> Aim > Scope > Journal summary > Peer review model > Publication ethics > Research ethics > Publication fees > Affiliated organisations > Archiving

Aim

>To be the premier platform for plastic and reconstructive surgery research and review in the region; to foster, encourage and support research excellence; and to make a key contribution to surgical practice worldwide in keeping with the prominent roles that Australian and New Zealand surgeons have played in the development of the specialty.

Scope

The _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ publishes original research on all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery research and review including aesthetic, breast, burns, cleft lip and palate, craniomaxillofacial, experimental research, general reconstruction, hand, head and neck, history of plastic and military surgery, international collaboration, melanoma and skin cancer, paediatric, rural and regional, training, and technical and preoperative investigations/imaging. The journal is published by the [Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons](http://www.plasticsurgery.org.au/) with support from the [New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons](http://plasticsurgery.org.nz/). It was established in 2018 as a joint initiative between the [Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery](https://plasticsurgeryfoundation.org.au/) and the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. AJOPS has adopted a continuous publishing model with content being updated all year round. We collate two issues per year, in March and September. The journal's audience includes specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeons, general surgeons, paediatric surgeons, vascular surgeons, trainee surgeons, specialist registered nurses, medical professionals and medical technologists.

Journal summary

**1. Name of Journal**: _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ **2. Abbreviation/other titles**: AJOPS; _Australas J Plast Surg_ **3. ISSN**: Online only: 2209-170X **4. Timing of publication**: Continuous; one volume per year collated into two issues (March and September). **5. Publisher** Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons Suite G01, Ground Floor, 69 Christie Street St Leonards NSW 2065 AUSTRALIA Telephone: +61 02 9437 9200 Email: journal@plasticsurgery.org.au Homepage: www.ajops.com **6. Year of first publication**: 2018 **7. Editorial scope**: All aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery research and review including aesthetic, breast, burns, cleft lip and palate, craniomaxillofacial, experimental research, general reconstruction, hand, head and neck, history of plastic and military surgery, international collaboration, melanoma and skin cancer, paediatric, rural and regional, training, and technical and preoperative investigations/imaging. **8. Contributors/journal sponsorship**: _The Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ was established in 2018 as a joint initiative between the [Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery](https://plasticsurgeryfoundation.org.au/) and the [Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons](http://www.plasticsurgery.org.au/). The journal is published by the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons with support from the [New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons](http://plasticsurgery.org.nz/). **9. Language**: English **10. Publication history**: Thirteen issues starting Mar 2018: Volume 1: Mar 2018; Sept 2018 Volume 2: Mar 2019; Sept 2019 Volume 3: Mar 2020; Sept 2020 Volume 4: Mar 2021; Sept 2021 Volume 5: March 2022; Sept 2022 Volume 6: March 2023; Sept 2023 Volume 7: April 2024 **Publication model:** In 2023 AJOPS adopted a continuous publishing model to give our authors and readers more timely access to research. We will still collate two issues of content per year, in March and September. **Publishing formats:** We make all our content freely available online as PDF and HTML. From 2023 we will also be exporting full text JATS-compliant XML. This is a work in progress starting from our most recent issues to the earliest. To date we have completed volume 6 (2023), 5 (2022), 4 (2021), 3 (2020) and 2 (2019). Volume 1 is scheduled for completion in 2024. **Indexing:** AJOPS is indexed by: * [SCOPUS](https://www.scopus.com/home.uri) Scopus is the largest citation and abstract database of quality, peer-reviewed research. * [DOAJ](https://doaj.org/toc/2209-170X) The _Directory of Open Access Journals_ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. DOAJ is independent. * [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/) is a web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and discipline * [WorldCat](https://www.worldcat.org/title/australasian-journal-of-plastic-surgery/oclc/1028021144&referer=brief_results) is the world's largest network of library content and services. **Membership:** AJOPS is a member of: * [Crossref](https://www.crossref.org/) Crossref is the official digital object identifier (DOI) registration agency of International DOI Foundation * The [Committee on Publication Ethics](https://publicationethics.org/) COPE provides leadership in publication ethics and practical resources to educate and support members. * [Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association](https://oaspa.org/) OASPA works to encourage and enable open access as the predominant model of communication for scholarly outputs. **Keywords:** ASPS, NZASPS, AFPS, Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons, Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery, publications, science, educational, scientific surgery, journal, journals, Australia, Australian, Australasian, New Zealand, international, plastic surgery, reconstructive techniques, aesthetic, breast, burns, cleft lip and palate, craniomaxillofacial, experimental research, general reconstruction, hand, face and neck, history of plastic and military surgery, international collaboration, melanoma and skin cancer, paediatric, PRS board of training, technology and preoperative investigations and imaging, microsurgery, reconstructive surgical procedures. **Digital archive:** The journal utilises the [CLOCKSS](https://clockss.org/) system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. **Open access and unique article identifiers:** The _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ provides open access to peer reviewed research as part of its commitment to readers and authors. All our content is freely available online in PDF, HTML and, from 2023, JATS-XML. We publish linked DOIs for all journal content including article references via [CrossRef](https://www.crossref.org/). The journal is indexed with the [DOAJ](https://doaj.org/toc/2209-170X) and all authors must provide their [ORCID ID](https://orcid.org/). For more information on open access, visit: [Open Access Australasia](https://oaaustralasia.org/) **Licencing: CC-BY 4.0:** Authors retain copyright of their article and publish under the following Creative Commons Licence terms: [_Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0_](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Lets others distribute and copy the article, create extracts, abstracts, and other revised versions, adaptations or derivative works of or from an article (such as a translation), include in a collective work (such as an anthology), text or data mine the article, even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit the author(s), do not represent the author as endorsing their adaptation of the article, and do not modify the article in such a way as to damage the author's honour or reputation. # Journal statistics for volume 6, 2023:* **1. Submissions received**: 48 **2. Reviews requested**: 133 **3. Reviews received**: 86 **4. Total declined**: 10 **5. Desk reject:** 6 **6. Acceptances**: 12 **7. Acceptance rate**: 45% **8. Average time from submission to first decision**: 52 *The number of acceptances and rejections is based on all decisions made in 2023. **In 2023 the journal moved from Open Journal Systems to Scholastica peer review and publishing systems. Submissions were closed from Nov 2022 to April 2024 resulting in drop in the number of submissions recieved. However, as at Jan 2024 the number is higher than any previous year which is promising for the year ahead. **Definitions** 1- Number of new articles received by the journal 2 -Number of peer review invitation emails that were sent out 3- Number of completed peer review reports received 4 -Total number of articles rejected (including desk rejects) 5 -Number of articles rejected prior to peer review 6- Number of articles that received a 'Accept for publication' decision 7 -Number of acceptances, as a percentage, against the total number of final decisions 8- Average from submission to first editorial decision

Peer review model

The _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ has adopted an independent double-blind peer review process. This involves an initial assessment by the relevant section editor and, if accepted for review, detailed assessment by two or more independent peer reviewers. In double-blind peer review, all identifying information is removed from the submission so that author(s) remain anonymous to the reviewers and vice versa. A paper may go through more than one round of peer review before a recommendation is reached. The reviewers’ recommendation is sent back to the Section Editor for endorsement before final approval is sought from the editors-in-chief. _Members of the editorial team can submit their own papers to the journal or appear as a co-author on a paper. When this occurs they are removed from all editorial tasks associated with the paper and another member of the editorial team is assigned responsibility for overseeing the peer review. A competing interest must be declared with the submission and any resulting publication._ **Peer review by content type** The following manuscript types undergo double-blind peer review by two or more independent reviewers: • Original articles • Review articles • Case reports • Case series. The following manuscript types are accepted at the discretion of the Editors-in-Chief: • Letters to the editors • Perspectives • Guides The following manuscript types are commissioned by the Editors-in-Chief: • Editorials • Features. _Features are not subject to peer review unless stated._ If you experience any adverse event arising from review process, or would like to tell us your views, please email journal@plasticsurgery.org.au.

Publication ethics

As part of our commitment to developing and implementing best practice policies and procedures for publications ethics, AJOPS editors and reviewers undertake to treat all manuscripts fairly and in confidence and to declare any competing interests in line with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' [ICMJE_Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals_](http://www.icmje.org/news-and-editorials/icmje-recommendations_annotated_dec19.pdf) and the Committee on Publication Ethics [COPE guidelines](https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines). We ask all authors to be aware of, and comply with, [ICMJE](http://www.icmje.org/) requirements and [COPE guidelines](https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines), particularly in relation to authorship (including avoiding 'ghost' or 'guest' authorship), plagiarism, simultaneous submission, redundant or duplicate publication, manipulation of statistics, competing or conflicting interests and compliance with policies on research ethics (Declaration of Helsinki, the use of animals in research, randomised controlled trials and clinical trials including registration and systematic reviews and meta-analyses). ## Conflicts of interest Authors must declare any financial support or relationships that may pose a conflict of interest by disclosing, at the time of submission, any financial arrangements they have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the article is under review and will not influence the editorial decision. If the article is accepted for publication, the editor will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be communicated to the reader. Reviewers must also declare any financial support or relationships that may pose a conflict of interest at the time of assessment/review such as any financial arrangements they may have with a company whose product figures prominently in a submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. ## Complaints We take allegations of misconduct seriously. If you believe a decision regarding a publication outcome was the result of a breach of publication ethics, either as a result of research or publication misconduct, please email your concerns to [journal@plasticsurgery.org.au](mailto:journal@plasticsurgery.org.au). All correspondence should be addressed to the editors-in-chief and include a detailed description of the allegation along with supporting evidence. All complaints are treated confidentially and will be investigated in line with relevant [COPE guidelines](https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines). ## Authorship and acknowledgements The journal adheres to the definition of authorship by the [ICMJE](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html). The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following four criteria: 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; and 4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Contributors who do not qualify as authors should be mentioned under ‘Acknowledgements’. If a submission has more than five authors, the inclusion of each name must be justified in the covering letter. Results of multicentre studies may be reported under the name of the organising group. For more information on contributor roles, please refer to the Contributor Roles Taxonomy [CRediT](https://www.casrai.org/credit.html) website. ## Author identification AJOPS endorses [ORCID](https://orcid.org/) and asks all authors to provide their own, and their co-authors', ORCID ids upon submission of a manuscript. On publication, all authors who have added their ORCID will have it displayed as a hyperlink on the view article page next to their name. ## Patient consent AJOPS endorses the ICMJE'S statement on the protection of research participants [here](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/protection-of-research-participants.html). AJOPS requires that patient consent be obtained for _all_ manuscripts where patient images and related data are present. For privacy reasons these forms should be held by the treating institution. Patient consent forms should clearly distinguish between use, such as publication in a scientific journal versus social media. Wherever possible, patients should be given the opportunity to review manuscripts prior to publication. Consent obtained beyond the previous year should also be variefied where possible. Patient consent is an ethical issue and due care needs to be taken when the subjects involved are vulnerable, such as children. AJOPS does not accept masked images in lieu of consent. ## Plagiarism Manuscripts with plagiarised content will not be considered by the journal. If plagiarism is identified, we will follow [COPE guidelines](https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts-new/what-do-if-you-suspect-plagiarism). Authors whose work has been flagged as containing possible plagiarised content by AJOPS editors or reviewers will have an opportunity to respond to the journal's concerns. If no response is received the journal reserves the right to reject the submission, issue a correction or retraction (if the manuscript has already been published) and contact authors' institutions, funders or regulatory bodies as necessary. As a member of [Crossref](https://www.crossref.org/) the _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ uses [Similarity Check](https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/) for plagiarism checking. ## Simultaneous submissions The journal does not consider manuscripts that are simultaneously being considered by other journals. Occasionally, editors of different journals may knowingly agree to jointly publish selected articles because of the need for wide coverage. Examples include publication guidelines and important recommendations on public health. It is the responsibility of authors to ensure that two or more journals do not unknowingly publish the same article. ## Redundant or duplicate publication Redundant or duplicate publication occurs when a submission is published that overlaps substantially with one that has already been published in either print or electronic media. An article is reviewed for publication on the assumption that its contents have not been submitted simultaneously to another journal, have not been accepted for publication elsewhere and have not already been published. References must be provided for all publications that relate to the manuscript under consideration. In addition, copies of any possible duplicate published material should be submitted with a statement in the covering letter explaining why the manuscript under consideration is not a duplicate publication. This includes articles in press or under consideration by another journal. Any attempt at dual publication will lead to automatic rejection, may prejudice acceptance of future submissions, and may be highlighted in the journal.

Research ethics

## Human studies All human studies must be reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee and performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the [Declaration of Helsinki](https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/) (as revised in Brazil in October 2013). In addition, patient anonymity must be preserved at all times. The journal will not publish pictures that identify patients unless the authors submit evidence of written consent from the patient or a legal guardian. ## Use of animals in research Studies involving the use of animals must be reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee and performed in accordance with the principles of the [Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes](https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-code-care-and-use-animals-scientific-purposes) as well as any specific national laws where applicable. AJOPS supports the ethical principles laid down in the [Basel Declaration](https://www.basel-declaration.org/) (Replace, Reduce and Refine) to safeguard animal welfare. ## Randomised controlled trials Reporting of randomised controlled trials should follow the guidelines of [The CONSORT Statement](http://www.consort-statement.org/) (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). ## Clinical trials Reporting on clinical trials should adhere to the guidelines outlined in the [CONSORT Statement](http://www.consort-statement.org/). In line with the [ ICMJE recommendations for the registration of clinical trials and sharing of data](http://www.icmje.org/about-icmje/faqs/clinical-trials-registration/), all clinical trials submitted for consideration by AJOPS must be registered in a publicly accessible database before initiation of the trial such as the [Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry](http://www.anzctr.org.au/).

Publication fees

Publication of _accepted manuscripts_ is subject to a fee as follows: * AU$450 for members of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons (NZAPS) * AU$650 where none of the authors are members of ASPS or NZAPS There is no publishing fee for authors of papers invited by the Editors-in-Chief. **Fee reduction or waiver** Authors who are not affiliated with an institution or those experiencing hardship may apply for a reduction/waiver of the publishing fee. Authors from low-and middle-income countries listed by [research4life](https://www.research4life.org/about/) will not incur a publishing fee.

Affiliated organisations

The _Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery_ was established in 2018 as a joint initiative between the [Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery](https://plasticsurgeryfoundation.org.au/) and the [Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons](http://www.plasticsurgery.org.au/). The journal is published by the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons with support from the [New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons](http://plasticsurgery.org.nz/). The **Australasian Foundation for Plastic Surgery** (AFPS) is a not-for-profit charity promoting excellence, safety and leadership in plastic and reconstructive surgery nationally and globally. With a focus on clinical excellence and the best possible care for patients, AFPS's mission is to tackle community-wide health issues such as wound-management in remote Australian communities, poor body image and better outcomes for breast implant patients. Find out more about AFPS's work [here](https://plasticsurgeryfoundation.org.au/). The **Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons** (ASPS) is the peak body in Australia for specialist plastic surgeons. ASPS main role is to protect the integrity of plastic surgery as a specialty. Their mission is to provide the highest quality plastic surgery care to all Australians by administering the Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredited surgical education and training (SET) program for all specialist plastic surgeons, producing scientific conferences and courses, upholding ethical and professional standards and promoting public education about reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery procedures. Find out more about ASPS's work [here](https://plasticsurgery.org.au/). The **New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons** is a non-profit, professional association devoted to the maintenance of excellent ethical and professional standards within the field of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. NZAPS provides a strong voice for plastic surgeons in discussions with the government and medical bodies while overseeing the training of plastic and reconstructive surgeons in New Zealand. NZAPS is committed to patient’s safety and welfare, the training of future specialists and fostering the growth and spread of knowledge in the discipline. Find out more about NZAPS work [here](https://plasticsurgery.org.nz/about-us/).

Archiving

We use [CLOCKSS](https://clockss.org) (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) to archive our content. CLOCKSS is a collaboration of the world’s leading academic publishers and research libraries. The CLOCKSS archive ensures our content will be preserved as open-access into the future.

Expanding the possibilities of hand surgery training in Australia