Research Ethics

JoWaCH Ethical Guidelines

At JoWaCH, we adhere strictly to the COPE Guidelines of Ethical Oversight and ICMJE’s Recommendations for Editorial & Publishing Issues.

Research Involving Human or Animal Subjects:

For studies involving human or animal subjects, the corresponding author must confirm adherence to  International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). This includes obtaining ethical approval from the responsible committee on human experimentation, following the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association, and providing evidence of ethical conduct. Authors must mention the institutional review board and outline the process of obtaining subject consent. When reporting animal experiments, compliance with institutional and national guidelines must be indicated.

Clinical Trial Registration:

Clinical trials must be registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov in accordance with ICMJE criteria before patient enrollment, exempting trials solely for drug pharmacokinetics.

Publishing Images from Human Research Participants:

Images involving human subjects require a clear statement affirming prior patient consent. Patient identity must remain confidential. The journal may request a consent form, and non-compliance may result in image removal.

Scientific Misconduct:

All submitted articles undergo internal evaluation. If concerns arise about potential misconduct, the assigned editor discusses the case with the ethical committee. Unresolved issues may lead to manuscript rejection. Click here.

Citation Manipulation:

Behaviors like self-citation, excessive citation from the author's journal, and honorary citations are investigated following COPE guidelines.

Authorship:

The corresponding author manages communication with the journal. Changes to authorship require approval from all authors. The copyright form, signed by the corresponding author, confirms agreement with authorship sequence and affiliations. Click here.

Competing Interests:

Authors must disclose financial or non-financial competing interests. The corresponding author submits a conflict of interest statement on behalf of all co-authors. Click here.

Plagiarism Policy:

Plagiarism, presenting others' ideas without proper attribution, is strictly prohibited. Detected plagiarism leads to temporary retraction, providing authors a chance to explain. Failure to respond satisfactorily results in permanent retraction. Click here.

Duplicate Publication:

Material submitted to JoWaCH must be original and not under consideration elsewhere unless accompanied by a rejection letter. Publishing parts of a Ph.D. or thesis in JOWACH is encouraged.

These ethical guidelines ensure integrity and uphold the principles of responsible research conduct at JoWaCH. Click here.