Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies

Publication Ethics and Editorial Policies

The JMHM is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Our policies align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and guidelines to ensure responsible scholarly publishing.

  1. Authorship and Author Contributions Policy

Authorship Criteria All listed authors must meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship:

  • Substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
  • Final approval of the version to be published
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Author Contributions Statement All submissions must include a detailed author contributions statement specifying each author's role using standardized contributor roles taxonomy (CRediT). Changes to authorship after submission require written consent from all authors and detailed justification.

  1. Complaints and Appeals Process

Editorial Decision Appeals Authors may appeal editorial decisions within 30 days of notification by submitting:

  • Formal written appeal with detailed justification
  • Point-by-point response to reviewer concerns
  • Additional evidence supporting their position

Appeals are reviewed by independent editorial board members not involved in the original decision. The appeal process is confidential and decisions are final.

Complaint Procedures JMHM investigates all complaints regarding editorial processes, peer review, or published content. Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief with specific details and supporting evidence. All complaints receive acknowledgment within 5 business days and investigation within 30 days.

  1. Research Misconduct Allegations

Definition of Misconduct Research misconduct includes but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism (unauthorized use of ideas, processes, results, or words)
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Duplicate publication
  • Citation manipulation
  • Image manipulation
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Investigation Process When misconduct allegations arise, JMHM follows COPE guidelines:

  1. Initial assessment within 48 hours
  2. Formal investigation involving authors' institutions when necessary
  3. Appropriate sanctions including correction, retraction, or editorial expression of concern
  4. Notification to relevant databases and indexing services
  1. Conflicts of Interest Policy

Author Disclosure Requirements All authors must disclose:

  • Financial relationships with entities that could influence the work
  • Professional relationships that may represent conflicts
  • Personal relationships that could affect objectivity
  • Institutional conflicts of interest

Editorial Conflicts of Interest Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest. Independent editorial board members manage such submissions.

Reviewer Conflicts of Interest Reviewers must decline invitations when conflicts exist and disclose any potential conflicts to the editorial office.

  1. Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy

Data Availability Requirements Authors must include data availability statements specifying:

  • Where data supporting conclusions are available
  • Any restrictions on data access
  • Contact information for data requests
  • Repository information for publicly available datasets

Reproducibility Standards JMHM encourages submission of:

  • Detailed methodology sections enabling replication
  • Statistical analysis code when applicable
  • Supplementary materials supporting reproducibility
  • Pre-registration of study protocols when appropriate
  1. Ethical Oversight Policy

Institutional Review Board Approval Research involving human subjects must include:

  • IRB/Ethics committee approval documentation
  • Informed consent procedures
  • Patient privacy protection measures
  • Compliance with relevant regulations (Declaration of Helsinki, etc.)

Animal Research Ethics Studies involving animals must demonstrate compliance with institutional animal care guidelines and relevant regulations.

  1. Intellectual Property Policy

Copyright and Permissions Authors must:

  • Obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted materials
  • Provide proper attribution for all sources
  • Ensure originality of submitted work
  • Respect intellectual property rights of others

Open Access Compliance All content is published under Creative Commons licensing, ensuring broad access while protecting author rights.

  1. Post-Publication Discussion Options

Reader Commentary JMHM provides platforms for post-publication peer review through:

  • Online commenting systems for registered users
  • Letters to the editor addressing published articles
  • Formal correspondence sections in subsequent issues

Social Media Engagement The journal monitors and engages with scholarly discussions on social media platforms while maintaining professional standards.

  1. Corrections and Retractions Policy

Correction Types

  • Erratum: Minor errors not affecting conclusions
  • Corrigendum: More significant errors requiring formal correction
  • Retraction: Complete withdrawal for serious misconduct or major errors

Retraction Procedures Retractions follow COPE guidelines and include:

  • Clear retraction notices linked to original articles
  • Detailed explanations of retraction reasons
  • Notification to indexing databases
  • Permanent archival of retracted content with clear markings

Editorial Expression of Concern Used when evidence of misconduct exists but investigation is ongoing or inconclusive.

Integrity Commitment

JMHM's editorial team and publishers are committed to upholding scholarly integrity through rigorous peer review, transparent policies, and adherence to international best practices. We actively monitor for misconduct and work closely with institutions and relevant authorities to address ethical violations promptly and appropriately.

All policies are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing ethics.