The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) maintains rigorous editorial policies to ensure the integrity, transparency, and scientific credibility of all published work. These policies align with international standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

1. Editorial Independence

The editorial board operates independently of commercial or institutional influence. Editorial decisions are based solely on the academic merit, originality, and relevance of submitted manuscripts. Financial relationships, sponsorship, or advertising do not affect editorial judgment or publication outcomes.

Editors are committed to ensuring impartial review and publication without discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or political belief.

2. Transparency in Peer Review

All manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer-review process involving at least two external reviewers with subject expertise. Reviewers remain anonymous to authors, and authors’ identities are concealed during review. This ensures fairness, objectivity, and confidentiality.

Each decision—acceptance, revision, or rejection—is supported by clear, written feedback from reviewers. Editors may consult additional experts or the editorial advisory board when specialized evaluation is required.

3. Editorial Decision-Making Process

Submissions are first screened for scope relevance, ethical compliance, and formatting.
Papers meeting basic requirements are assigned to section editors.
Review outcomes are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief for final decision.
Revisions must be submitted within stipulated deadlines for further assessment.
Final acceptance is based on satisfactory revision and adherence to ethical guidelines.

4. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should accurately reflect individual contributions to the study. JCMHS follows the ICMJE authorship criteria—requiring substantial intellectual input in conception, design, analysis, drafting, or revision of the work. Contributors not meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged separately.

All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Any changes to the author list after submission require written consent from all authors and editorial approval.

5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Editors, reviewers, and authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest—financial or personal—that could influence judgment or interpretation. Conflicts may include funding relationships, employment, consultancies, patents, stock ownership, or other affiliations. Disclosures are published alongside accepted manuscripts for transparency.

6. Handling of Ethical Misconduct

JCMHS strictly adheres to COPE’s guidelines for addressing research and publication misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, and authorship disputes. Suspected misconduct triggers a formal investigation by the editorial office and may lead to retraction, correction, or notification to the author’s institution.

7. Data Integrity and Reproducibility

Authors are required to maintain and, upon reasonable request, provide access to original data supporting their research findings. Data transparency promotes reproducibility and verification of published results. Studies involving secondary data analysis must include data-source citations and permissions.

8. Ethical Approval and Consent

Research involving human or animal subjects must include statements confirming ethical approval by an accredited review board or ethics committee. Informed consent is mandatory for all human participants. Identifying information must be omitted unless essential and accompanied by explicit participant consent.

9. Editorial Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief and Section Editors are responsible for maintaining the scientific integrity of the journal. Their roles include:

Ensuring fair and timely peer review.
Preventing and addressing publication malpractice.
Maintaining confidentiality of all submitted material.
Providing corrections, retractions, or editorial notes when required.
Upholding editorial independence and transparency.

10. Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, provide constructive feedback, and disclose any conflicts of interest. They should maintain confidentiality and avoid using unpublished material for personal advantage.

Reviewer performance is monitored to ensure consistency and ethical conduct. Repeated failure to adhere to review ethics may result in removal from the reviewer database.

11. Editorial Accountability and Corrections

In the event of errors, omissions, or ethical concerns post-publication, the journal will issue corrections, retractions, or editorial expressions of concern following COPE’s retraction guidelines. Editors remain accountable for rectifying issues promptly and transparently.

12. Handling Appeals and Complaints

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed justification. Appeals are reviewed by an independent editorial committee not involved in the original decision. Complaints regarding editorial conduct or ethical handling are addressed confidentially and in accordance with COPE procedures.

13. Editorial Board Composition

The editorial board of JCMHS includes experts in epidemiology, public health, preventive medicine, environmental sciences, and healthcare policy. The board ensures diversity in geography, discipline, and gender to reflect the global nature of community health research.

Appointments are reviewed periodically to maintain active engagement and adherence to journal ethics. Editorial members are recognized for their scholarly contributions and commitment to open science.

14. Advertising and Sponsorship Policy

JCMHS does not permit advertisements that may influence editorial content. Any sponsorship agreements must comply with ethical advertising practices and are clearly labeled as such. The editorial team retains complete control over content selection and peer-review outcomes.

15. Copyright and Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright while granting JCMHS the right to publish and disseminate their work globally. Readers may share, reuse, and adapt content with proper citation.

16. Archiving and Data Preservation

The journal ensures the long-term preservation of all published content through participation in Portico and LOCKSS digital archiving networks. Metadata is also stored in institutional and subject repositories in compliance with the OAI-PMH protocol.

17. Open Access and Transparency

JCMHS operates on a Gold Open Access model, making all articles freely available immediately upon publication. There are no subscription fees for readers, and the publication process is transparent—covering peer review, editorial timelines, and fee policies on dedicated pages.

18. Editorial Integrity in Special Issues

Special issues are managed by guest editors under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief. All manuscripts in special issues undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as regular submissions. Guest editors must disclose any conflicts of interest and adhere to editorial and ethical standards of JCMHS.

19. Preprints and Prior Dissemination

JCMHS accepts manuscripts previously posted as preprints, provided that the preprint version is disclosed at submission. Authors must ensure that the preprint is clearly linked to the final published version upon acceptance. Preprint posting does not affect eligibility for review or publication.

20. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors may use AI-assisted tools for language editing or data visualization; however, AI systems cannot be listed as authors. Authors must disclose AI use in the methodology or acknowledgments section, ensuring compliance with transparency and accountability principles.

21. Journal Metrics and Evaluation

JCMHS uses multiple indicators to evaluate journal performance, including citation rates, Altmetrics, peer-review timelines, and editorial responsiveness. These metrics are periodically updated on the journal’s website to demonstrate transparency and accountability.

22. Publication Ethics Integration

All editorial practices are guided by COPE Core Practices, ensuring consistency in ethical decision-making, conflict resolution, and correction management. The editorial office maintains a confidential record of all ethical investigations for internal quality assurance.

“Editorial integrity is the foundation of credible science. At JCMHS, our policies ensure that research is evaluated transparently, ethically, and without compromise.”

Editorial Policies