Research and Publication Ethics 

The Journal of Health Research and Society (JHRS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity, ethical publishing, transparency, and scholarly excellence. The journal expects authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers to conduct themselves in accordance with the principles of honesty, integrity, accountability, fairness, transparency, and respect throughout the research and publication process.

JHRS supports responsible research practices and is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. 

 

Ethical Principles and Research Integrity

JHRS is committed to promoting ethical research and responsible scholarly publishing. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, authorship misconduct, peer-review manipulation, or any other form of unethical research or publication practice.

All allegations of misconduct will be investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with established ethical standards.

 

COPE Compliance

JHRS adheres to the principles and Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follows internationally recognized guidelines for publication ethics, editorial conduct, and research integrity.

The journal is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in all aspects of the publication process.

 

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the study, including the conception or design of the work, data collection, analysis or interpretation, manuscript preparation, and approval of the final version.

All authors must:

• Approve the final manuscript prior to submission;
• Agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work;
• Disclose relevant conflicts of interest. 

JHRS encourages the use of the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) to describe individual author contributions.

The journal does not permit guest, honorary, gift, or ghost authorship.

 

Human Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must comply with internationally accepted ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki and applicable institutional and national regulations.

Authors must provide:

• Name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB);
• Ethics approval number, where applicable;
• Statement confirming informed consent from participants;
• Information regarding participant privacy and confidentiality protections. 

The journal reserves the right to request supporting ethics documentation.

 

Ethics Approval Exemptions

Where ethical approval is not required, authors must provide a clear justification and identify the relevant authority or institutional policy supporting the exemption.

 

Animal Research Ethics

Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international standards governing animal welfare and ethical treatment.

Authors must provide details of ethical approval, animal care procedures, and measures taken to minimize animal suffering.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to follow the ARRIVE Guidelines for reporting animal research.

 

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials and intervention studies should be registered in a publicly accessible and recognized trial registry prior to participant enrollment.

The registration number and registry information must be included in the manuscript.

 

Reporting Guidelines

To promote transparency, completeness, and reproducibility of research reporting, authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design.

Examples include:

• CONSORT for randomized controlled trials;
• STROBE for observational studies;
• PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
• COREQ for qualitative research;
• STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;
• ARRIVE for animal research.

Authors may be requested to submit completed reporting checklists during manuscript submission.

 

Data Availability and Research Transparency

JHRS encourages open and transparent research practices.

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing the availability of data supporting the findings of the study.

Authors are encouraged to make research data publicly available whenever ethically and legally permissible.

The journal may request access to original datasets, laboratory records, protocols, or supporting documentation during editorial review or misconduct investigations.

Authors should retain original research data for a minimum of five years following publication.

 

Statistical and Methodological Integrity

Authors are responsible for ensuring that study designs, analytical methods, statistical procedures, and interpretations are appropriate, accurate, transparent, and reproducible.

The journal may seek additional methodological or statistical review where necessary.

The Statistical Editor may evaluate manuscripts requiring specialized assessment of study design, statistical analyses, epidemiological methods, or data interpretation.

 

Image Integrity

Images, figures, gels, microscopy images, radiographic images, and other visual data must accurately represent the original observations.

Image processing is permitted only when applied uniformly and does not alter, obscure, enhance, remove, or misrepresent scientific information.

The journal may request original image files during peer review or investigations of suspected misconduct.

 

Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening prior to peer review.

JHRS does not accept manuscripts that have been:

• Previously published;
• Simultaneously submitted elsewhere;
• Substantially duplicated from published works;
• Plagiarized in whole or in part.

Appropriate editorial action will be taken in cases of suspected plagiarism or duplicate publication.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including large language models, in manuscript preparation, data analysis, image generation, or other aspects of research and writing.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for published work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of all submitted content.

 

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could influence the objectivity of the research or editorial process.

All published articles shall include a Conflict of Interest Statement.

 

Peer Review Ethics

JHRS employs a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the quality, validity, and relevance of published research.

Reviewers are expected to:

• Maintain confidentiality;
• Provide objective, constructive, and evidence-based evaluations;
• Declare potential conflicts of interest;
• Refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage.

 

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased, confidential, and transparent editorial process.

Editorial decisions are based solely on:

• Scientific merit;
• Methodological rigor;
• Originality;
• Relevance to the journal's scope;
• Ethical compliance.

Editors shall not discriminate based on nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, or political beliefs.

 

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly publishing.

Reviewers are expected to:

• Evaluate manuscripts objectively and professionally;
• Identify ethical concerns where applicable;
• Respect confidentiality;
• Complete reviews within agreed timelines;
• Disclose any conflicts of interest.

 

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

JHRS is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Corrections

Corrections may be issued to address errors that do not invalidate the study's findings.

Expressions of Concern

Expressions of Concern may be published when significant concerns arise but investigations remain ongoing.

Retractions

Retractions may be issued when findings are unreliable due to major errors, research misconduct, ethical violations, or other serious concerns.

Retraction notices shall remain permanently linked to the original publication.

 

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions or submit complaints regarding the editorial process.

Appeals and complaints must be supported by appropriate evidence and will be reviewed independently by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editorial representative.

 

Publication Misconduct Investigation Procedure

Allegations of publication misconduct will be handled through a fair and confidential process.

The journal may undertake the following steps:

1. Preliminary assessment of the allegation;
2. Communication with the corresponding author;
3. Editorial evaluation of available evidence;
4. Consultation with reviewers, editorial board members, or relevant institutions where necessary;
5. Final editorial determination and appropriate corrective action.

Actions may include manuscript rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, notification of affected parties, or other measures deemed necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

 

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Journal of Health Research and Society (JHRS) is dedicated to fostering responsible research, promoting scientific integrity, and ensuring the credibility of published scholarship. The journal continuously works to uphold international standards of ethical publishing and research excellence in all areas of health research and society.