Publication Ethics

1. Responsibilities of Authors and Authorship

Authors must report original work accurately, present methods and results transparently, acknowledge relevant sources, and avoid simultaneous submission or undisclosed redundant publication. Authorship should satisfy all four ICMJE criteria: substantial contribution to the work; drafting or critical revision; approval of the final version; and accountability for all aspects of the work. Contributors who do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged with permission.

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors approve the submission, author order, affiliations, and disclosures. Changes in authorship after submission require an explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. The journal may request a CRediT contribution statement.

2. Research Integrity, Data and Originality

Fabrication, falsification, deceptive image manipulation, plagiarism, undisclosed duplicate publication, citation manipulation, and deliberate misrepresentation of methods or results are prohibited. Authors should retain relevant underlying records in accordance with applicable ethics, privacy, and institutional requirements and provide appropriate evidence to editors when legitimate integrity concerns arise. Sensitive participant data must not be disclosed inappropriately.

Similarity-checking tools may support editorial screening, but similarity scores alone do not establish plagiarism. Editors evaluate the context, sources, and seriousness of any overlap. Authors must cite relevant literature on scientific grounds; coercive or irrelevant citations and excessive self-citation are not acceptable.

3. Research Ethics and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants, identifiable human data, or human biological materials must comply with applicable law, institutional requirements, and relevant ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki where appropriate. Authors must state the approving ethics committee, approval number and date, or explain a legitimate exemption. The consent process must be described, including lawful waivers where approved.

Publication of identifiable personal information, clinical images, or case details requires appropriate consent for publication. Research involving vulnerable participants requires additional safeguards. For human transplantation research, authors must describe lawful and ethical sourcing of organs and tissues; organs or tissues obtained through coercion or exploitation are unacceptable.

Animal studies must comply with applicable animal-care regulations and ethics review requirements. Manuscripts should report approval or justified exemption, species, procedures, and measures taken to minimize harm.

4. Clinical Trial and Review Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in an appropriate publicly accessible registry before enrollment of the first participant when prospective registration is applicable. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript and abstract where appropriate. Any retrospective registration must be clearly identified and justified, without misrepresenting its timing.

Prospective registration of systematic review protocols in an appropriate registry, such as PROSPERO when eligible, is encouraged. Authors should provide the registration identifier or explain that no registration was undertaken. Protocol publications should be cited when relevant.

5. Conflicts of Interest, Funding and Transparency

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that could reasonably influence their work or judgment. Authors must identify funding sources and describe funder involvement in study design, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions. An explicit statement is required when no competing interests exist. Editorial decisions must not depend on payment of publication charges.

6. Editorial Responsibilities and Independence

Editors assess submissions on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and fit with the journal's scope, without discrimination or improper commercial influence. Editors must protect confidential manuscript information, manage conflicts of interest, and recuse themselves when impartiality is compromised. Manuscripts authored by editors or editorial-board members must be managed by an independent editor.

Editors may reject manuscripts after initial screening when they do not meet the journal's scope or quality requirements. Allegations involving published work are assessed independently of an author's status or institutional affiliation.

7. Peer Review Ethics

Research manuscripts considered for publication undergo review by at least two appropriately qualified and independent reviewers, consistent with the journal's Peer Review Process policy. Reviewers must provide constructive, evidence-based assessments, maintain confidentiality, respect deadlines, and disclose conflicts of interest. Reviewers must not exploit unpublished ideas or data or demand citations for personal advantage.

Editors consider reviewer reports but retain responsibility for the final decision. Review records, revision requests, author responses, and editorial decisions should be documented in OJS. Reviewer identities and confidential reports are protected under the journal's review model.

8. Generative Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI tools cannot be credited as authors. Authors must disclose material use of AI-assisted tools in manuscript preparation or research, specifying the tool, purpose, and human verification. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, confidentiality, and citations. AI-generated references, fabricated findings, and undisclosed synthetic data presented as genuine observations are prohibited.

Consistent with the journal's existing policy, AI-generated images and videos are not accepted for publication, except where expressly approved for an AI-focused scholarly purpose or where properly licensed third-party material is permitted. Reviewers must not upload confidential manuscripts or unpublished data to public AI services. AI must not replace independent scientific assessment; any authorized assistance must be disclosed and comply with confidentiality requirements.

9. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

10. Corrections, Expressions of Concern and Retractions

Correction: A correction is published when an error affects the accuracy or interpretation of a work but does not invalidate its central conclusions. The notice identifies the original article and explains the correction.

Expression of Concern: An expression of concern may be published when substantial unresolved concerns exist and readers need to be informed while an investigation continues or evidence remains inconclusive.

Retraction: Retraction may be appropriate when findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, when research is unethical, or when serious plagiarism or redundant publication is established. Retraction notices must explain the reasons, identify who is retracting the work, and link clearly to the original article. The original record should remain accessible and clearly marked as retracted unless exceptional legal or privacy reasons require removal.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions should be bidirectionally linked to the original publication, and metadata or indexing records updated where supported. Notifications to relevant institutional or national integrity systems, including ANJANI where applicable, are made in accordance with law and established procedures rather than automatically for every case.

11. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a reasoned explanation and supporting evidence to the editorial office. Appeals are reviewed by an editor without a relevant conflict of interest wherever practicable. Complaints about editorial conduct, review integrity, or publication ethics are handled confidentially, fairly, and without retaliation. An appeal does not guarantee reversal of a decision.

12. Recordkeeping and Policy Consistency

The journal maintains appropriate records of submission screening, reviewer assignments, reviewer reports, author revisions, editorial decisions, and post-publication actions in OJS, subject to privacy and retention requirements. Publication ethics, peer review, author guidelines, open-access licensing, and article-level declarations should be consistent across journal pages, metadata, and published files.

Journal Interdisciplinary Health | Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement