Ethical Policies

The Interamerican Journal of Health Sciences (IJHS) upholds rigorous ethical standards to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of the research it publishes. These guidelines align with best practices in health sciences research and academic publishing, ensuring that all contributions meet the highest ethical expectations.

Research Ethics:

The IJHS strictly adheres to the principles of ethical research involving human and animal subjects, following internationally recognized guidelines:

  • Human Research: All studies involving human participants must comply with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must clearly state the ethical standards followed, including:
    1. Informed Consent: Participants must provide informed consent, granting permission for their data to be used in the research and publication.
    2. Confidentiality: Personal data must be treated confidentially and anonymized where appropriate.
    3. Ethics Approval: Manuscripts must include a statement indicating approval by an accredited ethics committee. If no ethics approval was obtained, the authors must demonstrate compliance with relevant ethical guidelines.
  • Animal Research: For studies involving animals, the journal recommends adherence to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Researchers must ensure the humane treatment of animals and minimize suffering in all experimental procedures.

 

Publication Ethics:

In alignment with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the IJHS expects all authors and contributors to adhere to the following principles:

  1. Honest and Transparent Reporting: Research must be presented truthfully, without fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data.
  2. Clear and Reproducible Methods: Methodologies should be described in sufficient detail to allow others to replicate the findings.
  3. Original Work: All submissions must be original, plagiarism-free, and unpublished elsewhere. Manuscripts submitted simultaneously to multiple journals will be rejected.
  4. Author Accountability: All authors must assume responsibility for the content of the manuscript, providing corrections or retractions if necessary.
  5. Authorship Integrity: Authorship must reflect significant contributions from all listed authors. Practices such as honorary or ghost authorship are strictly prohibited.
  6. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors must transparently disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their research.
  7. Funding Sources: All funding sources must be clearly stated to ensure transparency.

 

Authorship and Contributions:

The IJHS follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for authorship. Each author must meet the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution: Participation in the conception, design, analysis, or interpretation of the research.
  2. Manuscript Development: Involvement in drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
  3. Approval of the Final Version: All authors must approve the final version before submission.
  4. Responsibility and Accountability: Each author must agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and promptly address any issues that arise.

The IJHS does not intervene in authorship disputes; these must be resolved by the authors themselves.

 

Editorial and Reviewer Responsibilities:

  • Confidentiality: The Editorial Committee, reviewers, and staff must maintain the confidentiality of all submissions. Unpublished material will not be used for personal research purposes.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers and editors must disclose any conflicts of interest and withdraw from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists.
  • Objective Review: Manuscripts are evaluated based on scientific merit, without discrimination regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious or political beliefs.
  • Plagiarism Screening: All submissions are screened using Turnitin® to detect potential plagiarism. The Editorial Committee determines whether identified similarities constitute plagiarism and may reject the manuscript if necessary.

 

Handling Ethical Misconduct:

The IJHS takes allegations of research misconduct seriously. If ethical breaches, such as plagiarism or data manipulation, are suspected, the following steps will be taken:

  1. Internal Investigation: The assigned editor conducts an investigation within two weeks to gather evidence supporting or refuting the allegations.
  2. Communication with Authors: If misconduct is confirmed, the author(s) will receive a detailed notification within one week, requesting a formal response or retraction.
  3. Publication of Retractions or Corrections: If necessary, the journal will publish corrections, retractions, or apologies on its website.

If the allegations are unfounded, a public clarification will be issued to close the matter. In severe cases, the IJHS may notify relevant institutions and other journals, and the authors may be prohibited from future submissions.