Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The International Journal of Comprehensive Health, Medicine & Dentistry (IJCHMD) adheres to a set of rigorous editorial and publication policies designed to ensure the integrity, quality, and accessibility of the research we publish.
These policies reflect our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of scientific excellence, transparency, and ethical responsibility in global open access publishing.

Peer Review Policy

IJCHMD operates a rigorous double blinded peer review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original research.
Reviewers aren't aware of the authors’ identities, simultaneously authors remain unaware of the reviewers’ identities—helping to maintain fairness and reduce potential biases.

Initial Assessment

Upon submission, each manuscript is evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief or an Associate Editor to determine its suitability, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
Submissions that do not meet the journal’s standards or ethical requirements may be declined before external review.

External Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent to at least two independent expert reviewers, selected based on their academic expertise and the absence of conflicts of interest.
Reviewers assess:

  • Originality and contribution to the field

  • Methodological rigor and validity

  • Ethical compliance

  • Clarity and structure of presentation

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, thorough, and constructive evaluations

  • Suggest improvements where appropriate

  • Recommend one of the following outcomes:

    • Accept (with or without minor revisions)

    • Minor Revision

    • Major Revision

    • Reject

Author Revisions

Authors are invited to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewer comments. The revised version should be submitted within the specified timeframe and must include a point-by-point response to the feedback received.

Final Decision

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final publication decision after reviewing the reviewers’ recommendations and authors’ revisions. Authors are informed promptly, and the decision is accompanied by reviewers’ comments for transparency.

Appeals

Authors who believe their manuscript was unfairly rejected may appeal by submitting a written justification to the Editor-in-Chief.
The appeal will be independently reviewed, and a final decision will be issued.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts, reviews, and editorial communications are treated as strictly confidential. Editors and reviewers must not share or use any unpublished material for personal or professional advantage.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence (or be perceived to influence) their work. Examples include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, expert testimony, patent applications, or grants.
If no conflicts exist, authors must state explicitly:

“Conflicts of interest: none.”

Editors and reviewers are also required to declare any conflicts before participating in the review or decision-making process.

Data Sharing Policy

IJCHMD encourages data transparency and reproducibility.
Authors should include a Data Availability Statement specifying:

  • Where and how data can be accessed, or

  • Why the data cannot be shared (e.g., ethical or legal restrictions).

Depositing data in a recognized public repository is strongly recommended.

Plagiarism Policy

All submissions are screened using advanced plagiarism detection software.
Manuscripts containing significant plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate text will be rejected immediately.
Authors are expected to cite all sources appropriately and ensure that their work is entirely original.

Duplicate Submission Policy

Manuscripts submitted to IJCHMD must be original and not under consideration elsewhere.
Concurrent submission to multiple journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior and will result in rejection.

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

IJCHMD is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards in research and publishing, in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Declaration of Helsinki.

Research Ethics

  • Human Studies: Authors must confirm that their research received approval from a recognized Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB) and that it complies with the Declaration of Helsinki.
    Manuscripts must include a statement confirming informed consent from all participants.

  • Animal Studies: Studies involving animals must adhere to internationally accepted standards of animal welfareand ethical conduct.

  • Clinical Trials: Clinical trials should be registered in a recognized trial registry, and the registration number should be stated in the manuscript.

Authorship and Accountability

Authorship should be based on substantial intellectual contributions, including conception, design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript drafting.
All authors must approve the final version and agree to its submission.
Gift, honorary, or ghost authorship is not permitted.

Ethical Responsibilities

  • Authors must ensure accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work.

  • Reviewers must provide unbiased, constructive, and timely evaluations.

  • Editors must make impartial decisions based solely on academic merit and act swiftly in cases of suspected misconduct.

Transparency and Open Access Ethics

In alignment with our mission of open scientific dissemination, all published articles are distributed under the
Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
This license allows others to share and adapt work for non-commercial purposes, provided proper credit is given, a link to the license is provided, and any modifications are clearly indicated.

Authors retain full copyright of their work while granting IJCHMD the non-exclusive right to publish, archive, and distribute it in all formats.
For license details, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Retraction Policy

IJCHMD will retract articles when there is clear evidence of:

  • Research misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism), or

  • Major errors invalidating the conclusions.

Retractions follow COPE guidelines and remain permanently accessible to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.

Corrections Policy

When errors that do not warrant retraction are discovered after publication but may affect data interpretation or conclusions, IJCHMD will issue a correction notice or erratum.
Authors must notify the editorial office as soon as such issues are identified.

Advertising Policy

IJCHMD may accept advertisements that are clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
All advertisements must comply with relevant laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
Advertisers have no influence on editorial decisions or content.

Misconduct Policy

The journal follows COPE procedures in addressing allegations of misconduct, including:

  • Plagiarism

  • Data falsification or fabrication

  • Unethical experimentation

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Confirmed cases may result in rejection, retraction, author sanctions, and notification of the author’s affiliated institution.

Commitment to Integrity

By adhering to these policies, The International Journal of Comprehensive Health, Medicine & Dentistry safeguards the integrity, quality, and transparency of scholarly publishing, fostering global trust within the academic, clinical, and research communities.

For inquiries, please contact the Editorial Office at:

hashim@drhalamedicalgroup.com