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Policy on image manipulation

Image or figure manipulation falls into two categories, and we considers this to be unethical activity:

1. Inappropriate manipulation: the adjustment of an image or figure that violates established research guidelines but does not impact the interpretation of the data shown.
2. Fraudulent manipulation: the deliberate adjustment or manipulation of an image or figure to affect the interpretation of the data.

Manipulation may include the addition or removal of elements from an image or figure, or adjustments to its formatting with the intention of obscuring or highlighting a particular result.

Images or figures submitted to the journal should be minimally processed, and it is not permitted to enhance, introduce, move, obscure, or remove a specific feature within an image or figure. We recognize, however, that there can be legitimate reasons for modifying images, such as improving clarity, but we expect authors to avoid this where it leads to the fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of results.

Adjustments to the brightness, contrast, or color balance of an image or figure are acceptable if, and as long as, they do not eliminate, misrepresent, or obscure any information present in the original. Such adjustments should not be excessive and must be applied equally across the entire image or figure, and, if appropriate, across comparison images in the figure.

If cropping, grouping, or splicing of images is required, the borders should be clearly demarcated in the figure and the alterations described in the legend. The final image(s) or figure(s) submitted should correctly represent the original data and conform to recognized community standards and best practice. If controls are re-used across figures, this must be stated and clearly labelled. The software used to adjust images or figures should be stated in the work.

The journal may screen images and figures for evidence of potential manipulation. To aid investigation, we may request the original data used in the research; any allegations of such unethical activity will be similarly addressed in accordance with our investigation process. Authors should therefore make every effort to retain the unprocessed raw data. If intentional manipulation is found without appropriate declaration, we reserve the right to reject the work if under consideration or issue a post-publication notice for published material as per the COPE guidelines; we may also contact your institution.