Publication ethics statement

About the Journal and its Management

Purpose: PsykTestBarn is an electronic journal that publishes articles on the measurement properties of Norwegian versions of tests and assessment tools, both original and translated versions.

The purpose of PsykTestBarn is to:

  • Publish systematic reviews on the measurement properties of individual tests.
  • Publish primary articles assessing the measurement properties of individual tests.

The journal is approved as a Level 1 journal in the Register of Scientific Publishing Channels: https://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/KanalTidsskriftInfo.action?id=480185.

Journal's Infrastructure and Management: Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (RBUP Eastern and Southern Norway) is responsible for the journal in collaboration with the three other Regional Centres for Children and Adolescents (RKBU North, RKBU Central Norway, and RKBU West) with funding from the Norwegian Directorate of Health.

The editorial board consists of:

  • Editor: Siri Saugestad Helland, researcher (RBUP Eastern and Southern Norway)
  • Assistant Editor: Monica Martinussen, professor (RKBU North, UiT)
  • Assistant Editor: Jannike Kaasbøll, associate professor (RKBU Central Norway, NTNU)
  • Project manager: Simon-Peter Neumer, senior researcher (RBUP Eastern and Southern Norway)
  • Web Editor: Brynhildur Axelsdottir, senior advisor (RBUP Eastern and Southern Norway)
  • Editorial Board Member: Kjell Morten Stormark, researcher 1 (RKBU West - NORCE)
  • Editorial Board Member: Kenneth Stensen, associate professor (RKBU Central Norway, NTNU)

The editorial board is responsible for:

  • The development of the journal and methodological requirements for articles published in the journal.
  • Guidelines for peer review and editorial decision-making.
  • Guidelines for handling research ethics issues, conflicts, and prevention of plagiarism and scientific misconduct.

Ethical Considerations

Purpose: PsykTestBarn’s ethical guidelines are designed to ensure integrity, fairness, and respect for all parties involved. PsykTestBarn adheres to the Declaration of Helsinki on ethical guidelines: https://www.forskningsetikk.no/ressurser/fbib/lover-retningslinjer/helsinkideklarasjonen/ and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR/Personal Data Act): https://www.forskningsetikk.no/ressurser/gdpr/.

The following aspects of ethical considerations must be evaluated and implemented in all research articles published in PsykTestBarn.

  • Primary Articles: Research involving human subjects must be based on the principles of respect for privacy, integrity, and fairness. It should undergo the necessary ethical and privacy approval processes such as REK and NSD. Authors are required to provide a declaration at submission, stating the REK number and which privacy officer has recommended the study. An important aspect is clarifying the research purposes of the projects from which the data originates, including whether they involve psychometric analyses.
  • Systematic Reviews: Research involving summarizing research articles does not require the same approval processes or ethical privacy review.

Authorship and Contributor Guidelines

Purpose: These guidelines are designed to ensure clarity, transparency, and fairness regarding authorship and contributions in PsykTestBarn.

Authors of articles in PsykTestBarn should follow the Vancouver Convention on authorship for scientific publications, which stipulates that an author should:

  • Have made a substantial contribution to the planning and design of the project, participated in data collection, or been involved in the analysis or interpretation of data, AND
  • Have made significant contributions during the writing or revision of the manuscript, AND
  • Have approved the final work submitted for publication, AND
  • Be responsible for all parts of the work to ensure that any issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Additionally, the order of authors should reflect the degree of contribution, with the primary author(s) clearly indicated. Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship but have made substantial contributions should be acknowledged in a separate section (e.g., "Contributors").

Authors and contributors should state their specific contributions in the manuscript according to the CRediT taxonomy, which is an approved NISO standard. Authorship and contributions should be based on honesty and respect for others' intellectual contributions. Any changes in the authorship order or contribution should be made in consultation with all affected parties.

Disputes about authorship or contributions should be addressed with the editors and, if necessary, the editorial board of PsykTestBarn.

Peer Review Process

Purpose: The guidelines for the peer review process in PsykTestBarn aim to provide a framework that ensures the process is transparent, fair, and of high quality. The peer review process should include a thorough and objective evaluation of originality, methodology, results, and conclusions.

  • Selection of Reviewers: Each article is peer-reviewed by two independent peer-reviewers. The reviewers are Norwegian researchers with expertise in psychometrics. Reviewers for specific articles are selected based on their knowledge of particular measurement instruments or psychometric expertise. The PsykTestBarn editorial team conducts a conflict-of-interest assessment of potential reviewers before they are invited to evaluate an article. Efforts are made to avoid selecting reviewers from the same institution as the authors or those with ongoing collaborations with the authors. For review articles, we aim to select reviewers with experience in writing literature reviews for PsykTestBarn. Reviewers for summary articles will receive the author guidelines that PsykTestBarn has prepared. The peer review process is double-blinded, where reviewers receive the manuscript without information about the authors, and the authors receive the peer review feedback without knowing the identity of the reviewer.

Reviewers and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their judgment. The results of the peer review should be made available to the authors, with justifications for the decisions. PsykTestBarn encourages constructive feedback from reviewers.

Conflicts of Interest

Purpose: The guidelines for handling conflicts of interest in PsykTestBarn are designed to ensure that conflicts are managed transparently, objectively, and fairly. All identified conflicts of interest should be communicated openly and clearly.

Conflicts of interest must be clearly defined for authors, reviewers, editors, and other members of the journal’s management. Conflicts of interest may involve financial, personal, professional, or other relationships that could affect the objectivity or integrity of the research and publications.

  • Authors must disclose all conflicts of interest in their articles.
  • Reviewers must inform the editor of any conflicts of interest when asked to peer review an article. The editor will assess the reviewer’s conflicts of interest before assigning them to evaluate an article.
  • Editors should assess any personal conflicts of interest and refrain from handling manuscripts where they or close colleagues have conflicts. In such cases, assistant editors will take over the work.
  • If conflicts of interest are identified after publication, the journal will immediately assess the consequences and take necessary action. Measures may include corrections, retractions, or other appropriate actions, in line with best practices and guidelines.

Intellectual Property

Purpose: The guidelines are designed to clarify principles for handling intellectual property, including copyright, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and transparency regarding funding. The goal is to promote a fair and transparent environment for authors, readers, and the editorial team.

  • Copyright and Publishing Licenses: PsykTestBarn is licensed under the  Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0). Articles published before 2025 were released under CC BY-NC-ND license. The content can be archived and distributed freely for all purposes under the following conditions: correct attribution must be given, no commercial use, and no modification of the text or content. Authors must secure the rights to use third-party materials (e.g., images, diagrams, etc.) that have been published elsewhere before submitting them to PsykTestBarn.
  • Plagiarism: PsykTestBarn conducts plagiarism checks on all manuscripts.
  • Transparency Regarding Funding: Authors must disclose any funding that supported their research.

Data and Reproducibility

Purpose: The guidelines are designed to promote openness, data integrity, and reproducibility in scientific research published in the journal. The goal is to ensure the availability of data and adherence to best practices in reporting studies and clinical research designs.

  • Data Availability: Authors are encouraged to make raw data, analysis code, and other relevant materials available to other researchers to facilitate data pooling and reanalysis.
  • Reporting Standards: Authors should follow internationally recognized reporting guidelines relevant to their field (e.g., CONSORT, PRISMA, etc.). PsykTestBarn encourages authors to include all necessary details to enable accurate reproducibility and evaluation of the study.
  • Registration of Clinical Trials and Study Designs: When data is obtained from a clinical trial, the registration number should be provided (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov).
  • Data Management and Storage: Guidelines for proper and secure handling of research data should be outlined in the manuscript. It should be clear how sensitive data, personal information, and other confidential material will be handled and stored.
  • Reproducibility: Authors should provide sufficient information to enable the reproduction of the study and confirmation of results. PsykTestBarn encourages the use of open and standardized analysis tools and software.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Writing Process

Purpose: Statement regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process.

When authors use AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, they should only use them to improve readability and language. The use of the technology should be under human supervision and control, and the authors should carefully review and edit the result afterward, as AI can produce errors, incomplete, or biased results. AI and AI-assisted tools should not be listed as authors or co-authors, nor should they be cited as authors. Authorship entails responsibility and tasks that can only be attributed to humans.

Authors should state the use of AI and AI-assisted tools in the writing process in their manuscript by adding a statement at the end of the manuscript.

Example Statement: "Statement on the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process." During the preparation of this article, the author(s) used [TOOL/SERVICE NAME] to [PURPOSE]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

This statement does not apply to the use of basic tools for grammar checking, spell checking, references, etc.

Complaints and Disputes

Purpose: The guidelines are established to ensure a fair and transparent process for handling complaints related to the journal, its staff, editorial team, or publisher. The goal is to preserve the integrity and quality of published works and maintain trust from authors, readers, and other stakeholders.

  • Complaints: Complaints should be submitted in writing to the PsykTestBarn editorial team or RBUP East and South, which is responsible for the journal. All complaints received will be immediately registered and acknowledged. An independent party, preferably a member of the editorial board, will perform a quick and objective review of the complaint. If the complaint is deemed obviously unfounded, it may be rejected with a clear justification.
  • Open Complaint Reception: PsykTestBarn encourages open channels for submitting allegations of misconduct, regardless of whether they come from colleagues, readers, authors, or other stakeholders. Authors should be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations before a final decision is made. If necessary, a complaints committee should be formed, consisting of independent experts to consider the complaint more thoroughly. The committee will include individuals with no affiliation with the relevant complaint. A thorough investigation of the complaint will be conducted, including collecting relevant documents and interviewing involved parties if necessary. The process will be fair and confidential. The complaints committee will present its findings and recommendations to the editor or publisher. A written decision, along with the justification, will be communicated to the complainant and other relevant parties. Annual reporting on the number of complaints received, processing time, and outcomes should be available to the public to ensure transparency.

The declaration has been made in line with COPE publishing ethics, final approved version October 2024.