Confidentiality and Ethics

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This resource establishes CorayNova Academic Press's confidentiality and ethics requirements for reviewers.

Confidential peer review protects authors, reviewers, editors, journals, research participants, and the scholarly record. Reviewers must handle all manuscript and review materials as confidential unless the journal's approved peer review model explicitly provides otherwise.

· Confidential Materials

Confidential materials include the manuscript, title, abstract, data, figures, tables, code, protocols, supplementary materials, review reports, reviewer recommendations, editorial correspondence, and author or reviewer identities where applicable.

Reviewers must not copy, distribute, upload, discuss, reuse, cite, teach from, or otherwise disclose confidential materials without prior editorial permission or an approved journal policy that expressly allows the relevant disclosure.

Material

Confidentiality Requirement

Manuscript and files

Keep all submitted files secure and do not share them with unauthorized persons.

Data, code, images, and supplementary materials

Do not reuse, download for unrelated purposes, distribute, or incorporate into other work.

Review report and recommendation

Do not publish, post, circulate, or disclose the report unless the journal's approved open review policy allows it.

Editorial correspondence

Treat invitations, reminders, decisions, and editor communications as confidential workflow records.

Identities

Protect author and reviewer identities where required by single-anonymous, double-anonymous, or other approved peer review models.

· Use of Unpublished Material

Reviewers must not use unpublished ideas, data, methods, images, code, conclusions, or other information obtained through peer review for their own benefit or for the benefit of a third party before the material has been lawfully made public.

This prohibition applies to research, grant applications, commercial activity, teaching materials made public, competitive publications, presentations, media commentary, and any other use that takes advantage of confidential peer review access.

· AI and External Tools

Reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, data, figures, tables, code, supplementary materials, review reports, or editorial correspondence to public AI tools, public chatbots, external platforms, or systems that are not approved for confidential peer review material.

Reviewers may use local or institutionally protected tools to improve the language of a review report they have written, provided that no confidential manuscript content is disclosed and the reviewer remains fully responsible for the accuracy, tone, confidentiality, and integrity of the report.

Any use of AI tools in the review process must be disclosed to the editor and recorded in the review record. Such disclosure is not made public to authors unless the journal operates an approved open review model or has a specific public review policy requiring disclosure.

· Assistance, Training, and Supervision

Reviewers must not ask students, postdoctoral researchers, colleagues, laboratory members, or collaborators to assist with a review unless the editor has granted prior permission.

Where assistance is approved, the assisting person must comply with confidentiality obligations, disclose relevant competing interests, and be identified to the editor by name and role. The invited reviewer remains responsible for the submitted review report.

· Permitted and Prohibited Conduct

Area

Permitted Practice

Prohibited Practice

Security

Store review materials securely while completing the assignment.

Forward files to personal networks, shared drives, public tools, or unauthorized collaborators.

Discussion

Seek editorial permission before involving another person.

Discuss manuscript details with students, colleagues, authors, institutions, or third parties without permission.

AI tools

Use protected tools only for language polishing of the reviewer's own report, with disclosure to the editor.

Upload manuscript content or review materials to public AI tools or external systems.

Public disclosure

Follow the journal's approved open review policy where applicable.

Post review content, manuscript details, or editorial decisions on websites, social media, public profiles, or recognition platforms without permission.

Use of information

Evaluate the manuscript for the assigned review.

Use unpublished ideas, data, methods, images, code, or conclusions for personal or third-party advantage.

· Reviewer Identity and Public Statements

Reviewer identity disclosure follows the journal's peer review model. In single-anonymous and double-anonymous review, reviewers must maintain anonymity unless the editor or approved journal policy states otherwise. In open review or another approved model, disclosure follows the journal's published policy.

Reviewers must not publicly disclose manuscript titles, author identities, manuscript content, review reports, editorial decisions, or editorial communications without explicit permission. Reviewers may state in general terms that they provide review service for a journal, provided that no confidential manuscript information is revealed.