Publication Ethics

Ethical Policy

The Hammurabi Journal of Medical Sciences (HJMS) adheres strictly to the ethical principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the ethical standards adopted by the HJMS Editorial Board. The journal’s Statement on Publication Ethics and Malpractice is fully compliant with COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the principles outlined by the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity (Singapore, 2010).

All stakeholders—including authors, reviewers, editors, and readers—are expected to observe these ethical standards in all interactions with HJMS. These policies provide the essential ethical framework governing the submission, evaluation, and publication of scholarly work in the journal.

Publication Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the initial evaluation of submitted manuscripts to determine their relevance, originality, and suitability for publication in HJMS. Editorial decisions are guided by scientific merit, clarity, and relevance, while also considering legal and ethical issues such as libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

The Editor-in-Chief may consult associate editors and peer reviewers to ensure the integrity and quality of published research. Editors retain the authority to retract, correct, or issue clarifications or apologies when warranted. Editorial independence is maintained, and all publication decisions are made free from commercial or institutional influence.

Responsibilities of Editors

The Editor-in-Chief, together with the editorial team, bears responsibility for ensuring a fair, unbiased, and rigorous peer review process. Editors are committed to maintaining academic integrity and meeting the expectations of both authors and readers. Allegations of misconduct, including plagiarism or data falsification, are investigated thoroughly.

Editors must preserve the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and must not disclose information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate. Editors must declare and avoid conflicts of interest and ensure reviewer anonymity.

Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used by editors or editorial board members for personal research without the author’s explicit written consent.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer review is fundamental to editorial decision-making and the improvement of manuscript quality. Reviewers assist editors by providing objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of submissions.

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and must not use any information obtained during the review process for personal advantage. Reviews should be conducted professionally, impartially, and based solely on scientific merit. Reviewers should decline assignments where conflicts of interest exist and must disclose any potential conflicts to the editorial office.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are required to present an accurate, objective, and transparent account of their research, including a clear discussion of its significance. Data must be reported honestly, with sufficient detail and appropriate references to allow replication. Fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable.

Manuscripts must be original, written in clear and correct English, and not under consideration elsewhere. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission. Authors must obtain all relevant ethical and institutional approvals prior to submission.

All sources of financial support must be disclosed, along with the role of the funding body, if any. A signed copyright agreement from all authors is required, permitting publication under an open-access license with appropriate attribution. Authors are encouraged to actively engage in the peer review process and to review proofs carefully prior to publication.

If a significant error is identified after publication, authors must promptly inform the journal to allow appropriate corrections or retractions. All submissions to HJMS are subject to plagiarism screening, and authors are advised to consult the journal’s submission checklist before submission.

Principles of Transparency

HJMS operates a double-blind peer review process for both electronic and print publications across all medical disciplines. Detailed information regarding the peer review process and editorial policies is publicly available on the journal’s website.

The Editorial Board comprises recognized experts in relevant fields, with full names and institutional affiliations transparently listed online. Contact details for the editorial office are provided on the journal’s official website.

HJMS is a fully open-access journal, providing unrestricted access to published articles. Authors are required to pay an article processing charge (APC). The journal is committed to preventing research misconduct, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data fabrication or falsification.

The journal’s title is unique and clearly distinguishable. Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest. Information regarding publication frequency, digital archiving, and long-term content preservation is clearly stated on the HJMS website.

Plagiarism Detection

All manuscripts submitted to HJMS are screened using plagiarism detection software (Turnitin). If substantial similarity with previously published work is detected, the manuscript will undergo further manual assessment.

While limited similarity in standard terminology is acceptable, extensive duplication of published material (excluding properly cited quotations) constitutes a serious breach of publication ethics and will result in immediate rejection.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could influence or bias their work. A completed Conflict of Interest and Author Declaration Form must be submitted with the manuscript.

Author Contributions

Each author must clearly state his or her specific contribution to the research and manuscript preparation. All listed authors must have made a substantial contribution to the work and must approve the final version of the manuscript.

A declaration confirming authorship approval and contribution must be included in the submitted contributor disclosure form.