Publication Ethics

The Journal of Medical & Health Sciences Review (JMHSR) is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. The journal follows internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing and expects authors, reviewers, and editors to comply with ethical standards throughout the publication process.

1. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the research. All listed authors must approve the submitted manuscript and agree to its publication. Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

2. Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously or be under consideration by another journal. Authors must properly acknowledge and cite all sources. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate text reuse, and misrepresentation of another person's work are not acceptable.

3. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence or appear to influence the research, review process, or editorial decision.

4. Data Integrity and Research Misconduct

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in their manuscripts. Fabrication, falsification, manipulation of data or images, selective reporting, and other forms of research misconduct are strictly prohibited. Authors should retain relevant research records and provide supporting information when reasonably requested.

5. Human and Animal Research Ethics

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with applicable ethical standards and institutional requirements. Appropriate approval from an ethics committee or institutional review board must be obtained where required. Informed consent must be obtained from human participants when applicable.

6. Confidentiality and Privacy

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and related correspondence. Personal or identifiable information relating to research participants must be protected in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements.

7. Peer Review Ethics

Peer review must be fair, objective, confidential, and free from inappropriate influence. Reviewers should evaluate manuscripts on their scholarly merit and provide constructive, evidence-based comments. Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and decline assignments where impartiality may be compromised.

8. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, relevance, ethical compliance, and suitability for the journal. Decisions must not be influenced by authors' nationality, institutional affiliation, reputation, commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, or payment of publication charges.

9. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JMHSR is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record. When significant errors, misconduct, or unreliable findings are identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, retraction, or expression of concern as appropriate. Relevant notices will remain publicly accessible and linked to the original article.

10. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to more than one journal. Substantial duplication of previously published material without appropriate disclosure and citation is not permitted.

11. Citation and Reference Integrity

Authors must ensure that references are accurate, relevant, and appropriately cited. Citation manipulation, excessive self-citation, fabricated references, or inclusion of citations solely to increase citation metrics are not acceptable.

12. Complaints and Ethical Concerns

Concerns relating to publication ethics, research misconduct, authorship disputes, peer-review manipulation, conflicts of interest, or other ethical matters may be reported to the journal editorial office. The journal will investigate credible concerns fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with established scholarly publishing practices.

13. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, ethical compliance, and integrity of their work. They must disclose funding sources, conflicts of interest, ethical approvals, and relevant use of research data or artificial intelligence tools where applicable.

14. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, disclose conflicts of interest, provide objective and constructive assessments, and refrain from using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.

15. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for maintaining editorial independence, ensuring fair peer review, protecting confidentiality, addressing ethical concerns, and making publication decisions based solely on scholarly merit and journal policies.

16. Compliance with COPE Guidelines

JMHSR supports and follows the principles, core practices, flowcharts, and ethical guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling publication misconduct, authorship disputes, plagiarism, peer-review concerns, corrections, retractions, conflicts of interest, and other ethical matters.

The journal refers to COPE guidance when investigating ethical concerns and taking corrective action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

COPE Website: https://publicationethics.org/

COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices