About the Journal

Acta Medica is an international, peer-reviewed, open access, general medical scientific journal published by Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. As the official journal of the Faculty, it is published quarterly, in March, June, September, and December.

Acta Medica has been published since 1968. The journal was previously published under the titles Hacettepe Bulletin of Medicine-Surgery, Hacettepe Medical Journal, and Hacettepe Tıp Dergisi, and has been published under its current title since 2012 (see Title History for details).

The journal aims to publish high-quality scientific work across the basic and clinical medical sciences and to promote the translation of scientific evidence into clinical practice. Acta Medica provides a multidisciplinary platform for researchers and clinicians to communicate original findings, critically evaluate current evidence, and contribute to advances in medicine and healthcare.

Aim and Scope

Acta Medica aims to contribute to the international medical literature by publishing high-quality, original, and clinically relevant content across all fields of medicine. The journal strives to promote evidence-based medical practice and to support the translation of findings from basic and clinical research into clinical practice.

The journal covers the full spectrum of medicine and is organized into three broad scientific sections:

  • Basic Sciences: Research in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, immunology, medical biology and genetics, molecular medicine, experimental medicine, and other basic and translational biomedical sciences.
  • Medical Sciences: Research in internal medicine and its subspecialties, pediatrics and its subspecialties, neurology, psychiatry, dermatology, emergency medicine, intensive care medicine, family medicine, public health, epidemiology, occupational and environmental medicine, and related clinical disciplines.
  • Surgical Sciences: Research in general surgery and surgical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology, anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, and other disciplines related to surgical and procedural care.

The journal also welcomes multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, including studies in diagnostic and laboratory medicine, radiology and medical imaging, pathology, nuclear medicine, medical education, health services research, clinical epidemiology, digital health, artificial intelligence, and medical ethics, when relevant to human health and clinical practice.

The journal's target audience includes clinicians, researchers, academics, and healthcare professionals across medical and health-related disciplines. Acta Medica aims to provide a rigorous, accessible, and international platform for the dissemination and discussion of scientifically sound and clinically meaningful research.

To support methodological rigor and ethical standards, the journal's editorial structure also includes specialized editors in biostatistics and research ethics. Manuscripts may be referred to these editors for additional assessment when appropriate.

Publication Frequency

Acta Medica is published quarterly. Issues are released in March, June, September, and December.

Publication Language

The official language of the journal is English. Manuscripts must be written and submitted in English. Submitted manuscripts should adhere to proper grammar and spelling conventions, as well as reflect accuracy and consistency with the relevant scientific literature.

Bibliographic Information

The bibliographic details of the journal are listed below.

  • Journal Title: Acta Medica
  • ISSN (Online): 2147-9488
  • DOI Prefix: 10.32552
  • First publication: 1968
  • Publisher: Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine
  • Owner: Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine
  • Owner's Representative: Prof. Arzu Topeli İskit, (Dean)
  • Responsible Manager: Assist. Prof. Mehmet Yıldırım, (Editor-in-Chief)

Title History

Acta Medica was first published in 1968 and adopted its current title in 2012 upon its transition to an electronic journal.

  • Current Title (2012-Present): Acta Medica
    • ISSN (Online): 2147-9488
  • Former Title (1995-2011): Hacettepe Tıp Dergisi
    • ISSN (Print): 1300-8404
  • Former Title (1983-1992): Hacettepe Medical Journal
    • ISSN (Print): 0259-2282
  • Former Title (1968-1982): Hacettepe Bulletin of Medicine-Surgery (Hacettepe Tıp-Cerrahi Bülteni)
    • ISSN (Print): 0017-6451

Indexing and Abstracting

Acta Medica is indexed and abstracted in the following databases:

Persistent Identifiers and Open Metadata

All articles published in Acta Medica are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and registered with Crossref. The journal requires an ORCID iD for every author. Article metadata, including author information, ORCID iDs, abstracts, reference lists, and license information, are deposited with Crossref in machine-readable format and made openly available in support of the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC) and the Initiative for Open Abstracts (I4OA).

Digital Archiving and Preservation

The content of Acta Medica is archived through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), which provides long-term preservation for academic journals. It uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) program for decentralized, distributed preservation, which aims to ensure continued access to the original, unaltered content of the journal. Full-text versions of all articles are also stored as PDFs at the National Library of Türkiye.

Open Access Statement

Acta Medica is an open access journal. All articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors retain the copyright to their published articles. Through open access, the journal aims to support the reuse, citation, visibility, and discoverability of published research and to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

Acta Medica adopts the Open Access Declaration published by the Budapest Open Access Initiative in February 2002:

"By 'open access' to this [research] literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited."

The publisher guarantees not to charge any reader or library a subscription fee or a fee for access to published electronic articles.

Authors contributing to Acta Medica agree to publish their articles under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, including commercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.

Authors retain copyright of their work, with first publication rights granted to Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine.

You may:

  • Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format)
  • Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) for any purpose, including commercial use.

When using, adapting, or sharing materials under this license, you must:

  • Provide correct attribution (give appropriate credit, include a link to the license, and indicate if changes are made). This must be done in a way that does not suggest endorsement by the original authors or publishers.
  • Avoid creating additional restrictions (you may not impose legal terms or technological barriers that prevent others from exercising the rights granted by the license).

Self-Archiving Policy

Acta Medica encourages authors to self-archive their work to maximize the visibility and impact of their research.

Consistent with the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), authors may deposit and share all versions of their article, including:

  • Submitted version (preprint): the version of the manuscript submitted before peer review,
  • Accepted manuscript: the version accepted for publication after peer review, before copyediting and typesetting,
  • Version of record: the final published version of the article.

Authors may deposit these versions in institutional or subject-based repositories or on personal websites immediately upon publication (no embargo period). When archiving, authors are requested to include a citation and a link to the original publication on the journal's website via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Data Sharing and Availability Policy

Acta Medica encourages authors to share the data supporting their research findings. Sharing data promotes transparency, reproducibility, and credibility in scientific research. The journal supports the Force11 Data Citation Principles and requires that all publicly available datasets be fully cited in the reference list, including an accession number or a unique identifier such as a digital object identifier (DOI).

Charges

Acta Medica does not charge authors or any other parties at any stage of the publication process. There are no submission fees, article processing charges (APCs), page charges, or color figure charges. All published articles are freely accessible to readers without any subscription or access fees. No fee or compensation is paid to authors for published articles.

Financial Statement

Acta Medica is fully funded by Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. This support aims to ensure the journal's sustainability and regular publication. The journal does not generate any revenue from article processing charges, subscriptions, or advertising.

Sponsorship and Advertising

Acta Medica does not accept any form of external commercial or institutional sponsorship or advertising to safeguard editorial independence and objectivity. The journal's operations are solely sustained through the internal resources of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. This policy helps ensure that editorial decisions and peer review processes remain free from external commercial or financial influence.

Direct Marketing: Any solicitation of manuscripts, including invitations sent by email, is targeted, appropriate, and conducted by the editors on behalf of the journal. The journal does not send unsolicited bulk email, does not use third-party mailing lists, and provides accurate information about its scope, indexing, and review process in all communications.

Collaboration and Partnerships

Acta Medica welcomes interdisciplinary collaborations and institutional partnerships that support scientific research, education, and knowledge exchange across the fields of basic sciences, medical sciences, and surgical sciences.

Reflecting its mission to foster collaboration among clinicians, surgeons, basic scientists, public health professionals, and medical educators, the journal encourages partnerships that foster:

  • Multidisciplinary Research: Innovative projects integrating basic, clinical, and surgical sciences to advance translational research and experimental medicine.
  • Evidence-Based Initiatives: Strategies and studies focused on innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, technological advancements (such as artificial intelligence and digital health applications), preventive medicine, and multidisciplinary patient care.
  • Knowledge Exchange: The responsible translation of medical innovation into clinical practice and the international dissemination of research findings.

Collaborations may involve special issues, support for scientific events, joint publication initiatives, or other academic engagements that align with the journal's aims.

All editorial decisions, including manuscript evaluation, peer review, acceptance, and rejection, are made independently of any collaboration, partnership, or supporting institution. Collaborative arrangements do not influence the journal's editorial decision-making process.

For more information about collaboration and partnership opportunities, please contact us at [email protected].

Disclaimer

The responsibility for the content, accuracy, and interpretation of articles published in Acta Medica rests with the author(s). The opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, the editorial board, or Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. The publisher, editors, and editorial board do not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of the information published in the journal.

Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. The information published in the journal is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The mention of specific products, trade names, or manufacturers does not imply endorsement by the journal or the publisher.

Privacy Statement

Personal data (such as names, email addresses, affiliations, and ORCID iDs) entered in this journal site are used only for the editorial and publication processes of Acta Medica. These data are shared only with the parties necessary for these purposes, such as the journal's service provider, DOI registration agencies, and indexing and archiving services. For detailed information on how personal data are processed and on your rights, please see the Privacy Statement page.

Policy Development and Alignment

The editorial and publication policies of Acta Medica are designed to uphold the principles of scientific integrity, transparency, and editorial independence. These policies are developed in collaboration with Akdema Informatics and Publishing, the journal's publishing service provider, and are approved by the Editorial Board and the publisher. They are regularly reviewed and updated in line with the guidelines and best practices of the following international organizations and initiatives:

In particular, the journal's policies follow the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly developed by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME.

Furthermore, the journal's open access policy, copyright retention terms, and licensing (CC BY) are aligned with the principles of Plan S and cOAlition S, supporting unrestricted access to publicly funded research.

By combining the long-standing academic heritage of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine with the professional publishing expertise of Akdema Informatics and Publishing, Acta Medica aims to carry out its editorial and publishing processes in accordance with internationally recognized standards of ethical publishing and open access.