The Journal of Emerging Clinical & Health Sciences (JECHS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, publication ethics, academic transparency, and scholarly excellence. The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, and contributors to uphold the principles of honesty, originality, accountability, and responsible research conduct throughout the publication process.
JECHS strictly adheres to the ethical standards and best-practice recommendations established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA). The journal maintains a zero-tolerance approach toward plagiarism, research misconduct, and unethical publication practices.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another individual's intellectual property, including ideas, text, data, images, methodologies, results, or creative work, as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment or permission.
Plagiarism may occur intentionally or unintentionally and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms:
Direct Plagiarism
The verbatim copying of text, figures, tables, data, or other published material without proper citation, quotation, attribution, or permission where required.
Mosaic Plagiarism
The incorporation of phrases, sentence structures, concepts, or ideas from another source while making only superficial modifications and without appropriate acknowledgment.
Self-Plagiarism and Redundant Publication
The reuse of substantial portions of an author's previously published work, including text, data, figures, or results, without proper disclosure, citation, or editorial approval.
Duplicate Submission
The simultaneous submission of substantially similar manuscripts to multiple journals or publication venues.
Data and Image Plagiarism
The unauthorized reuse, manipulation, fabrication, falsification, or misrepresentation of data, figures, images, graphs, or visual content originating from another source.
Accidental Plagiarism
Failure to properly acknowledge sources due to oversight, negligence, misunderstanding of citation practices, or inadequate record keeping does not exempt authors from responsibility and may still constitute plagiarism.
Similarity Screening and Editorial Assessment
To protect the integrity of the scholarly record, all submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism and similarity screening prior to peer review.
Initial Similarity Screening
All manuscripts are screened using industry-recognized plagiarism detection software before editorial assessment and peer review.
Editorial Review
Similarity reports are reviewed by the editorial team to distinguish legitimate scholarly overlap, such as references, methodology descriptions, and standard scientific terminology, from potential plagiarism or redundant publication.
Author Clarification
Where concerns are identified, authors may be requested to:
- Provide explanations regarding overlapping material
- Revise sections requiring additional attribution
- Submit supporting documentation
- Address concerns prior to progression in the review process
The final determination regarding plagiarism concerns remains at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board.
Editorial Actions and Consequences
JECHS applies publication ethics procedures proportionate to the severity and nature of the identified misconduct.
Minor Similarity or Attribution Issues
Where overlap is limited and appears unintentional, authors may be invited to revise the manuscript and provide appropriate attribution before further consideration.
Significant Plagiarism
Manuscripts containing substantial unattributed content, copied material, misappropriated intellectual property, or extensive overlap with previously published work will be rejected immediately.
Redundant Publication and Self-Plagiarism
Undisclosed duplicate publication, salami publication, or excessive reuse of previously published material may result in rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript.
Serious Research Misconduct
Cases involving fabricated data, falsified results, manipulated images, systematic plagiarism, or deliberate deception may result in:
- Immediate manuscript rejection
- Notification of the authors' institutions or affiliated organizations where appropriate
- Notification of funding bodies when applicable
- Temporary or permanent restrictions on future submissions
- Additional actions consistent with COPE recommendations
Post-Publication Investigation and Retraction
The responsibility to maintain research integrity extends beyond publication.
Where plagiarism or related misconduct is identified after publication, JECHS reserves the right to initiate a formal investigation.
Following investigation, the journal may:
- Publish a correction
- Publish an expression of concern
- Retract the article
- Remove supplementary content
- Notify relevant institutions, publishers, indexing services, or funding organizations when appropriate
Retractions and corrections will be issued transparently and in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
Author Responsibilities
By submitting a manuscript to JECHS, authors confirm that:
- The submitted work is original and has not been previously published except where appropriately disclosed
- All sources have been accurately cited and acknowledged
- Permissions have been obtained for any copyrighted material where required
- All authors have contributed appropriately and approved the final manuscript
- The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere
- All data presented are accurate, authentic, and honestly reported
- Ethical approvals and informed consent requirements have been fulfilled where applicable
Authors bear full responsibility for the integrity and originality of their submitted work.
Reporting Suspected Plagiarism
Concerns regarding potential plagiarism or publication misconduct involving submitted, accepted, or published manuscripts may be reported to the Editorial Office.
All allegations will be:
- Treated confidentially
- Investigated fairly and objectively
- Assessed using available evidence
- Reviewed in accordance with COPE, ICMJE, and OASPA guidance
- Resolved through appropriate editorial and ethical procedures
The journal is committed to protecting whistleblowers acting in good faith while ensuring due process for all parties involved.
Policy Governance
This policy forms part of JECHS's broader commitment to publication ethics, responsible research conduct, and academic excellence.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to amend, update, or refine this policy as publication standards evolve and in response to updated recommendations issued by COPE, ICMJE, OASPA, and other recognized scholarly publishing organizations.
The Journal of Emerging Clinical & Health Sciences (JECHS) remains dedicated to safeguarding the integrity of the scientific record and fostering a culture of ethical, transparent, and trustworthy scholarly communication.