DART Editorial Leadership & Governance

Editorial independence statement

Scientific decisions are independent of funders or sponsors

Editorial Independence Statement

FAST-DART (FAST Data, Analysis, Reviews & Techniques) operates with full editorial independence. All editorial decisions, including manuscript selection, peer review, acceptance, revision, and publication, are made solely by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board based on scientific rigor, methodological soundness, ethical standards, and relevance to the field.

Although FAST-DART is supported by the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), the Foundation has no role in editorial decision-making and does not influence the content of published articles. Funding support, sponsorship, or organizational affiliation does not affect the evaluation of submissions, the peer review process, or publication outcomes.

Editors and reviewers are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from decisions where such conflicts exist. FAST-DART is committed to transparency, integrity, and the unbiased dissemination of scientific findings, including positive, negative, and neutral results.

This independence ensures that FAST-DART serves as a credible, trustworthy, and scientifically rigorous forum for the Angelman syndrome and broader neurodevelopmental research communities.

Conflicts of Interest Policy

FAST-DART is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and scientific integrity. All authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived to influence the content or evaluation of a manuscript.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must provide a clear statement of conflicts of interest at the time of submission. Disclosures should include, but are not limited to, employment, consulting fees, honoraria, research funding, equity interests, intellectual property rights, advisory board participation, or any other relationships with commercial or nonprofit entities that may benefit from the published work. If no conflicts exist, authors must include a statement declaring that no competing interests are present.

Editors and editorial board members are likewise required to disclose relevant relationships and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists. Editorial decisions are made independently of financial considerations or organizational affiliations.

Conflict of interest statements will be published with each article to ensure full transparency for readers.

Ethics and Misconduct Policy

FAST-DART adheres to established principles of research integrity and publication ethics. All submissions must represent original work conducted and reported honestly, accurately, and transparently.

Plagiarism

Manuscripts must be the authors’ original work. Direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or appropriation of ideas without proper citation constitutes plagiarism and is not tolerated. All submissions may be screened using plagiarism detection software. Confirmed cases will result in rejection or retraction as appropriate.

Image Manipulation

Figures and images must accurately represent the original data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are permitted only if applied uniformly and do not alter the interpretation of the data. Selective enhancement, obscuring, deletion, or addition of features is considered misconduct. Authors may be asked to provide original, unprocessed image files during review.

Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to FAST-DART must not be under consideration elsewhere and must not have been previously published, except in the case of clearly identified preprints. Redundant publication, salami slicing of datasets, or reuse of substantial portions of previously published work without disclosure is not permitted.

Retractions and Corrections

FAST-DART maintains a transparent post publication record. When errors are identified that affect interpretation but not the overall validity of the work, a formal correction will be issued. In cases of significant error, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or ethical violations, the journal will publish a retraction. Retractions and corrections will be clearly labeled and linked to the original article to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.

FAST-DART reserves the right to investigate suspected misconduct and may contact authors’ institutions or funding bodies when necessary. The journal is committed to preserving trust in the scientific literature and ensuring that published findings meet rigorous ethical standards.

Research Articles

Scope: Research Articles present full original investigations that advance mechanistic understanding, therapeutic development, biomarker discovery, or translational science relevant to Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Requirements: Manuscripts must include a structured abstract with the following headings: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Detailed methodological description sufficient for replication is required.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words excluding references and supplementary materials. A minimum of 10 figures is permitted when necessary to fully document experimental findings. Additional figures may be included if essential.

Data Availability: Authors must include a Data Availability Statement describing where raw data, code, and supporting materials can be accessed. Deposition in a public repository is strongly encouraged unless restricted by ethical or legal considerations.

Review Process: Research Articles undergo full external peer review by at least two qualified reviewers. Final decisions are made by the Editor in Chief or designated Associate Editor.

Data Reports

Scope: Data Reports provide well characterized datasets including positive, negative, confirmatory, or replication findings. The goal is to reduce publication bias and strengthen reproducibility across the field.

Requirements: Submissions must clearly describe experimental design, statistical analysis, and data validation procedures. Negative or neutral findings are welcomed provided methodological rigor is demonstrated.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures may be included to fully document datasets, validation steps, and analytical approaches.

Data Availability: Raw datasets must be made available in a publicly accessible repository unless restricted by privacy or regulatory constraints. A detailed Data Availability Statement is mandatory.

Review Process: Data Reports undergo peer review or structured editorial review depending on scope and complexity. The review pathway will be clearly indicated upon acceptance.

Reviews

Scope: Reviews synthesize current knowledge in defined areas of Angelman syndrome biology, therapeutic development, biomarker science, regulatory strategy, or related translational domains. Both narrative and systematic reviews are accepted.

Requirements: Systematic reviews must describe search strategy and inclusion criteria. Narrative reviews should provide balanced and comprehensive analysis supported by current literature.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures, including conceptual models or summary schematics, may be included when appropriate.

Data Availability: For systematic reviews, authors should describe data extraction methods and, when possible, provide supporting datasets or search documentation.

Review Process: All Reviews undergo full external peer review.

Methods and Techniques

Scope: Methods and Techniques articles describe experimental protocols, analytical pipelines, translational platforms, or standardized procedures designed to improve reproducibility and comparability across laboratories.

Requirements: Submissions must provide sufficient technical detail to allow replication. Validation data demonstrating robustness and reliability are strongly encouraged.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures may be included to illustrate workflows, validation results, and technical performance metrics.

Data Availability: Protocols, scripts, analytical code, and validation datasets should be made publicly available whenever possible.

Review Process: Methods and Techniques articles undergo full external peer review.

Commentaries and Perspectives

Scope: Commentaries and Perspectives provide informed analysis of emerging scientific developments, regulatory changes, translational challenges, or strategic directions relevant to Angelman syndrome and related disorders.

Requirements: These articles should present clear arguments supported by evidence and professional expertise.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. Figures are optional but permitted when they enhance clarity. A minimum of 10 figures is not required for this category but may be included if appropriate.

Data Availability: Formal data deposition is not required unless new datasets are presented.

Review Process: Commentaries and Perspectives undergo editorial review. The Editor in Chief determines whether external peer review is required based on content.