Aim and Scope

The purpose of the journal Koloproktologia (Russian Journal of Coloproctology) is to highlight current trends and scientific achievements in colorectal surgery.

Diseases of the colon, anus, pelvic floor, and perineum are among the most common; and coloproctology is the most dynamically developing surgical specialty.

Colorectal cancer occupies one of the leading positions in the structure of oncological diseases. There is a steady increase in inflammatory bowel diseases, diverticular disease, stoma patients.

Diagnostic and treatment options for hemorrhoid disease, anal fistula, anal fissure, and anal incontinence are constantly changing.

Coloproctologists in Russia, as in the rest of the world, intensively interact with oncologists, gastroenterologists, general surgeons, endoscopists, pathophysiologists, and specialists in other scientific and practical areas of medical activity.

The target audience of the journal is coloproctologists, as well as doctors of other specialties, whose interest is focused on diseases of the colon, rectum, anus, pelvic floor and perineum

The journal Koloproctologia (Russian Journal of Coloproctology) unites coloproctologists of Russia in close cooperation with professional associations of the world and leading international experts in the field of colorectal surgery.

The journal publishes original articles, the results of basic research aimed at studying general pathological processes in order to improve the treatment of patients, clinical cases, meta-analyses, and literature reviews on a wide range of coloproctology issues, as well as the results of clinical and experimental studies.

Section Policies

CLINICAL GUIDELINES

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

LEADING ARTICLE

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

REVIEW

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

META-ANALYSIS

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

NEWS

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

ABSTRACT OF THE CONFERENCE

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

COMMENTS ON THE ARTICLE

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

CONSENSUS

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Publication Frequency

4 mandatory issues per year + appendices to the journal (special issues, conference abstracts, etc.)

Open Access Policy

This journal provides direct open access to its content based on the following principle: free open access to research results contributes to increasing global knowledge sharing.

Archiving

• Russian State Library (RSL)
• National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON)

Peer-Review

1. The manuscript of the scientific article, received by the editorial board of the journal Koloproktologia, is considered by the executive secretary for compliance with the profile of the journal, is registered by the issuing editor, the authors are notified by e-mail about the receipt of the article. If necessary, are indicated any inconsistencies with the requirements for the material of the article: the volume of the article, the number of illustrations, the presence of a summary in Russian and English, the presence of a list of references and the presence of a list of references in the text, contact information about the authors, etc. The authors are recommended to bring the manuscript of the article in accordance with the requirements at the stage before peer-reviewing and submit it again.

2. The manuscripts are sent to two reviewers for evaluation..

3. All the articles submitted to the editorial board are independently peer-reviewed. Both the members of the editorial board of the journal Koloproktologia and third-party scientists and specialists who are experts in this field can be involved as peer-reviewers for peer-reviewing the manuscripts of the articles.

4. The peer-review is confidential. The peer-reviewers are notified that the submitted manuscripts are the private property of the authors and belong to the information not subject to disclosure.

5. If the peer-review of the article contains an indication of the need for its correction, the article is sent to the author for revision.In this case, the date of receipt is the date of return of the revised article.

6. The original peer-reviews are stored in the editorial board for five years from the date of publication of the articles and upon request are provided to the expert councils of the HAC.

7. The article sent to the author for revision shall be returned in the corrected form within 3 months. The revised manuscript shall be accompanied by a letter from the authors, containing the answers to all the comments and explaining all the changes made in the article.

8. If the article on the recommendation of the peer-reviewer has undergone significant author's revision, it is sent for re-peer-review to the same peer-reviewer who made critical comments.

9. The editorial board reserves the right to reject articles in case of inability or unwillingness of the author to take into account the wishes of the editorial board.

10. If there are negative peer-reviews of the manuscript from two different peer-reviewers or one peer-review of its revised version, the article is rejected without consideration by the other members of the editorial board. The author receives a reasoned refusal to publish the article.

11. In case of disagreement with the opinion of the peer-reviewer, the author has the right to provide a reasoned response to the journal’s editorial board. The article can be sent for re-peer-reviewing or for approval to the editorial board.

12. The decision on expediency of the publication after peer-reviewing is made by the editorial board.

13. The executive secretary shall bring the made decision to the notice of the author. The maximum peer-review period between the date of receipt of the manuscript and the date of decision making by the editorial board is 4 months.

Rules for Peer-Reviewing a Scientific Article

The task of peer-reviewing is to promote the strict selection of authors' manuscripts for publication and offer specific recommendations for their improvement. The peer-review shall objectively assess the scientific article and contain a comprehensive analysis of its scientific and methodological advantages and disadvantages.

Requirements for the Content of a Peer-Review of a Scientific Article

The Peer-Reviewer shall:

1. Determine whether the material presented in the article corresponds to the profile of the journal.

2. Assess the relevance of the article content: whether the level of the material presented in it corresponds to modern achievements of science and technology.

3. Assess the significance of the research results (scientific, practical).

4. Give a qualitative and / or quantitative assessment of the material provided in the article.

5. Assess the completeness and reliability of the information provided.

6. Assess the correctness and accuracy of the definitions and wording used (or entered).

7. Assess the literary style of presentation of the material.

8. Give reasonable conclusions about the article as a whole, comments, and, if necessary, recommendations for its improvement.

9. The set of the listed issues is of a general nature.

Each specific article requires an individual approach to the selection of criteria for its assessment.

10. In the final part of the review, as per the results of the analysis of the article, shall be given a clear recommendation about its publication in the submitted form, or the need for its finalizing or revision (with constructive comments), or inexpediency of its publication in this journal.

Indexation

Publications in the journal Koloproktologia are included in the calculation system of citation indexes of authors and journals. “Citation index” is a numerical indicator that characterizes the significance of this article and is calculated based on subsequent publications that refer to this paper.

The journal Koloproktologia is indexed by several systems:

• Russian Index for Science Citation (RISC) is a bibliographic and abstract index implemented as a database that accumulates information on papers by Russian scientists, published in native and foreign scientific journals. The RISC project has been under development since 2005 by “Electronic Scientific Library” foundation (elibrary.ru).By 2012, over 2,400 Russian journal shad been published on the e-library platform.
  
  
• Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search system that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. The Google Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online journals of Europe and the USA of the largest scholarly publishers.
  
  
• Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) on Web of Science platform

Publishing Ethics

This section is based on the materials of the Elsevier scientific and medical literature publishing house, as well as on the materials of the International Committee on publication ethics (COPE).

1. Introduction

1.1. Publication of materials in peer-reviewed journals is not only a simple way of scientific communication, but also makes a significant contribution to the development of the relevant field of scientific knowledge.

Thus, it is important to set standards for the future ethical behavior of all parties involved in the publication, namely: Authors, Editors of the journal, Reviewers, Publishers and Scientific society for the journal Koloproktologia.

1.2. The Publisher not only supports scientific communication and invests in this process, but is also responsible for compliance with all current recommendations in the published work.

1.3. The Publisher undertakes the strictest supervision of scientific materials.

Our journal programs provide an unbiased “report” on the development of scientific thought and research, so we are also aware of the responsibility to properly present these “reports”, especially in terms of the ethical aspects of the publications set out in this document.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

2.1. Decision on publication

The Editor of the scientific journal Koloproktologia is personally and independently responsible for making the decision to publish, often in collaboration with the relevant Scientific society. The reliability of the work under consideration and its scientific significance shall always be the basis of the decision to publish.

The Editor can be guided by the policy of the Editorial Board of the journal Koloproktologia, being limited by current legal requirements regarding libel, copyright, legality and plagiarism.

The Editor may consult with other Editors and Peer-Reviewers (or officials of the Scientific society) during the decision-making process.

2.2. Decency

The Editor shall assess the intellectual content of manuscripts regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, origin, citizenship, or political preferences of the Authors.

2.3. Privacy

The Editor and Editorial Board of the journal Koloproktologia are obliged not to disclose information about the accepted manuscript to all persons, except for the Authors, Peer-Reviewers, possible Peer-Reviewers, other scientific consultants and the Publisher.

2.4. Disclosure policy and conflicts of interest

2.4.1.Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts cannot be used in personal research without the written consent of the Author.

Information or ideas obtained during the peer-reviewing and related to possible benefits shall be kept confidential and not used for personal gain.

2.4.2.The Editors shall recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts (i.e., request a Co-editor, Associate Editor, or collaborate with the other members of the Editorial Board when reviewing the work instead of peer-reviewing and making decisions themselves) if there are conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other interactions and relationships with Authors, companies, and possibly other organizations associated with the manuscript.

2.5.Supervision of publications

The Editor who has provided convincing evidence that the statements or conclusions presented in the publication are erroneous shall inform the Publisher (and/or the relevant Scientific society) in order to promptly notify the changes, withdraw the publication, express concern and other relevant statements.

2.6.Research involvement and collaborationThe Editor, together with the Publisher (or the Scientific society), takes appropriate response measures in case of ethical claims related to the peer-reviewed manuscripts or published materials.

Such measures generally include interaction with the Authors of the manuscript and argumentation of the relevant complaint or claim, but may also involve interaction with relevant organizations and research centers.

3.Responsibilities of Peer-Reviewers

3.1.Influence on the decisions of the Editorial Board

Peer-reviewing helps the Editor make a decision about publication and, through appropriate interaction with the Authors, can also help the Author improve the quality of the work. Peer-reviewing is a necessary link in formal scientific communications, which is at the core of the scientific approach.

The Publisher shares the view that all scientists who want to contribute to the publication are required to perform significant work on peer-reviewing the manuscript.

3.2. Compliance

Any chosen Peer-Reviewer who feels insufficiently qualified to review the manuscript or does not have enough time to quickly complete the work shall notify the Editor of the journal Koloproktologia and ask to be excluded from the peer-reviewing the corresponding manuscript.

3.3. Confidentiality

Any manuscript received for the peer-review shall be treated as a confidential document. This work cannot be opened and discussed with any person who does not have the authority of the Editor.

3.4. Requirements for the manuscript and judgement

The Peer-Reviewer shall give an objective assessment. Personal criticism of the Author is unacceptable. Peer-Reviewers shall clearly and argumentatively express their opinions.

3.5. Recognition of primary sources

The Peer-Reviewers shall identify significant published works that correspond to the topic and are not included in the bibliography of the manuscript. Any statement (observation, conclusion, or argument) previously published shall have a corresponding bibliographic reference in the manuscript. The Peer-Reviewer shall also draw the Editor's attention to the detection of significant similarity or coincidence between the manuscript under peer-review and any other published work that is within the scope of the Peer-Reviewer's scientific competence.

3.6. Disclosure policy and conflicts of interest

3.6.1. Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts shall not be used in personal research without the written consent of the Author.

Information or ideas obtained during the peer-reviewing and related to possible benefits shall be kept confidential and not used for personal gain.

3.6.2. The Peer-Reviewers shall not participate in peer-reviewing manuscripts if there are conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other interactions and relationships with any of the Authors, companies, or other organizations associated with the submitted work.

4. Responsibilities of Authors

4.1.Requirements for manuscripts

4.1.1. The Authors of the original research report shall provide reliable results of the work done, as well as an objective discussion of the significance of the research.

The data underlying the work shall be presented accurately. The work shall contain sufficient details and bibliographic references for possible citation.

Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

4.1.2. Reviews and scientific articles shall also be accurate and objective, and the Editorial Board's point of view shall be clearly indicated.

4.2. Data access and storage

The Authors may be asked for unprocessed data related to the manuscript for the peer-review by the Editors. The Authors shall be prepared to provide open access to this type of information (according to the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if feasible, and in any case be prepared to retain this data for an adequate period of time after publication.

4.3. Originality and plagiarism

4.3.1. The Authors shall make sure that the original work is presented in its entirety and, if using the works or statements of other Authors, shall provide appropriate bibliographic references or excerpts.

4.3.2. Plagiarism can exist in many forms, from presenting someone else's work as an author's work to copying or paraphrasing essential parts of someone else's work (without indicating authorship) and to claiming their own rights to the results of someone else's research. Plagiarism in all forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

4.4. Multiple, redundant, and simultaneous publications

4.4.1. In general, the Author shall not publish a manuscript that is mostly devoted to the same research in more than one journal as an original publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time is perceived as unethical behavior and unacceptable.

4.4.2. In general, the Author shall not submit a previously published article to another journal for review.

4.4.3. Publishing a certain type of article (for example, clinical recommendations, translated articles) in more than one journal is sometimes ethical if certain conditions are met. Authors and Editors of interested journals shall agree to a secondary publication that necessarily presents the same data and interpretations as in the first published work.

The bibliography of the primary work shall also be presented in the second publication. More information about acceptable forms of secondary (repeated) publications can be found on the page www.icmje.org.

4.5. Recognition of primary sources

The contribution of others shall always be recognized. The Authors shall refer to publications that are relevant to the performance of the submitted work. Data obtained privately, for example, in the course of a conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, shall not be used or presented without the explicit written permission of the original source.

Information obtained from confidential sources, such as assessing manuscripts or providing grants, shall not be used without the explicit written permission of the Authors of the work related to confidential sources.

4.6. Authorship of the publication

4.6.1. The Authors of the publication can only be persons who have made a significant contribution to the formation of the idea of the work, the development, execution or interpretation of the presented research. All those who have made significant contributions shall be designated as Co-Authors. In cases where research participants have made a significant contribution in a particular direction in a research project, they shall be listed as persons who have made a significant contribution to this research.

4.6.2. The Author shall make sure that all participants who have made significant contributions to the study are represented as Co-Authors and not those who did not participate in the study are listed as Co-Authors, that all Co-Authors have seen and approved the final version of the work and agreed to submit it for publication.

4.7. Risks, as well as people and animals that are the objects of research

4.7.1. If the work involves the use of chemical products, procedures, or equipment that may present an unusual risk, the Author shall clearly indicate this in the manuscript.

4.7.2. If the work involves animals or people as research objects, the Authors shall make sure that the manuscript indicates that all stages of the research comply with the legislation and regulations of research organizations, as well as are approved by the relevant committees.

In the manuscript it shall be clearly written that informed consent was received from all people who became the objects of research and whose privacy rights shall always be respected.

4.8. Disclosure policy and conflicts of interest

4.8.1. All Authors are required to disclose in their manuscripts financial or other existing conflicts of interest that may be perceived as having an impact on the results or conclusions presented in the work.

4.8.2.Examples of potential conflicts of interest that shall be disclosed include employment, consulting, stock ownership, receiving royalties, providing expert opinions, patent application or patent registration, grants, and other financial security.

Potential conflicts of interest shall be disclosed as early as possible.

4.9. Significant errors in published works

If the Author finds significant errors or inaccuracies in the publication, the Author shall inform the Editor of the journal Koloproktologia and interact with the Editor in order to quickly withdraw the publication or correct errors.

If the Editor or Publisher has received information from a third party that the publication contains significant errors, the Author shall withdraw the work or correct the errors as soon as possible.

5. Responsibilities of Publisher

5.1. The Publisher shall follow principles and procedures that facilitate the ethical responsibilities of Editors, Peer-Reviewers and Authors of the journal Koloproktologia in accordance with these requirements.

The Publisher shall be sure that the potential profit from advertising or reprint production did not affect the Editors' decisions.

5.2. The Publisher shall support the Editors of the journal Koloproktologia in considering claims to the ethical aspects of published materials and help them interact with other journals and/or Publishers, if this contributes to the performance of their duties as Editors.

5.3. The Publisher shall promote good research practices and implement industry standards to improve ethical recommendations, procedures for removing and correcting errors.

5.4. The Publisher shall provide appropriate specialized legal support (opinion or advice) if necessary.

Founder

• All-Russian public organization “Association of Coloproctologists of Russia”

Author Fees

Publication in the journal is free for Authors.

The Editorial Board does not charge the Authors for the preparation, placement and printing of materials.

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Unpublished data obtained from submitted manuscripts shall not be used in personal research without the written consent of the Author.

Information or ideas obtained during the peer-reviewing and related to possible benefits shall be kept confidential and not used for personal gain.

Peer-Reviewers shall not participate in peer-reviewing manuscripts if there are conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other interactions and relationships with any of the Authors, companies, or other related organizations with the submitted work.

Plagiarism Detection

All manuscripts shall be checked by the Editorial Board of the journal Koloproktologia with the Antiplagiat system. If plagiarism is detected, the Editorial Board shall follow in accordance with the COPE guidelines.

Preprint and Postprint Policy

As part of submission process, Authors are required to confirm that the submission has not been previously published, nor has been submitted to another scientific journal. After a manuscript has been published in Koloproktologia, the Publisher suggests that the link (URL) to the article on the journal's website is used when the article is shared on personal or public websites.

Articles previously published by Authors on personal or public websites that are not related to other Publishers are allowed to be considered.

Glossary (by SHERPA)

PRINCIPLES ON CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Conflict of interest is conditions in which people have conflicting or competing interests that can influence editorial decision-making.

Conflicts of interest may be potential or perceived, as well as actual.

Personal, political, financial, scientific or religious factors may influence objectiveness.

The author must notify the editor of a real or potential conflict of interest by including information about the conflict of interest in the appropriate section of the article.

If there is no conflict of interest, the author must also report it.

An example of the wording:"The author declares no conflict of interest".

PRINCIPLE SON IN FORMED CONSENT

The Scientific and Practical Journal "Koloproktologia" relies on the principles of the World Medical Association's (WMA) policy statement - the Declaration of Helsinki - a statement of Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects) and endeavours to ensure compliance with ethical and data collection standards for research involving human subjects. Before beginning research, the researchers should familiarise themselves with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration on informed consent and carry out the research in strict accordance with those principles as set forth below (Articles 25-32 of the Helsinki Declaration are given):

25. Participation by individuals capable of giving informed consent as subjects in medical research must be voluntary. Although, it may be appropriate to consult family members or community leaders, no individual capable of giving informed consent may be enrolled in a research study unless he/she freely agrees.

26 In medical research involving human subjects capable of giving informed consent, each potential subject must be adequately informed of the aims, methods, sources of funding, any possible conflicts of interest, institutional affiliations of the researcher, the anticipated benefits and potential risks of the study and the discomfort it may entail, post-study provisions and any other relevant aspects of the study.  The potential subject must be informed of his right to refuse to participate in the study or to withdraw his consent to participate at any time without reprisal. Special attention should be given to the specific information needs of individual potential subjects as well as the methods used to deliver the information.

After ensuring that the potential subject has understood the information, the physician or another appropriately qualified individual must then seek the potential subject's freely-given informed consent, preferably in writing.  If the consent cannot be expressed in writing, verbal consent must be formally documented and witnessed.

All medical subjects should be given the option of being informed about the general outcome and results of the study.

27. When seeking informed consent for participation in a research study, the physician must be particularly cautious when the potential subject is in a dependent relationship with the physician or may consent under duress. In such situations, the informed consent must be sought by an appropriately qualified individual who is completely independent of this relationship.

28. For a potential research subject who is incapable of giving informed consent, the physician must seek informed consent from his legally authorised representative. These individuals must not be included in a research study that has no likelihood of benefit for them unless it is intended to promote the health of the group represented by the potential subject, the research cannot instead be performed with persons capable of providing informed consent, and the research entails minimal risk and burden.

 When a potential research subject who is deemed incapable of giving informed consent is able to give assent to decisions about participation in research, the physician must seek that assent in addition to the consent of the legally authorised representative. The potential subject's dissent should be respected.

30. Research involving subjects who are physically or mentally incapable of giving consent, for example, unconscious patients, may be done only if the physical or mental condition that prevents giving informed consent is a necessary characteristic of the research group. In such circumstances the physician must seek informed consent from the legally authorised representative. If no such representative is available and if the research cannot be delayed, the study may proceed without informed consent provided that the specific reasons for involving subjects with a condition that renders them unable to give informed consent have been stated in the research protocol and the study has been approved by a research ethics committee. Consent to remain in the research must be obtained as soon as possible from the subject or a legally authorised representative.

31. The physician must fully inform the patient which aspects of their care are related to the research. The refusal of a patient to participate in a study or the patient's decision to withdraw from the study should never adversely affect the patient-physician relationship.

32. For medical research using identifiable human material or data, such as research on material or data contained in biobanks or similar repositories, physicians must seek informed consent for its collection, storage and/or reuse. There may be exceptions where consent would be impossible or impractical to obtain for such research. In such situations, the research may be done only after consideration and approval of a research ethics committee.

HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY

When presenting the results of experimental research involving human subjects, the authors should indicate whether the procedures performed adhered to the ethical standards prescribed in the Declaration of Helsinki. If the study was conducted without adherence to the principles of the Declaration, the authors should justify the chosen approach to the study and guarantee that the ethics committee of the organisation in which the study was conducted approved the chosen approach.

ANIMAL RIGHTS POLICY

"When conducting experimental research on animals, authors must indicate compliance with institutional and national standards for the use of laboratory animals", as well as a link to the document CONSENSUS AUTHOR GUIDELINES FOR ANIMAL USE:

http://www.veteditors.org/consensus-author-guidelines-on-animal-ethics-and-welfare-for-editors

ADVERTISING POLICY

The journal receives revenue from advertising and reprints, so the journal's advertising policy has been approved, the main principles of which are set out below:

1. Editorial decisions shall not depend on the cost of advertising or printing of the reprint.

2. The functions of the editor and advertising manager in the journal shall be separated.

3. Advertisers and sponsors shall not have control over the editor's decisions, regardless of the terms of advertising or other agreements.

4. Reprints shall be published only in the form in which they were originally published in the journal (including subsequent corrections), so there shall be no additions or changes.

5. The content of special additional issues of the journal shall be regulated only by the decisions of the editor, and the content of such issues shall not be influenced by sponsors or advertisers.

6. Restrictions on the volume of advertising materials in the journal must not be over 30% of the total volume of the journal.

7. The journal has a formal advertising policy, it is available for all members of the editorial and publishing process.

8. All advertisements must clearly identify the advertiser and the product or service offered.

Ads for medicinal products must include the full name of each active ingredient.

9. Commercial advertising must not be placed next to any editorial article or article that discusses the advertised product, and it must not contain links to the issue of the journal in which it is published.

10. Advertising content must differ from editorial and other materials so that the difference between them is obvious.

11. Advertising must not deceive or mislead.

Ads must not exaggerate the actual characteristics of the advertised product.

Ads must not contain offensive religious and/or racial considerations.

12. Advertised products must focus on medical practice, medical education, or medical care.

13. The journal shall have the right to refuse to publish any advertising message if the advertising materials do not comply with the journal's policy and the Charter of the organization.

The text is prepared based on the Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals WAME.

Crossmark

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Clicking the CrossMark logo on a document will tell you its current status and may also give you additional publication-record information about the document.