Charge is displayed transparently on the journal website.

The APC is payable only after editorial acceptance.

Payment of the APC does not influence:

• editorial screening;

• peer review;

• reviewer selection;

• editorial decision;

• publication priority.

All manuscripts are evaluated according to the same scientific, ethical and editorial standards regardless of APC status.

Any waiver or discount policy must be transparent, documented and unrelated to editorial influence.

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42. Archiving and Preservation

The journal is committed to ensuring long-term access to published content.

The journal supports preservation through:

• DOI registration;

• metadata deposition;

• indexing services;

• institutional or digital archives where available;

• secure website storage and backup.

The publisher aims to maintain permanent accessibility of published content.

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43. Metadata Accuracy

The journal is committed to accurate and complete metadata.

Article metadata include:

• title;

• authors;

• affiliations;

• abstracts;

• keywords;

• DOI;

• publication date;

• references;

• funding;

• license;

• article type.

Corrections to metadata are made when necessary to ensure accurate indexing and discoverability.

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44. Article Dates

Published articles should display:

• date received;

• date revised, where applicable;

• date accepted;

• date published.

These dates are used to support transparency of the editorial process.

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45. Language and Editing

The journal publishes in English.

Manuscripts must be written in clear, accurate and comprehensible English.

Authors are responsible for language quality.

The editorial office may request language revision when the manuscript is not sufficiently clear for international readers.

Language editing does not replace scientific peer review.

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46. Website Accuracy and Transparency

The journal website is maintained to provide accurate and current information regarding:

• aims and scope;

• editorial board;

• peer-review process;

• author instructions;

• publication ethics;

• APC;

• licensing;

• copyright;

• contact information;

• published content.

The publisher periodically reviews the website to ensure that all information is accurate, consistent and up to date.

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47. Contact and Editorial Correspondence

Questions regarding submissions, editorial policies, publication ethics or published content should be addressed to the editorial office.

The journal provides dedicated contact details for editorial and administrative communication.

Authors, reviewers and readers are encouraged to contact the editorial office whenever clarification is required.

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48. Final Statement

Balneo and PRM Research Journal is committed to publishing scientifically rigorous, ethically sound and clinically relevant research that contributes to the advancement of balneology, rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, functional recovery, health-related physical activity, quality of life, disability prevention and healthy ageing.

The journal continuously reviews and strengthens its editorial policies to ensure transparency, accountability, scientific integrity and alignment with international standards of scholarly publishing.

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External Standards and Guidance Reflected in These Policies

These editorial policies were prepared with reference to the following standards and guidance:

1. Web of Science Core Collection Journal Evaluation Process and Selection Criteria — Clarivate

1. Clarivate describes a journal evaluation process based on 28 criteria, including 24 quality criteria and 4 impact criteria. The criteria include peer review, website functionality, editorial board transparency, ethics statements, scope coherence, content relevance, adherence to community standards, author and editorial board distribution, and appropriate citations.

1. ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals

1. The ICMJE Recommendations were updated in January 2026 and cover authorship, conflicts of interest, peer-review responsibilities, editorial freedom, research participant protection, corrections, scientific misconduct, fees, special issues, clinical trials and use of artificial intelligence in publishing.

1. DOAJ Guide to Applying and Transparency Requirements

1. DOAJ requires clear information on open access policy, aims and scope, editorial board, author instructions, peer review, licensing, copyright and author charges. DOAJ also expects transparent peer review information, at least two independent reviewers per article, clear licensing terms, clear copyright terms and minimization of endogeny.

1. Recognized Reporting Guidelines for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Research

1. Authors are encouraged to use relevant reporting guidelines such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, PRISMA-ScR, CARE, STARD, TRIPOD, COREQ, SRQR and ARRIVE, depending on study design. These guidelines support transparent, complete and reproducible reporting of health research.