Publication Ethics

Iraqi Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (IJMHS) is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

PUBLICATION ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

The ethical policy of IJMHS is based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and complies with the IJMHS Editorial Board codes of conduct. Readers, authors, reviewers, and editors should follow these ethical policies once working with IJMHS . In addition, the ethical policy of IJMHS is liable to determine which of the typical research papers or articles submitted to the journal should be published in the concerned issue. For information on this matter in publishing and ethical guidelines, please visit http://publicationethics.org.

 

Bioethics for Medical Researches

  1. Human Subjects

Any work involving human subjects must be carried out following the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. Authors in their manuscripts must provide a statement that informed consent was obtained from all human research participants for experimentation. The privacy rights of human participants must always be protected. Ethical approval must be obtained before conducting the research for all studies. Authors must be able to provide the journal editorial office with further information upon request.

 

  1. Animal Studies

All animal studies are recommended to follow ARRIVE reporting guidelines (PLoS Bio 8(6), e1000412,2010) for the design, analysis, and reporting of scientific research, and authors should clearly explain such guidance has been followed in their submitted manuscripts. Sex and other characteristics of animals that may influence results must be described. Furthermore, we recommend the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (2020), which guides veterinary best practices for the anaesthesia and euthanasia of animals.

 

Ethics in publishing

Research involving human participants, medical records, human tissues, or original animal data, a documented submission and approval is required from a formally constituted review board (Institutional Review Board or Ethics committee), irrespective of the study design. The author should confirm that the work described has been performed in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (2013) for experiments involving humans. All animal experiments should comply with following guidelines: Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments 2.0 (ARRIVE) guidelines 2020 and should be performed in accordance with the U.K. Animals Scientific Procedures Act 1986 (updated in 2003) and associated guidelines, or EU Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, or the U.S. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and, as applicable, the Animal Welfare Act.

 

General Duties and Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • MTU is committing to ensure that editorial decisions on manuscript submissions are final.
  • IJMHS is promising to ensure that the decision on manuscript submissions is only made based on professional judgment and will not be affected by any commercial interests.
  • IJMHS is committing to maintaining the integrity of academic and research records.
  • IJMHS monitors the ethics of the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Editorial Board Members, Reviewers, Authors, and Readers.
  • IJMHS is always checking the plagiarism and fraudulent data issues involved in the submitted manuscript.

IJMHS is always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions involving its publications as and when needed

 

 

In addition to that, Authors, reviewers, editors, and the editorial team are expected to adhere to the following ethical guidelines:

  • Authorship and Originality:

Authors must ensure that their submitted work is original and they have appropriately acknowledged the work and ideas of others. All authors contributing significantly to the research should be listed as co-authors. Submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals concurrently is considered unethical.

  • Plagiarism and Citation:

Authors must ensure their submitted work is original and has not been published elsewhere. Manuscripts that contain significant instances of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, will be rejected. The editorial team will thoroughly evaluate detected instances of plagiarism, and appropriate actions, including rejection, may be taken.

  • Data Integrity:

IJMHS utilizes plagiarism detection tools to identify instances of text overlap with previously published work. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data presented in their manuscripts. Any data manipulation should be transparently reported, and raw data should be available for review if required.

  • Conflicts of Interest:

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that may influence the research or create a potential conflict of interest. Reviewers and editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with conflict of interest.

  • Peer Review Integrity:

Peer reviewers are expected to provide unbiased and constructive feedback on manuscripts. Reviewers should promptly disclose any conflicts of interest and maintain confidentiality throughout the review process.

  • Editorial Independence:

Editors make decisions based on the merit of the work and its relevance to the journal's scope. Editorial decisions are not influenced by factors such as the author's identity, affiliations, or conflicts of interest.

  • Transparency and Corrections:

Authors are encouraged to promptly notify the editorial team of any errors or inaccuracies discovered in their published work. Corrections, retractions, or clarifications will be issued as needed to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

  • Compliance with Ethical Standards:

IJMHS adheres to established ethical standards and guidelines, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

  • Respect for Participants:

Research involving human subjects or animals must adhere to ethical standards and receive necessary approvals from relevant ethics committees.

  • Editorial Team Responsibility:

The editorial team is committed to handling cases of ethical misconduct promptly and transparently, following established guidelines. Adherence to these ethical standards contributes to the integrity and trustworthiness of the scholarly literature. Authors, reviewers, and editors are essential partners in maintaining and upholding these ethical principles.

Authors are invited to submit their research to IJMHS . We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions. 

Don't hesitate to contact the editorial team at [IJMHS@mtu.edu.iq] for any inquiries.