Preprints, Prior Publication and Conference Papers

SSG journals publish original work that has not been formally published anywhere else. Posting a preprint, or presenting at a conference, does not count as prior publication. Authors must disclose both when they submit.

• Authors may post the submitted version of their manuscript on a recognised non-commercial preprint server, such as arXiv, SSRN, Preprints.org, Research Square, or medRxiv. They can do this before or during review.
• The preprint's DOI is given in the cover letter. When the article is published, the authors update the preprint with a link to the published article.
• Because a preprint is publicly available, reviewers may come across the authors' names. The double-anonymous review is still followed for the manuscript itself.
• MECOJ: preprints of clinical research should make clear that they have not been peer-reviewed, and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

• A full paper already published in conference proceedings that have an ISBN or ISSN may be submitted only as a substantially extended version. As a guide, it should contain at least 30% new material, such as new data, analysis, or discussion.
• The original paper is cited, and the cover letter explains what is new. The title must not be identical to the original.
• An abstract or a presentation with no full paper published may be submitted as a new manuscript.
• Papers from SSG's own conferences go through the full peer review in Peer Review Policy, like any other submission. Being accepted at the conference does not mean the paper will be accepted by the journal.

Manuscripts based on a thesis or dissertation that sits in a university repository are welcome. The thesis is cited, and the manuscript is rewritten as a journal article.

An article already published in another language may be republished only in rare cases. Both editors must agree, the original must be clearly cited, and the target readership must be different. Such articles are labelled "Secondary Publication". Unlabelled translations are treated as duplicate publication.