Publication Ethics and Research Misconduct Policy

The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Health Studies (IJIHS) adheres to the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding publication ethics and research misconduct. All research involving human subjects must comply with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, while research involving animals must follow the International Principles for Biomedical Research issued by the International Council of Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS).

Research Involving Human and Animal Subjects

For manuscripts involving experiments on live vertebrates and/or higher invertebrates, the corresponding author must confirm compliance with all relevant institutional and national guidelines. The manuscript must clearly state the approving institution and/or licensing committee, including ethical approval reference numbers. Studies lacking proper ethical consideration will not be accepted.

For studies involving human subjects, authors must identify the approving ethics committee and confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants. Authors conducting Phase II and III randomized controlled trials should follow the CONSORT Statement for complete and transparent reporting.

All animal experiments must adhere to institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of animals, with explicit statements regarding efforts to minimize suffering, reduce the number of animals used, and consider alternatives to in vivo techniques.

General Ethical Standards

Ethical publication is fundamental to maintaining research quality. IJIHS upholds ethical responsibilities for editors, authors, reviewers, and the publisher. The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions and fully supports academic integrity and timely publication.

Ethical Standards for Editors

• Editors are responsible for all published content in IJIHS.
• Editors provide guidance to authors in preparing manuscripts according to submission guidelines.
• Editors may consult other editors or reviewers when making decisions.
• Editors evaluate manuscripts objectively, free from bias related to race, religion, gender, ethnicity, political beliefs, institutional affiliation, or nationality.
• Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with potential conflicts of interest.
• Editors ensure the double-blind review process by anonymizing submissions.
• Editors communicate decisions clearly to authors, along with constructive reviewer comments.
• Editors respect author requests regarding exclusion of specific reviewers if justified.
• Editors and editorial staff maintain strict confidentiality of all submissions.
• In cases of disputes or errors, editors follow COPE guidelines.

Ethical Standards for Reviewers

• Reviewers assess manuscripts for accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance.
• Reviewers must complete reviews within the designated time frame or notify the editor if unavailable.
• Reviewers maintain confidentiality of all manuscript content.
• Reviewers must decline review assignments if conflicts of interest exist.
• Reviewers provide constructive, respectful, and evidence-based feedback to improve manuscripts.

Ethical Standards for Authors

• Authors must ensure submitted work is original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.
• Authors are responsible for the authenticity of their research and proper citation of sources.
• Plagiarism, redundant publication, or "salami slicing" is strictly prohibited.
• Authors must comply with the journal’s submission guidelines.
• Personal data that identifies patients must not be published without explicit written consent.
• For human studies, adherence to the Helsinki Declaration must be confirmed, with any deviations explained.
• For animal studies, authors must certify compliance with relevant institutional and national guidelines.
• Authors must disclose suspected data falsification or fabrication to the editor.
• Authors must declare potential conflicts of interest, including funding, employment, consulting, and intellectual property rights.