Publication Ethics

JSOCMED is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and integrity. The journal follows the principles and best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applies them to all aspects of publishing, including authorship, peer review, editorial decision-making, and the handling of misconduct.

Authorship and Contribution

All authors must have made substantial contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Submission of a manuscript implies that the work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Duplicate Publication

All manuscripts submitted to JSOCMED must be original. The journal screens submissions using plagiarism detection software. Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and duplicate or redundant publication are strictly prohibited and may result in rejection or retraction.

Data Integrity and Availability

Authors must ensure that all data are accurate, reliable, and presented honestly. The journal may request raw data for verification when necessary. Authors are encouraged to make data publicly available where appropriate, while respecting the confidentiality and privacy of research participants.

Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, academic, or other relationships that could influence the research, review, or editorial decision-making process. If no conflicts of interest exist, this should be clearly stated in the manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent

Research involving human participants or animals must have been reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board. Authors must provide a statement of ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.

Human and Animal Rights

Studies involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with recognized ethical standards and relevant institutional and national regulations. All participants must provide informed consent where applicable. Studies involving animals must follow recognized ethical standards for animal welfare and should minimize harm by applying accepted principles such as replacement, reduction, and refinement.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and confidentially. They should provide constructive feedback, declare any conflicts of interest, and decline review invitations when a conflict exists or when they are not sufficiently qualified to assess the manuscript.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors are responsible for making fair, unbiased, and independent editorial decisions based on scientific merit, originality, ethical standards, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editors must maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and must not make decisions on manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information contained in a manuscript must not be disclosed to anyone other than those directly involved in the editorial and peer-review process.

Misconduct Handling

JSOCMED follows COPE principles in handling cases of suspected misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, and improper authorship. Allegations of misconduct will be investigated carefully, and appropriate actions may include manuscript rejection, publication of corrections, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions.

Corrections and Retractions

When errors or ethical concerns are identified in published articles, JSOCMED will take appropriate action to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. This may include the publication of corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern, depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a formal request with clear justification. Complaints and appeals will be handled fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and COPE principles.

Open Access and Licensing

JSOCMED provides immediate open access to all published content. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.