The Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences (JMPAS) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to the following ethical guidelines:
Authors:
1. Authorship and Contributorship: Authorship should be based on significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All co-authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission for publication.
2. Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure their work is original and properly cited. Plagiarism, including the use of previously published text or data without appropriate acknowledgment, is considered unethical and is not acceptable.
3. Data Access and Retention: Authors may be required to provide raw data for editorial review and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication. They should be prepared to provide public access to data if possible and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
4. Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest that could be perceived to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. This includes financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence their work.
5. Reporting Standards: Authors should present their findings accurately and transparently, providing sufficient detail and references to enable others to replicate the study if necessary. Any fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable.
6. Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication: Authors should not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research to more than one journal. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to multiple journals is considered unethical.
7. Acknowledgment of Sources: Authors should properly cite sources that have influenced their work and acknowledge any contributions from others who are not authors but have provided assistance.
8. Complaints and Appeals: Authors who have concerns about the editorial process, publication ethics, or possible misconduct should contact the editor-in-chief or editorial office promptly.
Reviewers:
1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Reviewers play a critical role in ensuring the quality and integrity of the scholarly record. They provide objective and constructive feedback to authors and assist editors in making editorial decisions.
2. Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and not share their contents or discuss them with others without permission from the journal.
3. Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively, with constructive criticism and without personal bias. Reviewers should refrain from personal criticism of the authors.
4. Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors and bring any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published work to the editor's attention.
5. Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should declare any potential conflicts of interest related to the manuscript they are reviewing and recuse themselves if necessary.
Editors:
1. Publication Decisions: Editors are responsible for deciding which manuscripts to publish based on the manuscript's originality, importance, and clarity, as well as its relevance to the journal's scope.
2. Fair Play: Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on their academic merit, without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.
3. Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must keep all information about submitted manuscripts confidential. They must not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.
4. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
5. Investigating Misconduct: Editors will take responsive measures when ethical concerns are raised about a submitted manuscript or published paper. This includes addressing allegations of research misconduct, such as plagiarism, fraudulent data, or improper authorship.
6. Digital Archiving: Editors should ensure the digital preservation of the content of the journal, including timely submission to national and international databases.
The Journal of Medical Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences expects all parties involved in the publication process to adhere to these ethical guidelines and principles. Adherence to these standards helps ensure the integrity and credibility of published research and maintains the trust of our readers, authors, reviewers, and the broader scientific community.