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Journal of Emerging Clinical & Health Sciences
Open Access · CC BY-NC 4.0

Ethical Principles and Publication Policy

The Journal of Emerging Clinical & Health Sciences (JECHS) adheres to rigorous editorial, ethical, and publication standards designed to ensure the integrity, quality, transparency, and accessibility of the research it publishes. These policies reflect the journal's commitment to scientific excellence, responsible scholarship, ethical publishing practices, and the advancement of evidence-based healthcare globally.

JECHS follows the recommendations and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Declaration of Helsinki, the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and other internationally recognized publishing standards.

Peer Review Policy

JECHS operates a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original, and scientifically sound research.

Under this model:

  • Reviewers remain unaware of the identities of authors.
  • Authors remain unaware of the identities of reviewers.
  • Editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.

Initial Editorial Assessment

Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial evaluation by the Editor-in-Chief or an assigned Associate Editor.

The manuscript is assessed for:

  • Relevance to the journal's scope
  • Scientific quality
  • Originality
  • Ethical compliance
  • Adherence to submission requirements

Manuscripts failing to meet the journal's standards may be declined prior to external review.

External Peer Review

Suitable manuscripts are assigned to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers selected based on subject-matter expertise and the absence of conflicts of interest.

Reviewers evaluate:

  • Originality and significance
  • Scientific contribution
  • Methodological rigor
  • Statistical validity
  • Ethical compliance
  • Clarity and organization of presentation
  • Relevance to the field

Reviewer Recommendations

Reviewers may recommend:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Reject

Reviewer recommendations are advisory and do not guarantee a specific editorial outcome.

Author Revisions

Authors invited to revise their manuscripts must provide:

  • A revised manuscript
  • A detailed point-by-point response to reviewer comments
  • Explanations for any recommendations not implemented

Final Editorial Decision

The final decision rests exclusively with the Editor-in-Chief.

Possible decisions include:

  • Accept
  • Accept with Minor Revisions
  • Major Revision Required
  • Reject

Authors receive reviewer feedback and editorial comments to support transparency and manuscript improvement.

Appeals Process

Authors who believe a decision was based on a factual or procedural error may submit a formal appeal.

Appeals are independently reviewed, and the Editor-in-Chief's decision following appeal shall be considered final.

Confidentiality

All submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial discussions, and correspondence are treated as strictly confidential.

Editors and reviewers may not:

  • Share unpublished materials
  • Use unpublished information for personal benefit
  • Disclose manuscript content to unauthorized parties

Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence their objectivity.

Examples include:

  • Employment relationships
  • Consultancy agreements
  • Advisory board positions
  • Stock ownership
  • Patents
  • Honoraria
  • Research funding
  • Personal relationships

Where no conflicts exist, authors should state:

"The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

Editors and reviewers with conflicts of interest must recuse themselves from the review or decision-making process.

Data Sharing and Transparency Policy

JECHS strongly encourages transparency, reproducibility, and responsible data sharing.

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement indicating:

  • Where supporting data may be accessed
  • Conditions governing data availability
  • Reasons for any restrictions

Where possible, authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized public repositories.

Plagiarism and Originality Policy

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening using professional similarity detection software.

JECHS maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding:

  • Plagiarism
  • Self-plagiarism
  • Duplicate publication
  • Data fabrication
  • Data falsification
  • Image manipulation
  • Citation manipulation
  • Peer-review manipulation

Significant breaches may result in rejection, retraction, institutional notification, or sanctions in accordance with COPE guidance.

Duplicate Submission Policy

Manuscripts submitted to JECHS must be original and not simultaneously under consideration by another journal, publisher, conference proceeding, or publication platform.

Duplicate submission constitutes unethical publishing behavior and may result in immediate rejection.

Research Ethics Policy

Human Subjects Research

Research involving human participants must:

  • Receive approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee
  • Comply with the Declaration of Helsinki
  • Include a statement confirming ethical approval
  • Include confirmation of informed consent where applicable

Animal Research

Studies involving animals must:

  • Comply with internationally accepted animal welfare standards
  • Obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee
  • Minimize pain, suffering, and unnecessary use of animals

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials should be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible trial registry.

The registration number and registry details must be reported within the manuscript.

Authorship and Accountability

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work.

Authors should have contributed significantly to:

  • Study conception or design
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis or interpretation
  • Manuscript drafting or critical revision
  • Final approval of the submitted version

Gift authorship, honorary authorship, and ghost authorship are strictly prohibited.

All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are expected to:

  • Make impartial and objective decisions
  • Maintain confidentiality
  • Avoid conflicts of interest
  • Uphold publication ethics
  • Investigate allegations of misconduct appropriately

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scientific merit and ethical considerations.

Open Access and Copyright Policy

JECHS operates under a fully open-access publishing model.

All published articles are distributed under the:

Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This license permits others to:

  • Share
  • Copy
  • Redistribute
  • Adapt
  • Build upon published work for non-commercial purposes

Provided that:

  • Appropriate credit is given
  • A link to the license is provided
  • Changes are indicated where applicable

Authors retain copyright of their work while granting JECHS the non-exclusive right to publish, archive, index, and distribute the article in all formats.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

JECHS is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.

Where necessary, the journal may issue:

  • Corrections
  • Errata
  • Corrigenda
  • Expressions of Concern
  • Retractions

Retractions are issued when there is clear evidence of:

  • Research misconduct
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Plagiarism
  • Major errors that invalidate findings

All actions are conducted in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines.

Advertising Policy

Advertisements may be accepted provided they:

  • Comply with applicable laws and ethical standards
  • Are clearly distinguishable from editorial content
  • Do not influence editorial decisions

The acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement by JECHS, its editors, or its publisher.

Misconduct Investigations

Allegations of misconduct may include:

  • Plagiarism
  • Fabrication or falsification of data
  • Unethical experimentation
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Authorship disputes
  • Peer-review manipulation

All allegations are investigated fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with COPE procedures.

Confirmed misconduct may result in:

  • Rejection
  • Retraction
  • Publication bans
  • Institutional notification
  • Additional corrective actions deemed necessary by the Editorial Board.

Commitment to Integrity

Through adherence to these policies, the Journal of Emerging Clinical & Health Sciences (JECHS) seeks to safeguard the integrity of scholarly publishing, promote ethical scientific communication, and foster trust among researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers, and the global healthcare community.