Publication Ethics

Innovative Approaches in Health Science Journal (IAHSJ) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical practice in scholarly publishing. The journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and follows the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

All parties involved in the publication process—authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher—are expected to comply with these ethical standards. Ethical guidelines issued by COPE are followed in cases of suspected misconduct.

1. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must meet the following criteria:

  • Significant contribution to the research design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation;

  • Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content;

  • Approval of the final version to be published;

  • Accountability for all aspects of the work.

Changes in authorship after submission require the written consent of all listed authors and approval by the Editor-in-Chief.

2. Complaints and Appeals

IAHSJ has a clear process for handling complaints and appeals related to editorial decisions, publication ethics, or journal policies. Authors may submit a written appeal or complaint to the editorial office. All complaints and appeals will be reviewed objectively and confidentially in accordance with COPE guidelines. Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief and, where necessary, in consultation with the editorial board.

3. Conflict of Interest / Competing Interests

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research or its interpretation. Authors are required to include a Conflict of Interest statement in their manuscripts. Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in rejection or retraction of the article.

4. Data Sharing and Reproducibility

IAHSJ encourages transparency and reproducibility in research. Authors should retain original data and make them available upon reasonable request, subject to ethical, legal, and privacy considerations. Where applicable, data availability statements should be included in the manuscript.

5. Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants or animals must comply with international ethical standards.

  • For studies involving human participants, authors must identify the institutional review board or ethics committee that approved the study and confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians.

  • For studies involving animals, authors must state the approving institutional or licensing committee and confirm that all experiments were conducted in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.

Authors may be required to submit ethical approval documentation upon request.

6. Intellectual Property

IAHSJ respects intellectual property rights. Authors must ensure that their work is original and does not infringe on the copyrights or intellectual property rights of others. Proper acknowledgment of sources and citations is required. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and redundant publication, is strictly prohibited.

7. Post-Publication Discussions, Corrections, and Retractions

IAHSJ is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. If errors, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified after publication, the journal will take appropriate action, which may include issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, in accordance with COPE guidelines. Post-publication discussions and legitimate scholarly critiques are welcomed and handled transparently.

Malpractice Statement

IAHSJ takes all allegations of research misconduct seriously. Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software. Any suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, duplicate submission, data falsification or fabrication, and authorship disputes, will be investigated following COPE procedures. The journal does not tolerate unethical publishing practices.