Research and Publication Ethics Policy

RESEARCH & PUBLICATION ETHICS POLICY

 

JSHMDC is committed to research integrity and the core values of responsible research. In all editorial and publication matters, the journal follows the core practices of COPE and the policies of WAME concerning research ethics, publication ethics, and professional conduct.

 1.      Protection of Human Research Participants:

JSHMDC publishes responsible and ethical research. The journal expects its contributors to adhere to international and national guidelines for the safety and protection of the research participants. All research involving human participants, human material, or human data must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (Revised 2024) and ICMJE Recommendations on Protection of Research Participants, and Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) guidelines.

 

2.      Institutional Review and Ethical Approval:

2.1  Every manuscript reporting research on human subjects, human material, human data, or animals must have prior approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee. A signed IRB approval letter is mandatory at the time of submission as per ethical standards set by  ICMJE

2.2  Manuscripts must state the name of the approving IRB/ethics committee and approval reference number and date of approval in the methods section of the manuscript.

2.3  If a study has been granted an exemption from ethics review, this should also be mentioned in the manuscript, and an exemption letter duly signed by the IRB/ethics committee Chair must be submitted with the manuscript. The Editor may contact the IRB for further information on exceptional cases.

2.4  Ethical approval obtained from the IRB after a study has already begun (retrospective approval) is not acceptable.

2.5  For retrospective studies, informed consent from participants is not required, but a valid IRB approval letter must still be submitted.

2.6  Authors must declare in the manuscript the time and place of the conduct of the study.

2.7  Authors publishing from an FCPS, Master's, PhD (or equivalent) dissertation, in addition to a synopsis approval letter from the relevant training institute (e.g., CPSP), must also provide an IRB/ethics committee approval letter.

 

3.      Informed Consent and Patient Confidentiality:

3.1  Where identifiable patient information such as names, initials, hospital numbers, photographs, or radiological/investigation images is included, written informed consent from the patient (or parent/guardian) must be obtained and submitted with the manuscript, unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and consent has been explicitly documented.

3.2  Written consent from the patients must be obtained to reproduce photographs and investigation reports (images of reports or other radiological images like X-Ray, CT, or MRI scans, etc.) in the manuscript.

3.3 The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) enforce the following frameworks regarding pediatric research and data publication:

• Parental Permission: Mandatory written, voluntary informed consent from a parent or legal guardian is required.
• Child Assent: An active, affirmative agreement by the child to participate or allow their data to be published.

 

 4.      Care and Use of Animals in Research:

4.1  For studies involving animal subjects, authors must confirm that the research complied with their institution's animal care guidelines, a national research council's standards, or the relevant national/international regulations governing the use of laboratory animals.

4.2  Authors are encouraged to consult the WMA Statement on Animal Use in Biomedical Research and the Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for further guidance.

4.3  JSHMDC also publishes research conducted on animals. Authors should follow the national and international guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals in research. Authors can take guidance on animal research ethics from  WMA statement on animal use in biomedical research , and the International Association of Veterinary Editors’ Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare.

 

5.      Trials and Review Articles Registration:

5.1  All clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry that meets ICMJE requirements and/or in a Primary Registry in the WHO Registry Network. The trial registration number must be mentioned in the manuscript.

5.2  Protocols for systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have health-related outcomes must be prospectively registered in an international systematic review registry—such as PROSPERO. The registration number must be mentioned in the manuscript.

 

6.      Reporting Standards:

6.1 Manuscripts must follow the EQUATOR Network guideline appropriate to their study design:

               ·         All Randomized Trials must follow CONSORT guidelines.

               ·         Reviews and meta-analyses should follow PRISMA guidelines.

               ·         Observational studies should be conducted according to STROBE guidelines.

               ·         Qualitative research should be conducted according to SRQR guidelines

 

7.      Authorship ans Contributorship:

An "author" is generally considered to be someone who has made substantive intellectual contributions to a study. All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship criteria as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Full details are set out in the journal's Authorship and Contributor policy  (see the journal's policy tabs). Authors are directed to read details of the Authorship and Contributor policy of JSHMDC the journal's policy tabs

8.      Conflicts of Interest:

8.1  Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationship that could be perceived to bias the research or its evaluation.

8.2  The reviewers are also bound to declare any type of conflicts with the work they are requested to review

8.3  Editors and reviewers with a relevant conflict must avoid handling the submission. Full details are set out in the journal's Conflicts of Interest / Grant Support and Financial Disclosure Policy (see the journal's policy tabs).

 9.      Originality and Plagiarism Screening:

9.1  Submitted manuscripts must represent the authors' original work. Prior publication, duplicate publication, and plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, are not permitted.

9.2  JSHMDC follows the standard definition and description of plagiarism. It follows the COPE, ICMJE, & Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan policies regarding plagiarism.

9.3  All submissions are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin before entering peer review. Full details are set out in the journal's Plagiarism Policy (see the journal's policy tabs).

 

10.  Research Misconduct:

10.1:  Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, and image manipulation, and is handled in line with COPE's guidelines and flowcharts, whether raised before or after publication.

10.2:   A corresponding author notified of an allegation is expected to respond within two weeks.

10.3:   Depending on the outcome, JSHMDC may request a revision, reject the manuscript, or retract a published article with a public retraction notice or issue an Expression of Concern. Full details are set out in the journal's Corrections & Retractions and Expression of Concern Policy (see the journal's policy tabs).

 

11.  Use of Artificial Intelligence:

11.1          Authors may use AI tools and large language models only to improve the readability and language of a manuscript. No AI tool may be listed as an author or co-author.

11.2          Any use of AI in writing, data analysis, or figure/image generation must be disclosed in the Methods or acknowledged in the manuscript, naming the tool and describing its purpose.

11.3          Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content, including any content produced with AI assistance. AI tools must never be used to generate, alter, or fabricate data or results. Full details are set out in the journal's Use of Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI Tools in Publishing Policy (see the journal's policy tabs).

 

12.  Author Self-Reporting of Errors:

Authors who identify a significant error in their own published work must promptly notify the journal and cooperate with any resulting correction, expression of concern, or retraction, in accordance with JSHMDC's Correction, Retraction and Expression of Concern Policy and the relevant COPE's guidelines.

13.  Complaints and Appeals:

Any complaints related to the conduct of editors and/or peer reviewers — for example, breaches of confidentiality, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or misuse of privileged information obtained during peer review. Complaints may also arise from disputes over substantive editorial decisions, such as disagreements about retractions or expressions of concern and how these were handled. Other complaints may be administrative in nature, such as irregularities in editorial processes or unresponsiveness of journal staff are handled under the journal's Appeals & Complaints Policy (see the journal's policy tabs).

 

14.  Editorial Discretion:

The Editor may reject any manuscript found not to have been conducted within an appropriate ethical framework, regardless of its scientific merit.