TORG Journal (TORG)

About TORGJ

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Aims and Scope

The Operating Room Journal (TORGJ) is an open-access, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary international journal committed to advancing evidence-based knowledge in all domains related to the perioperative environment. Our aim is to provide a platform for researchers, clinicians, educators, and policy advocates to disseminate high-quality research that informs practice, shapes policy, and improves global health outcomes.

TORGJ welcomes original contributions across, but not limited to, the following fields:

• Surgery and Surgical Subspecialties
• Anesthesiology and Critical Care
• Perioperative and Intraoperative Nursing
• Cardiopulmonary Perfusion and Extracorporeal Technology
• Operating Room Management and Safety Systems
• Biomedical Engineering in Surgery
• Sterilization and CSSD Science
• Surgical Technology and Innovation
• Hospital Infection Control in Surgical Environments
• Healthcare Education and Workforce Development in Surgery
• Global Surgery and Health Policy

We especially encourage submissions that address low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts, innovations in resource-constrained environments, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

TORGJ adheres to international editorial standards as outlined by:

• The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)

All submitted manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review, ensuring anonymity between reviewers and authors. Each article is evaluated by at least two independent experts and overseen by a Section Editor, with final decisions made by the Editor-in-Chief.

Manuscripts are assessed based on:

Editorial decisions are impartial and based solely on academic quality and relevance.

Article Types Accepted

TORGJ accepts the following categories of manuscripts:

Article Type	Word Limit (Excl. Refs)	Abstract	Peer Reviewed
Original Research Article	4,000–6,000	Structured (250)	Yes
Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis	5,000–7,000	Structured (250)	Yes
Clinical Case Report	1,500–2,500	Unstructured (150)	Yes
Protocols/Methodology	3,000–5,000	Structured (250)	Yes
Editorial	1,000–1,500	Optional	No (Editor-invite)
Commentary/Perspective	1,500–2,000	Optional (150)	Yes
Brief Communication	1,200–2,000	Optional (150)	Yes
Correspondence/Letter to the Editor	<1,000	No	At Editor’s discretion

Ethical Standards and Compliance

COPE & ICMJE Compliance

1. Adherence to COPE Guidelines
   • TORGJ is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors, reviewers, and editors must follow COPE’s core practices for publication ethics.
   • In suspected cases of misconduct (fabrication, falsification, duplicate submission/publication, plagiarism), COPE flowcharts will guide the investigation and resolution process.
2. ICMJE Authorship Criteria
   • Authorship is limited to individuals who meet all four of the following ICMJE conditions:
     1. Substantial contributions to conception or design; or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
     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 integrity and accuracy.
   • Contributors who do not meet all four criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section with a brief description of their role (e.g., statistical consultation, language editing, technical assistance).
3. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
   • All authors must disclose financial and non-financial relationships that could be perceived as influencing study design, data interpretation, or conclusions.
   • Examples of potential conflicts include: consultancies, stock ownership, patents, speaker fees, honoraria, research grants from for-profit entities.
   • Disclosures must be stated on the title page and reiterated in a separate “Conflict of Interest” section at the end of the manuscript.
   • Editors, reviewers, and editorial board members must recuse themselves from handling or reviewing any manuscript in which they have a conflict.
4. Funding and Sponsor Declaration
   • Authors are required to list all sources of financial support (grants, equipment, reagents, travel funding) in a separate “Funding Statement.”
   • If funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation, this must be explicitly stated.

Research Ethics and Human/Animal Subjects

1. Human Subjects Research
   • Studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and ICMJE Recommendations.
   • Authors must obtain approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee prior to commencing research. The name of the approving institution and approval number/code must be included in the “Methods” section.
   • If local regulations do not require formal IRB approval (e.g., retrospective chart reviews in some jurisdictions), authors must provide a statement from their institution confirming exemption.
2. Informed Consent
   • Written informed consent must be obtained from all human participants (or their legal guardians). A statement confirming consent should appear in both the Methods section and a dedicated “Ethical Approval and Consent” section.
   • If identifying patient details (e.g., photographs, case descriptions, radiographic images) are included, authors must confirm that they obtained explicit permission for publication.
3. Vulnerable Populations
   • Additional safeguards must be in place when research involves vulnerable groups (minors, pregnant women, cognitively impaired individuals, prisoners). Authors must describe steps taken to minimize risk and ensure voluntary participation.
4. Animal Research
   • Manuscripts reporting animal experiments must adhere to the ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments).
   • Authors must provide the name of the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) or equivalent, including approval number.
   • Detailed descriptions of anesthesia, analgesia, housing, and endpoints must be included to demonstrate humane treatment and reproducibility.
5. Biosafety and Genetic Manipulation
   • Research involving recombinant DNA, viral vectors, or genetically modified organisms must reference compliance with institutional and national biosafety guidelines (e.g., NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules).
   • Authors must include details of biosafety level (BSL) and containment procedures.

Informed Consent and Data Protection

1. Patient Privacy and Confidentiality
   • TORGJ follows international data protection standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). Authors must ensure that no information identifying individual patients appears in text, tables, or images unless absolutely necessary and with explicit, documented consent.
   • When presenting case reports or case series, remove or anonymize all direct identifiers (names, initials, dates of birth). If anonymization is impossible (distinctive features), authors must secure a signed Patient Consent Form for publication.
2. Data Sharing and Privacy Regulations
   • Authors must state, in a “Data Availability” section, how and where supporting data can be accessed, or provide a statement if data are confidential (e.g., due to patient privacy, institutional restrictions).
   • De-identified individual patient data (IPD) may be deposited in a recognized repository (e.g., Dryad, Figshare) with an assigned DOI. If IPD cannot be shared, authors must justify in the manuscript.
   • For studies involving personal data (e.g., surveys, electronic health records), authors should describe data handling procedures: encryption, storage, and compliance with local/national data protection laws.
3. Human Biological Samples and Biobanking
   • Use of human biospecimens (blood, tissue, saliva) for research must be described with details on collection methods, storage conditions, and ethical approvals.
   • If samples come from a biobank or repository, authors must name the biobank and confirm that appropriate donor consent procedures were followed.

AI Use & Disclosure Policy

1. Permissible Use of AI Tools
   • AI-based tools (e.g., language models, grammar checkers) may be used for language polishing, grammar correction, or reference formatting.
   • Any use of AI in content generation or analysis (e.g., summarizing large datasets, drafting sections) must be explicitly disclosed in the “Methods” or “Acknowledgments” section.

2. Prohibited Use of AI Tools
   • Core intellectual contributions hypothesis generation, data interpretation, critical discussion must be conducted by human authors.
   • AI tools cannot be listed as authors or credited with any aspect of the research beyond language assistance.
3. Accountability and Validation
   • Authors are fully responsible for verifying all content, including any text, figures, or analyses influenced by AI.
   • Manuscripts will be screened with AI-detection software. Undisclosed or inappropriate AI usage that results in unoriginal or inaccurate content may lead to rejection or retraction under TORGJ’s Plagiarism Policy.
4. Ethical Implications
   • Authors should consider and discuss potential ethical implications of AI-assisted methods in research, particularly in clinical decision-support or diagnostic contexts.
   • Any AI-driven algorithms or software used to analyze patient data must be described with sufficient detail: tool version, training data source, validation metrics, and limitations.

Key Points Checklist for Ethical Compliance

Before submission, authors must ensure:

• IRB/IACUC or equivalent ethical approval has been obtained (or a documented exemption).
• Written informed consent is documented for all human subjects (including permission for any identifying images).
• Data handling procedures comply with relevant privacy laws (GDPR, HIPAA).
• Animal research adheres to ARRIVE guidelines with institutional approval.
• AI tools usage is disclosed, and the content has been validated by human authors.
• Conflict of interest and funding sources are fully declared.
• Authorship adheres strictly to ICMJE criteria and is transparently described.