Research and Publication Ethics

Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine (JHSM) and MediHealth Academy strictly adhere to internationally recognized ethical guidelines, including those set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), the World Medical Association (WMA), and the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Ethical Approval
All research studies submitted to JHSM must comply with the ethical principles outlined in:
• The WMA Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.
• The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (8th Edition).
• The International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals (CIOMS/WHO).

Required Documentation:
• For Human Studies: An ethics committee approval document stating the name of the committee, approval number, and date of approval is required.
• For Animal Studies: A statement confirming compliance with animal welfare regulations and approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is required.
• For Retrospective Studies: An ethics committee opinion or exemption letter must be provided. The lack of individual informed consent must be justified in the manuscript, consistent with institutional and national regulations.
• Ethics Approval Reporting: For all manuscripts involving human or animal subjects, the following statement must appear in the Methods section: “This study was approved by the [Name of Ethics Committee], Approval Number: [XXX], Date: [DD/MM/YYYY].” If ethics approval is deemed unnecessary, authors must explain this with appropriate institutional documentation.

Informed Consent
• For case reports and clinical images, written informed consent must be obtained from the patient. In the case of minors or individuals unable to consent, consent must be signed by both parents or a legal guardian.
• Authors must explicitly state in their manuscript whether informed consent was obtained. JHSM reserves the right to request copies of consent forms.
• For studies involving human organs or tissues, evidence must be provided that these were procured in accordance with the WHO Guiding Principles on Human Cell, Tissue, and Organ Transplantation. Manuscripts must include a declaration that organs/tissues were not sourced from executed prisoners or prisoners of conscience.

Authorship
All authors must meet ICMJE authorship criteria, having made substantial contributions to:
1. The conception and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be submitted.
Authors are accountable for all aspects of the work. Practices such as guest, ghost, or gift authorship are strictly prohibited.

Changes to Authorship
JHSM generally will not consider changes to authorship after a manuscript has been submitted. Any request for addition, deletion, or rearrangement must be made before acceptance, submitted by the corresponding author with a written explanation and confirmation from all authors. Only in exceptional circumstances will changes be considered after acceptance, which may result in a corrigendum.

Declaration of Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other individuals or organizations that could improperly influence or bias their work. Examples include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, and grants. Authors with no competing interests to declare should state, "I have nothing to declare." The completed declarations form must be uploaded during submission.

Funding Sources
Authors must disclose any funding sources that provided financial support for the research. The role of sponsors, if any, should be declared. If no funding was provided, the following statement should be included: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

Reporting Sex- and Gender-Based Analyses
JHSM provides the following guidance for reporting sex- and gender-based analyses (SGBA):
• SGBA should be integrated into the research design when the study involves or pertains to humans, animals, or eukaryotic cells.
• The sex and/or gender dimensions of the research should be addressed within the manuscript or declared as a limitation.
• The definitions of sex and/or gender applied should be explicitly stated.
Authors are advised to consult the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines.
• Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes.
• Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities.

Jurisdictional Claims
JHSM respects authors' designations of territories and institutional affiliations. MediHealth Academy adopts a neutral stance regarding territorial disputes.
• Maps: Study areas shown within maps should be identifiable using common mapping platforms and must include the note: "Map lines delineate study areas and do not necessarily depict accepted national boundaries."
• Institutional Affiliations: Authors must use the full, standard title of their institution or its standard abbreviation.

Submission Declaration
By submitting an article, the author(s) imply that:
• The work has not been previously published (except as a preprint, abstract, thesis, etc.).
• The article is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• Publication has been approved by all authors and responsible authorities.
• If accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere without written consent.
To verify compliance, manuscripts may be screened using appropriate tools.

Ethical Misconduct
The editorial board evaluates all research for ethical compliance prior to peer review. Manuscripts failing to meet ethical standards will be rejected. Suspected cases of fraudulent data, unethical authorship, falsified approvals, or fabricated peer review will be investigated following COPE’s procedures. If violations are confirmed, the manuscript will be rejected or retracted, and affiliated institutions will be notified.