Publication Ethics
Publication Ethics
Journal of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health Research (JMNPR)
The Journal of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health Research (JMNPR) is committed to publishing scholarly work with accuracy, transparency, fairness, and adherence to accepted principles of research ethics and publication ethics.
The journal defines the roles, duties, and responsibilities of editors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher, together with policies concerning research involving human participants, the handling of research and publication misconduct, corrections and retractions, conflicts of interest, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, in order to maintain the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record.
1. Principles and Standards of Publication Ethics
JMNPR places strong emphasis on academic integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability among all parties involved in the publication process.
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Manuscripts submitted for publication must be accurate, original, and compliant with accepted standards of academic and publication ethics.
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A manuscript must not be under consideration by another journal at the same time and must not constitute inappropriate duplicate or redundant publication.
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Editorial and peer-review processes must be conducted on academic grounds, without discrimination or inappropriate influence.
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Information concerning authors, reviewers, manuscripts, and related documents must be treated as confidential where appropriate.
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When errors, misconduct, or concerns that may affect the reliability of a publication are identified, the journal will investigate and take appropriate corrective action.
2. Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for the academic quality, accuracy, and publication standards of articles published in the journal. Their responsibilities include the following:
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Conduct an initial assessment and screening of submitted manuscripts for relevance to the journal's scope, academic quality, and appropriateness of the research methodology.
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Provide recommendations for manuscript improvement before peer review when considered appropriate.
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Select at least two reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript. Reviewers must be affiliated with institutions different from those of all authors and must have no conflicts of interest or professional, academic, or personal relationships that could compromise the independence or impartiality of the review.
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Conduct peer review under a double-blind peer-review process for article types designated by the journal, whereby authors and reviewers do not know each other's identities.
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Carefully consider reviewers' comments and exercise independent academic judgment in deciding whether a manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected.
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Base editorial decisions on academic quality, significance, originality, clarity, accuracy, and relevance to the journal's scope.
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Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts, author information, reviewer information, and all documents associated with the review process.
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Refrain from using unpublished information obtained from submitted manuscripts for personal benefit or the benefit of others.
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Avoid handling manuscripts in which the editor has a conflict of interest and recuse themselves from the editorial process when circumstances could compromise impartiality.
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Editors who serve as chairs or members of an Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (EC/IRB) must recuse themselves from coordinating or reviewing manuscripts where such roles may create a conflict of interest.
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Provide authors with an opportunity to appeal or submit an academic explanation regarding an editorial decision in accordance with the journal's established procedures.
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Take appropriate action to correct errors, retract publications, or issue expressions of concern when warranted, in order to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
3. Responsibilities of Authors
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Prepare and submit manuscripts in accordance with the journal's scope, manuscript format, and instructions for authors.
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Take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of all data, results, analyses, interpretations, discussions, and references presented in the manuscript.
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Submit original work that does not plagiarize the work of others and ensure that all sources are properly acknowledged and cited.
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Do not submit the same manuscript for simultaneous consideration by more than one journal.
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Ensure that all listed authors have made substantial contributions to the work and are able to take responsibility for the relevant content.
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Disclose funding sources, conflicts of interest, and other information that could influence the conduct of the research or interpretation of the findings.
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Carefully consider comments from editors and reviewers and respond to revisions in a systematic manner. If authors disagree with a recommendation, they may provide an academic justification for consideration by the journal.
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Promptly notify the journal if a significant error is identified after submission or publication and cooperate with the journal in taking appropriate corrective action.
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Comply with applicable requirements concerning research ethics involving human participants, protection of personal information, and informed consent, according to the nature of the study.
Similarity Checking: The journal may assess manuscript similarity using the system designated by the journal. Similarity results will be interpreted in conjunction with the nature of the matched text, its sources, and the academic context, rather than being judged solely on the basis of a numerical percentage.
4. Responsibilities of Reviewers
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Evaluate manuscripts fairly, objectively, and on academic grounds, without discrimination against authors.
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Give primary consideration to the appropriateness of the research methodology, validity of the analysis and interpretation, and the overall academic value of the manuscript.
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Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts, data, and documents received for review and do not use such information for personal benefit or the benefit of others.
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Do not communicate directly with authors regarding the manuscript. All communication should be conducted through the editorial office.
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Notify the editor and decline the review if the reviewer lacks sufficient expertise or has a conflict of interest that could compromise impartiality.
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Provide comments that are reasoned, clear, respectful, and intended to improve the quality of the manuscript, while avoiding personal criticism.
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Reviewers may recommend relevant and credible references where academically justified, but should not require authors to cite the reviewer's own work unless there is a clear scholarly reason for doing so.
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Reviewers provide academic recommendations; the final decision regarding publication remains the responsibility of the editor.
5. Responsibilities of the Publisher
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Support the operation of the journal in accordance with academic standards, publication ethics, and the journal's stated policies.
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Respect editorial independence and refrain from interfering with decisions to accept, revise, or reject manuscripts on administrative, financial, political, institutional, or other non-academic grounds.
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Support the editors in maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the scholarly record.
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Support fair and appropriate investigation of complaints or allegations relating to research misconduct and publication misconduct.
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Support the publication of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when sufficient evidence or justification exists.
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Promote transparency, fairness, and appropriate management of conflicts of interest in journal operations.
6. Research Involving Human Participants
6.1 Ethics Approval
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Research involving human participants, human health information, or human biological materials must receive appropriate review and approval, or an applicable exemption, from an Institutional Review Board or Research Ethics Committee (IRB/REC) before the research is conducted, in accordance with relevant requirements.
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Authors must state the name of the ethics committee, approval or protocol number, and other relevant approval information in the manuscript.
6.2 Informed Consent
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Where informed consent is required by the nature of the study, authors must confirm that participants were provided with appropriate information and gave voluntary informed consent in accordance with applicable ethical and institutional requirements.
6.3 Privacy and Confidentiality
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Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants and avoid disclosure of personally identifiable information unless there is appropriate justification and the required consent has been obtained.
6.4 Consent for Publication
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Case reports, photographs, clinical information, or other details that may permit identification of an individual must be accompanied by appropriate consent for publication from the patient or legally authorized representative, as applicable.
Note for Case Reports: Case reports must comply with the ethical requirements of the authors' institutions and with applicable requirements concerning consent for publication of patient information. Whether formal EC/IRB approval is required should be determined according to the nature of the report and the requirements of the relevant institution.
7. Handling of Research and Publication Misconduct
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When the journal receives a complaint, allegation, or information suggesting possible research or publication misconduct, the matter will be investigated fairly and carefully, with appropriate protection of confidentiality.
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Misconduct may include, but is not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant or simultaneous submission, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or violations of research ethics.
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The editor may request explanations or supporting evidence from authors, reviewers, affiliated institutions, ethics committees, or other relevant organizations and may suspend the review or publication process while the matter is being investigated.
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Where misconduct is established, the journal may take appropriate action, including rejection of the manuscript, correction or retraction of a publication, notification of the relevant institution, or other measures necessary to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
8. Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Correction
The journal may publish a correction when an error is identified in a published article that affects its accuracy or clarity but does not invalidate the principal findings or conclusions.
Retraction
The journal may retract an article when there is reliable evidence that the findings are substantially unreliable, research or publication misconduct has occurred, the article represents inappropriate duplicate publication, serious plagiarism has been identified, or an ethical violation materially affects the reliability of the publication.
Expression of Concern
Where significant concerns exist regarding the accuracy or ethics of a published article but sufficient information is not yet available for a final determination, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern to inform readers while the matter is being investigated.
9. Conflicts of Interest
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Authors, reviewers, editors, and others involved in the publication process must disclose conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct of the research, peer review, or editorial decision-making.
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Conflicts of interest may be financial, professional, personal, institutional, academic, competitive, or otherwise capable of affecting impartiality.
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Editors or reviewers with a significant conflict of interest must disclose the conflict to the journal and recuse themselves from the relevant review or decision-making process as appropriate.
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The existence of a conflict of interest does not automatically result in rejection of a manuscript, but it must be disclosed and managed transparently.
10. Ethical Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence
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Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) and other AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of scholarly work.
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Where authors use Generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing a manuscript, such use must remain under human oversight and verification, and the authors remain fully responsible for all content in the manuscript.
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AI may be used to assist with improving language clarity, grammar, or text formatting; however, AI must not be used to fabricate or improperly alter research data, study findings, or scholarly evidence in a manner that produces false, misleading, or unverifiable information.
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Authors must independently verify the accuracy of AI-assisted text, citations, references, and other information. In particular, all references must correspond to genuine, verifiable sources.
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When Generative AI is used in accordance with the journal's requirements, authors must disclose the name of the tool, developer, model or version where known, and the purpose for which it was used, in the location specified in the journal's manuscript template.
Final Responsibility: Regardless of the extent of AI use, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, completeness, originality, integrity, and reliability of the entire manuscript.
Note: The journal may revise these publication ethics policies in response to developments in accepted academic standards, professional guidelines, applicable laws, or requirements of relevant organizations, in order to maintain the quality and integrity of scholarly publication.
