PRIOR PUBLICATION POLICY

The Link journal of Speech, Language and Audiology (JSLA) applies recognized ethical publishing standards to prevent redundant or duplicate publication and to protect the integrity of the scholarly record. JSLA requires transparency regarding any prior publication or public dissemination of a manuscript or any substantial part of it. Authors must disclose relevant prior dissemination at the time of submission so that editors can assess originality, novelty, eligibility for peer review, and whether appropriate citation and attribution practices have been followed.

Disclosure Requirements at Submission

At submission, authors must disclose any prior publication, posting, or public distribution of the manuscript in whole or in part. Authors must ensure that any quoted or reused material is clearly marked and appropriately attributed, and that all related prior outputs are cited where relevant. Authors must describe the nature, extent, and location of previously disseminated versions, including whether the manuscript has appeared as a preprint, working paper, thesis or dissertation, conference abstract, poster, institutional repository deposit, or other public distribution. This disclosure allows the journal to determine whether the submission remains eligible and whether the manuscript appropriately distinguishes new contributions from previously disseminated material.

General Rule

If a substantial portion of the manuscript has already been formally published elsewhere as a peer-reviewed journal article, it is generally not eligible for publication in JSLA. The journal considers duplicate publication and redundant publication to be incompatible with scholarly integrity because they can distort the evidence base and create confusion in indexing and citation. However, JSLA recognizes that certain forms of prior dissemination do not necessarily constitute prior publication, provided that full disclosure is made, the submission meets novelty and scope expectations, and the manuscript is appropriately informed by and cites the earlier dissemination.

Acceptable Forms of Prior Distribution

1) Preprints and Working Papers

Posting manuscripts on preprint servers or scholarly collaboration platforms may be acceptable, provided that authors disclose the posting and provide a link or identifier during submission. Authors should recognize that public dissemination through a preprint may reduce or eliminate anonymity under a double-blind peer review model because authorship may be discoverable through online searches; however, this does not automatically disqualify the submission. Where a preprint exists, authors are expected to ensure that the journal submission is consistent with ethical standards, that any substantive differences between versions are transparent, and that the published Version of Record in JSLA is properly linked or cited where appropriate.

2) Theses and Dissertations

Manuscripts derived from theses or dissertations may be considered for publication when the thesis has not already been formally published as a peer-reviewed journal article and when the submitted manuscript is appropriately revised for journal publication. Authors must disclose the thesis source, ensure that overlap is handled transparently, and cite the thesis where appropriate. The journal expects that a thesis-derived manuscript demonstrates a clear scholarly contribution as a journal article, including improved structure, refined analysis where applicable, and presentation aligned with peer-reviewed publication standards.

3) Conference Presentations

Manuscripts based on conference abstracts, posters, or oral presentations may be considered when the conference output was not published in full as a peer-reviewed journal article and when the manuscript is substantially developed beyond the presented material. Authors must disclose the conference dissemination and provide citation or documentation as appropriate. The journal expects that the submitted manuscript contains sufficient additional methodological detail, analysis, and scholarly context to stand as a complete and original journal article, rather than a lightly expanded conference summary.

4) Clinical Trial Registries and Raw Data

Use of previously registered trial information or publicly available datasets is acceptable when permissions and ethical requirements are met and when relevant prior publications using the same dataset are disclosed and appropriately referenced. Authors must ensure that registry information is accurate and that any trial registration identifiers are included in the manuscript when applicable. Where analyses are conducted on public datasets or shared trial data, authors must transparently describe data provenance, governance constraints, and how their analysis differs from or builds upon existing publications.

Restrictions After Submission

Once a manuscript is submitted to JSLA, authors should avoid publicly posting new or revised versions in a manner that could create duplication concerns during evaluation or compromise the integrity of the peer review process, including the practical anonymity of double-blind review. If a preprint already exists, authors should generally avoid posting major revisions while the manuscript is under review unless there is a compelling reason; where updates are made, authors should inform the journal to maintain transparency. After acceptance and publication, authors may share the work in accordance with JSLA’s Open Access, Licensing, and Self-Archiving policies, noting that reuse and distribution of the published Version of Record are governed by the journal’s CC BY 4.0 licensing terms and repository deposit provisions.

Questions and Clarification

If authors are uncertain whether prior dissemination may affect eligibility, they are encouraged to contact the editorial office before submission using editor@JSLA.com. Editors reserve the right to determine whether prior dissemination compromises novelty, originality, or the integrity of the scholarly record, and may request clarification or supporting documentation as part of this assessment.