When submitting a manuscript to the MFJ, authors must ensure that the submission is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. If any part of the work has been previously published, it must be properly cited and clearly identified. This requirement applies to both the authors’ own work and that of others.

MFJ does not permit redundant, duplicate, or concurrent submissions. Authors must not submit the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously, nor publish manuscripts that substantially overlap with work already published elsewhere. Submitting the same content to more than one journal at the same time is considered unethical and will not be tolerated.

Manuscripts submitted to MFJ must not have been previously submitted, uploaded, or published—in whole or in part—in any form (including book chapters, conference proceedings, or online platforms such as preprint servers) or in any language. The journal places high importance on originality and novelty as key criteria for acceptance.

Authors are prohibited from dividing a single study into multiple parts for separate submission with the aim of increasing publication count. Likewise, submitting related or overlapping content to other platforms or publications while a manuscript is under review with MFJ is not allowed, unless it involves a resubmission following a rejection from another journal.

Before submitting to MFJ, authors must ensure that any other version of the manuscript is formally withdrawn from other journals or online platforms. Manuscripts that remain publicly accessible online, in whole or in part, will not be considered. If the submitted manuscript includes material that overlaps with previous publications, authors must cite the prior work and notify the MFJ editor, providing a copy if requested.

Self-citations must be appropriate and not excessive. Authors must cite their previous work even when not quoting directly. Attempts to artificially inflate citation metrics through excessive self-citation are discouraged. Additionally, authors must avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest, whether personal, financial, institutional, or political. Any potential conflicts must be declared and MFJ reserves the right to request further information.

Authorship should reflect significant contributions to the research. Co-authors should only include those who made meaningful scientific contributions. Individuals who played only administrative roles or provided non-academic support (e.g., equipment loans) should not be listed as co-authors. All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the work.

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors are listed appropriately, have agreed on the authorship order, and are aware of the manuscript submission. Changes to authorship—including adding, removing, or reordering names—are not permitted after submission. The corresponding author is responsible for managing all communication with MFJ.

For accepted manuscripts, MFJ retains the copyright for all published content.

For manuscripts involving research on live animals, authors must confirm adherence to relevant ethical guidelines and obtain appropriate ethical approvals.

To uphold academic integrity, authors are strongly encouraged to check their manuscripts for plagiarism using plagiarism-detection software before submission.