Ethics Statement

Ethics and Malpractice Policy

Health Innovation Journal – Public Health (HIJ Public Health) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethics, transparency, and integrity in academic publishing. This policy defines the responsibilities and ethical expectations of all participants involved in manuscript submission, peer review, editorial evaluation, and publication, including authors, editors, and reviewers.

Responsibilities of Authors

  • Originality and Citation: Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original work, properly acknowledge all sources, and appropriately recognize the contributions of other researchers. Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism and unauthorized reuse of published material, is strictly prohibited.
  • Data Integrity: Authors must ensure that research data are accurately collected, analyzed, and reported. Fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation, or misleading presentation of data is considered serious misconduct.
  • Exclusive Submission: Manuscripts submitted to HIJ Public Health must not be simultaneously submitted to another journal. Duplicate or concurrent submissions are considered unethical publishing practices.
  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Authors must disclose all financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that may influence the research findings or interpretation.
  • Ethical Approval and Consent: Authors must ensure that studies involving human participants or animals have received appropriate ethical approval and comply with applicable research ethics standards.

Duties of Editors

  • Objective Decision-Making: Editors shall evaluate manuscripts based on academic quality, originality, relevance, and scientific contribution without discrimination based on characteristics such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, or personal beliefs.
  • Confidential Handling: Editors must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information contained in unpublished manuscripts must not be used for personal advantage or research purposes without written permission from the authors.
  • Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions must remain independent from commercial, financial, or external influences.
  • Responsive Action: Editors are responsible for addressing ethical concerns, complaints, and allegations of misconduct related to submitted or published articles in accordance with established ethical guidelines.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Constructive Feedback: Reviewers should provide objective, respectful, and evidence-based comments that help authors improve the quality and clarity of their manuscripts.
  • Confidentiality: Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, copy, or use unpublished information for personal benefit.
  • Conflict of Interest and Integrity: Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and notify the editor of suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, ethical violations, or other concerns affecting the reliability of the manuscript.
  • Timeliness: Reviewers should complete evaluations within the agreed timeframe or notify the editorial office if they are unable to complete the review.

Addressing Allegations of Misconduct

HIJ Public Health takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously. All concerns will be investigated thoroughly, fairly, and confidentially, while ensuring appropriate protection for all parties involved.

Where misconduct is confirmed, the journal may take corrective actions, including:

  • Correction, expression of concern, or retraction of published articles.
  • Notification of relevant institutions, funding bodies, or authorities.
  • Restriction or prohibition of future submissions from responsible individuals.
  • Other actions necessary to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

This Ethics and Malpractice Policy supports responsible research practices, transparent scholarly communication, and public trust in scientific publishing. HIJ Public Health expects all authors, editors, and reviewers to follow these ethical principles throughout the publication process.