Editorial Policies

Authorship

All listed authors must meet authorship criteria as defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authors must have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the submitted work and approve its final version. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged separately.

The ICMJE defines authorship based on four clear criteria to ensure that all listed authors have made substantial, accountable contributions to the scholarly work. According to the ICMJE, all four of the following criteria must be met to qualify for authorship:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; 
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; 
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. 

This standard is designed to protect the integrity of the publication process by preventing gift, honorary, or ghost authorship, and it helps ensure that each author can legitimately take responsibility for the content. 

Competing Interests, Funding, and Ethics

All authors, reviewers, and editors must declare any financial or non-financial interests that may be perceived to influence the objectivity of their work. This includes, but is not limited to, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, financial holdings, or political/religious commitments related to the content. A statement of competing interests must appear at the end of each article. 

Authors must also disclose funding sources and provide any relevant ethical approvals where appropriate. Submissions that do not need basic ethical standards (e.g., in data collection or attribution) will not be considered for publication.

Complaints and Appeals

Appeals regarding editorial decisions or complaints about journal processes should be directed to the Editor(s)-in-Chief. Complaints will be handled in accordance with the COPE guidelines. If misconduct or ethical concerns arise, Quill & Quire and Aperio reserve the right to contact the author’s institution or relevant authority. 

Corrections and Retractions

Should a published article require correction or retraction due to significant error, ethical concern, or academic misconduct, Quill & Quire will follow COPE-aligned practices. Minor errors will be corrected through amendment notices; serious issues will result in a formal correction, retraction, or expression of concern, with clear documentation linked to the original article. 

Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to make their data openly available through trusted repositories when feasible. Data availability should be described in a Data Accessibility Statement within the manuscript. When applicable, authors are encouraged to link to code, or documentation necessary for reproducibility. 

Expected Behavior

All contributors to Quill & Quire are expected to interact respectfully and professionally. Abusive, discriminatory, or harassing behavior toward editors, authors, or reviewers will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the journal’s processes. 

Non-Discrimination Statement

Quill & Quire is steadfast in its dedication to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment that aligns with the University of Virginia’s policies on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Membership in the organization is open to all individuals, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, creed, national origin, color, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, physical or mental ability (or perceived disability), appearance, political beliefs, socioeconomic status, citizenship, age, marital or family status, veteran or military affiliation (including disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces Service Medal recipients), genetic predispositions, survivor status of domestic violence, height, weight. We remain committed to ensuring equitable opportunities and a supportive community for all members.

Policy Compliance

Quill & Quire will abide by all policies from the University of Virginia.

Quill & Quire agrees that it will not initiate, support, engage in, or encourage any events or situations that endanger the mental or physical health or safety of a student for any purpose including but not limited to initiation or admission into or affiliation with this journal.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere. Text recycling, unattributed quotation, or misrepresentation of sources are grounds for rejection or retraction. 

Prior Publication and Reprints

Quill & Quire accepts submissions that have previously appeared in informal settings such as preprint servers, personal websites, or conference presentations. Authors must disclose prior versions of their manuscript upon submission. Once published in the journal, authors should update the preprint record with a link to the final version. 

Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools (e.g., for language refinement or image generation) in their writing process. AI may not be listed as an author. Content generated entirely by AI, without significant human oversight or revision, will not be accepted.