Journal of Applied Health Sciences (JAHS)

The Journal of Applied Health Sciences (JAHS) is fully dedicated to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, integrity, and responsible editorial practices. This statement follows the COPE Core Practices, the ICMJE Recommendations, the OASPA Principles, and the Scopus Publishing Ethics & Malpractice framework. All authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff involved in the publication process must follow the principles outlined below.

  1. Responsibilities of Authors

1.1 Authorship Criteria

To qualify as an author, each contributor must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Substantial contribution to study conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis.
  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content.
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Authors who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section.

Changes in authorship

  • Any request to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be approved by all authors and accompanied by a clear justification.
  • The Editor-in-Chief may request supporting documentation.

Ghostwriting and guest authorship

JAHS strictly prohibits:

  • Guest authorship (adding individuals without real contribution),
  • Gift authorship,
  • Ghostwriting by individuals not listed as authors, including third-party agencies.
  1. Originality, Plagiarism, and Research Integrity

2.1 Original Work

Manuscripts submitted to JAHS must be:

  • Original and unpublished,
  • Not under consideration elsewhere,
  • Free from plagiarism, auto-plagiarism, and redundant publication.

2.2 Similarity Checking

All submissions undergo similarity detection (iThenticate/Turnitin or equivalent).
The journal may reject manuscripts that exceed similarity thresholds or exhibit improper citation practices.

2.3 Misconduct

The following constitute research misconduct and may result in rejection, retraction, or reporting to institutions:

  • Plagiarism (verbatim copying, paraphrasing without citation)
  • Data fabrication or falsification
  • Manipulation of images or figures
  • Selective reporting of data
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Manipulation of peer review
  1. Conflict of Interest (COI) and Transparency

3.1 Author Responsibilities

Authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, including:

  • Financial relationships (funding, employment, grants, consultancy)
  • Institutional affiliations
  • Personal or professional relationships that might bias interpretation
  • Competing academic or ideological positions

If no conflict exists, authors must state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

3.2 Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

Reviewers and editors must also disclose potential conflicts and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which bias could arise.

  1. Research Ethics and Human/Animal Subjects

Authors must comply with international ethical standards, including:

  • Helsinki Declaration (human research)
  • CIOMS guidelines
  • ARRIVE guidelines (animal research)

Manuscripts must include:

  • Ethics committee approval number and institution
  • Informed consent statements (for human subjects)
  • Description of animal welfare protocols (if applicable)
  • Data confidentiality protections

Studies lacking ethical approval will be rejected.

  1. Data Sharing, Availability, and Reproducibility

JAHS promotes transparent and reproducible research.

Authors must:

  • Maintain original data for at least 5 years after publication.
  • Provide datasets upon request when ethically and legally permissible.
  • Include a Data Availability Statement (e.g., open access repository, available upon request).

Examples:

  • “Data are available in the Zenodo repository (DOI:…).”
  • “Data available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.”

Failure to provide supporting data may result in rejection or a statement of concern.

  1. Peer Review Policy

JAHS uses a double-masked peer-review process.

6.1 Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations
  • Avoid personal criticism
  • Respect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
  • Identify potential ethical issues (plagiarism, duplication, unreliable data)
  • Declare any conflicts of interest

6.2 Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must:

  • Make decisions solely based on scientific merit
  • Ensure fair and unbiased review
  • Address ethical concerns raised by reviewers or readers
  • Have the authority to reject manuscripts at any stage due to ethical violations
  1. Handling Misconduct, Complaints, and Appeals

JAHS follows COPE flowcharts for handling:

  • Allegations of plagiarism
  • Suspicion of data fabrication
  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • Duplicate publication
  • Authorship disputes

Complaints Procedure

Authors, reviewers, or readers may submit complaints to the Editor-in-Chief.
A formal process ensures:

  • Confidential evaluation
  • Evidence collection
  • Opportunity for authors to respond
  • Editorial board decision
  • Notification of institutions when appropriate

Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed justification.
An independent editor will review the appeal.

  1. Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Procedures

JAHS adheres to COPE guidance on post-publication issues.

8.1 Corrections

Issued when minor errors do not affect overall conclusions.

8.2 Retractions

Published when:

  • Data are unreliable due to misconduct or honest error
  • Findings have been falsified
  • Plagiarism or duplicate publication is confirmed
  • Ethical approval is missing or fraudulent

8.3 Expressions of Concern

Issued when misconduct is suspected, but investigations are pending.

  1. Intellectual Property and Copyright
  • Authors retain copyright to their work.
  • JAHS recommends publishing under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY) unless otherwise specified.
  • Copyright and licensing information appear on each article.

The authors grant JAHS a non-exclusive licence to publish and distribute the work.

  1. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Data Protection
  • Reviewers and editors must not share or use unpublished materials for personal advantage.
  • Patient-identifiable data must not be included without explicit consent.
  • JAHS complies with GDPR regarding personal data handling.
  1. Post-Publication Dialogue and Scientific Debate

JAHS encourages scholarly communication after publication, including:

  • Letters to the editor
  • Commentaries
  • Author responses
  • Post-publication corrections

We view debate as part of the scientific process and welcome well-reasoned perspectives.