Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
The Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal (IRCMJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The Journal adheres strictly to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE). This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors.
Authors' Responsibilities
Authors submitting work to IRCMJ must ensure the following ethical standards are met:
- Originality and Plagiarism: All submitted work must be original and has not been previously published elsewhere, nor is it simultaneously under consideration by another journal. Authors must appropriately cite all sources, including their own previous work. Plagiarism in all its forms, including self-plagiarism, is unacceptable and constitutes a major ethical breach.
- Data Integrity: Authors must present an accurate account of the research performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be accurately represented in the manuscript. Data fabrication or falsification is strictly prohibited. Raw data may be requested for editorial review.
- Authorship: Authorship must be limited to those who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study, following the ICMJE criteria. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Non-author contributors should be acknowledged.
- Ethical Approval and Consent: For studies involving human subjects, animals, human data, or tissue, authors must provide documentation of ethical approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee, adhering to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent must be obtained from all human participants, and patient privacy and confidentiality must be protected.
- Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest (COI) and Funding: Authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could potentially bias their work. All sources of funding for the research must be clearly stated.
- Promptness and Corrections: Authors should promptly notify the journal's Editor-in-Chief if they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work or a submitted manuscript, and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.
Editors' Responsibilities
The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board of IRCMJ are responsible for the entire editorial process and will act as stewards of the journal:
- Fair Play and Impartiality: Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their academic merit (originality, importance, study's validity, and relevance to the journal's scope) without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, religious belief, citizenship, or political philosophy.
- Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and potential reviewers, as appropriate.
- Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have a competing interest. Unpublished information from a submitted manuscript must not be used for their own research purposes.
Reviewers' Responsibilities
Peer review is essential to maintain the quality of the published literature, and reviewers are expected to uphold the following:
- Confidentiality: Reviewers must treat all assigned manuscripts as confidential documents. They must not share the manuscript or discuss it with others, except with the permission of the Editor.
- Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
- Competence and Promptness: Reviewers who feel unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript, or know that a prompt review will be impossible, should notify the Editor-in-Chief and decline the invitation.
- Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the Editor-in-Chief.
Publication Malpractice Management
The IRCMJ takes all allegations of publication malpractice seriously and will follow COPE's flowcharts and guidelines when investigating such cases.
- Investigation: In cases of suspected misconduct (including plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, duplicate publication, or authorship issues), the Editor-in-Chief will initiate an investigation. This may involve contacting the authors' institutions.
- Actions: Depending on the severity and outcome of the investigation, the journal may take actions that include, but are not limited to: informing the author's institution, issuing an Expression of Concern, publishing a Correction or Clarification, or Retracting the article. The IRCMJ reserves the right to impose a moratorium on future submissions from authors who have engaged in severe ethical misconduct.
