The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. This Publication Ethics Policy defines the journal’s approach to upholding transparency, fairness, and accountability in all aspects of academic publishing. It is based on the principles and practices outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ICMJE, WAME, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

JCMHS enforces a strict code of conduct to preserve the trust, credibility, and scholarly value of all published content.

1. Objectives of the Policy

This policy ensures that:

All research published is accurate, original, and ethically sound.
Authors, editors, and reviewers uphold integrity throughout the publication process.
Misconduct and unethical practices are identified, investigated, and resolved transparently.
Readers can trust that every article meets the journal’s rigorous ethical standards.

2. Principles of Publication Ethics

The ethical principles governing publication at JCMHS are founded upon:

Integrity: Honest presentation of data and findings.
Objectivity: Unbiased editorial and review decisions.
Transparency: Disclosure of all conflicts, funding, and contributions.
Accountability: Responsibility shared across authors, editors, and reviewers.
Confidentiality: Secure handling of manuscripts and personal information.

3. Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors submitting to JCMHS must adhere to the following ethical obligations:

Submit only original, unpublished work not under consideration elsewhere.
Accurately present data without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
Cite all relevant prior work and sources used in the research.
Ensure authorship accurately reflects contributions — no honorary, ghost, or gift authorships are allowed.
Include ethics committee approval for studies involving human or animal subjects.
Disclose all funding sources and potential conflicts of interest.
Promptly report significant errors discovered post-publication and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.

4. Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

The editors of JCMHS uphold the integrity and independence of the journal through the following responsibilities:

Maintain confidentiality of submissions and reviewer identities.
Base decisions solely on scholarly merit, free from commercial or institutional bias.
Actively prevent and address plagiarism, duplicate publication, and data manipulation.
Follow COPE guidelines when investigating suspected misconduct.
Publish corrections, retractions, or clarifications where necessary to maintain the accuracy of the record.
Ensure fair, unbiased peer review without discrimination.

5. Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers are integral to maintaining academic quality. They are expected to:

Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
Maintain confidentiality of all manuscripts under review.
Disclose conflicts of interest prior to accepting review invitations.
Identify ethical issues such as plagiarism, duplicate submission, or data manipulation.
Avoid personal criticism and maintain professionalism.

6. Research Integrity and Data Ethics

Authors must ensure that research is conducted according to recognized ethical and legal standards, including:

Human Subjects: Compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki (2013).
Animal Research: Adherence to ARRIVE and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines.
Data Integrity: Transparent data collection, retention, and availability for verification upon request.

7. Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest that could influence objectivity. These include:

Financial relationships (employment, funding, consultancy, equity ownership).
Academic competition or collaboration conflicts.
Personal relationships that may bias judgment.

Conflicts must be declared in a “Competing Interests” statement, and editors or reviewers must recuse themselves from handling affected submissions.

8. Plagiarism, Duplication, and Misconduct

JCMHS uses iThenticate for plagiarism detection. The journal prohibits:

Copying or paraphrasing text, figures, or data without attribution.
Submitting the same work to multiple journals simultaneously.
Publishing redundant or duplicate articles without disclosure.

Manuscripts exceeding a similarity index of 15% (excluding references) are returned for revision or rejected. Confirmed misconduct leads to retraction and institutional notification.

9. Fabrication and Falsification

Data fabrication (inventing results) and falsification (manipulating research outcomes) are serious ethical violations. JCMHS may require authors to provide raw data, statistical outputs, or supporting documentation for verification during or after review.

10. Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit must be based on substantial contributions to:

Conception and design of the study.
Data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
Manuscript drafting or critical revision for intellectual content.
Final approval of the version to be published.

All authors share collective responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the published work.

11. Peer Review Integrity

The journal employs a double-blind peer review process. Editors ensure confidentiality and impartiality. Reviewers are reminded to declare conflicts and maintain ethical conduct throughout the evaluation process.

12. Retraction and Correction Policy

JCMHS follows COPE’s Retraction Guidelines for post-publication corrections. Depending on the issue:

Erratum: For minor errors not affecting validity.
Corrigendum: For author-requested corrections post-publication.
Retraction: For serious ethical or scientific breaches.

13. Confidentiality Policy

All manuscript-related communications, reviewer comments, and author identities are strictly confidential. The editorial office employs the Open Journal Systems (OJS) framework to ensure data security and controlled access to review materials.

14. Ethical Oversight and Investigations

In cases of suspected misconduct, the Editor-in-Chief initiates an inquiry following COPE’s flowcharts. The steps include:

Preliminary assessment by the editorial office.
Notification to the corresponding author for explanation.
Consultation with institutional ethics committees if necessary.
Decision on correction, retraction, or rejection based on evidence.

15. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors must disclose any use of AI tools for writing assistance, data analysis, or image generation. AI cannot be listed as an author and cannot take responsibility for research content. The human author is fully accountable for the accuracy and originality of all AI-assisted sections.

16. Post-Publication Responsibilities

Authors and editors share ongoing responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of published work. Post-publication concerns will be addressed transparently through re-evaluation, correction, or retraction as required.

17. Protection of Research Participants

All studies involving human subjects must include statements confirming:

Ethics committee approval with protocol number.
Informed consent obtained from all participants.
Compliance with privacy and data protection laws (e.g., GDPR).

18. Archiving and Preservation Ethics

All published content is archived permanently in Portico and LOCKSS. This ensures long-term availability and prevents data loss, thereby supporting ethical access and citation consistency.

19. Editorial Transparency and Governance

Editorial board members are selected based on academic merit, experience, and ethical reputation. The journal maintains transparent editorial policies and publicly lists board members, affiliations, and review procedures.

20. Handling Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a reasoned request within 30 days. Complaints about ethical issues or editorial behavior are reviewed independently by an ethics oversight committee. All communications remain confidential and are resolved within a reasonable timeframe.

21. Sanctions for Ethical Breaches

Confirmed breaches may result in:

Immediate rejection or retraction of the article.
Notification to the author’s institution or funding agency.
Temporary or permanent submission ban.
Public notice in the “Editorial Announcements” section.

22. Policy Review and Continuous Improvement

This Publication Ethics Policy is reviewed annually by the Editorial Board to align with evolving global publishing standards. Updates are documented on the journal website and communicated to all stakeholders.

“Ethical research and transparent publishing practices form the cornerstone of scientific trust. JCMHS ensures that every article published contributes responsibly to the advancement of community medicine.”