General Editorial Policies
Act with Integrity
The MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences duly adheres to the ethical guidelines established by COPE, as detailed in the links below:
Guideline of Ethics - COPE
https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ethics-toolkit-successful-editorial-office
Principles of Transparency and Best Practice Scholarly - COPE
We believe that integrity is fundamental to everything we do. We expect everyone engaging with MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences- our staff, authors, and stakeholders—to act with honesty, accountability, fairness, and in full compliance with legal and ethical standards.
We achieve this by being transparent about who we are and the work we do, taking responsibility for our actions, treating others fairly and respectfully, and complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. We expect the same standards of behaviour from the academic community and our staff.
Author contributions
We believe that every author’s contribution to a research paper should be clearly credited.
We achieve this by requiring authors to include a statement in the manuscript that specifies the contribution of each author. We encourage collaboration with scholars and other relevant stakeholders in the locations where the research is conducted, and expect their inclusion as co-authors when they fulfill authorship criteria.
Editorial Independence
We believe strongly that the editorial decision-making process should be independent of all commercial concerns.
We achieve this by ensuring that editorial decisions are dealt strictly within the editorial structures of the publication/business and that no one from the commercial or executive side of the business can get involved in, interfere with, or even comment on editorial decisions under any circumstances.
Link: https://wame.org/editorial-independence
Artificial Intelligence
We believe in using AI responsibly and for the benefit of the research community, our authors, editors, and readers, and our staff.
We achieve this by being committed to adopting an ethically-focused approach while using, designing, developing, and deploying AI-based solutions. We design and use solutions that contain AI or are enabled by AI responsibly, making sure that we consider and mitigate any negative impact, be it societal or environmental. We place human-centered values at the heart of our approach to the responsible use of AI, and these are reflected in our AI Principles:
https://mednext.zotarellifilhoscientificworks.com/index.php/mednext/emp
,and editorial policies. Below are links to our current editorial policies concerning the use of AI. MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences is monitoring ongoing developments in this area closely and will review and update these policies as appropriate.
- MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences does not attribute authorship to AI.
- MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences does not allow the inclusion of generative AI images in our publications.
- MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences asks peer reviewers not to upload manuscripts into generative AI tools.
Funder Affiliations
We believe that it should be simple for authors to credit their funding sources, for readers to understand what these sources are, and for funders to see the works of authors they fund.
We achieve this by integrating the Crossref Funder Registry with our systems, allowing our readers to benefit from this unique taxonomy of grant-giving organizations.
Link: https://www.crossref.org/services/funder-registry/
Institutional Affiliations
We believe that it should be simple for authors to link their publication to their institution, for readers to unequivocally understand the affiliation, and for institutions to see the works that have been published by their past and current employees.
We achieve this by integrating GRID APIs with our systems, allowing authors to use a list of predefined institutions when submitting their work, thereby assisting disambiguation. GRID comprises a worldwide collection of institutes associated with academic research.
Link: https://grid.ac/
Peer-review
We believe that robust and well-conducted peer review supports the advance of research and discovery by ensuring that research results are robust and trustworthy.
We achieve this by ensuring that all of the primary research papers and review articles that we publish are peer reviewed by appropriate experts in the field. Peer reviewers may choose to remain anonymous or, for some publications, to reveal their identity and/or the content of their peer review report. We offer the option of double-blind peer review.
Plagiarism
We believe that the MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences has a responsibility to investigate any instances of plagiarism that it detects.
We achieve this by routinely using the Crossref Similarity Check powered by iThenticate on submitted manuscripts and having clear guidelines in place for editors. Where a paper is suspected or discovered to be based on plagiarism, the editor must take prompt steps to investigate and to notify readers. The paper will be corrected or retracted depending on the severity of the case.
Link: https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/
Reproducibility and Robustness
We believe that the research we publish should adhere to high standards of transparency and robustness in its methods and results. This, in turn, supports the principle of reproducibility, which is a foundation of good research, especially in the natural sciences.
We achieve this by developing editorial processes and checklists to provide clarity for authors and supporting authors in the reporting of their work. We support the Transparency and Openness Promotion guidelines.
Third-party permissions
We believe that it is essential to secure the correct rights to third-party content in order that it can legally be published and reused.
We achieve this by requiring authors to obtain permission from the copyright holder to reproduce figures, tables, or text that has previously been published elsewhere. We can provide support and advice to authors to facilitate this process.
Communicate with Respect
We believe that only through relationships based upon mutual respect can we build trust and deliver quality publishing products and services to the communities we serve.
We achieve this by behaving professionally and respectfully at all times when engaging with authors, reviewers, and readers. Likewise, we expect the same standards of behavior from the academic community and the public in their interactions with our staff. We do not tolerate aggressive behavior, or any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination directed against MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences staff.
Compliance with Community Guidelines and Mandates
We believe that the MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences has a responsibility to support the relevant guidelines (based on the research community or geographical region) that specify best practice in research.
We achieve this by requiring all experimental results on animal and human participants to conform to the authors’ local regulations and ethical standards, and we also encourage adherence to international standards.
Consent of Human Participants
We believe that research that involves the use of clinical, biomedical, or biometric data from human participants must only be carried out with the explicit consent of those whose data are involved. Consent must be obtained without any form of coercion and with participants’ explicit understanding of the purpose for which their data will be used.
We achieve this by requiring authors to certify that such consent has been obtained, supporting our editors in identifying and managing submissions of concern, and by requiring authors to supply documentary evidence of consent when needed.
Corresponding Authors
We believe that the corresponding author should be empowered to act on behalf of all co-authors during the manuscript assessment and publication process.
We achieve this by asking the corresponding author to confirm that they have the authority to act on behalf of all co-authors, and that all of the listed authors have agreed to all of the content of the book or article, including the author list and author contribution statements.
Competing Interests
We believe that authors, peer reviewers, and editors should be required to disclose any competing interests that might influence their decisions and conclusions around a particular piece of content.
We achieve this by requiring declarations of competing interests in selected journals and fields, and we aim to implement such declarations across the entire MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences portfolio in the near future.
Confidentiality and Embargos
We believe that all correspondence between editors, authors, and peer reviewers should be treated as confidential by default.
We achieve this by ensuring that all of our editors and employees receive clear guidance about the need for confidentiality during and beyond the manuscript assessment process. Some of our journals offer a media service through which selected papers can be released confidentially to the media, under embargo, ahead of publication.
Corrections and Retractions
We believe that it is our responsibility to maintain the integrity of the published literature and to act quickly to address any challenges or questions around the work that we publish.
We achieve this by having clear processes to investigate allegations of publication and research misconduct and clear policies around corrections, editorial expressions of concern, and retractions. These involve working closely in the first instance with the authors and, where appropriate, the authors’ institution(s).
Dual-use Research of Concern
We believe that for information to be published, the benefit to the research community, society, or public health must outweigh any risks.
We achieve this by providing guidelines to assist those considering the risks and benefits of publishing specific information.
Fraud and Malpractice
We believe that the MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences has a responsibility to investigate any instances of fraud or malpractice that it detects.
We achieve this by working closely with the Committee on Publication Ethics and having clear guidelines in place for editors. Where a paper is suspected or discovered to be based on fraudulent results or to contain images that have been inappropriately manipulated, the editor will take prompt steps to investigate and to notify readers. The paper will be retracted if fraud is confirmed.
Harmful Research Content
We believe that authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers need to be mindful of research and its dissemination that may potentially harm population groups, as a result of discrimination in the assumptions or framing, methodology, interpretation, or presentation of the research.
We achieve this by presenting principles and guidance intended to assist those considering the interests of population groups and also the ethical aspects of various forms of discrimination.
Inclusive Publishing
We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and that the best research emerges when researchers from all backgrounds are empowered to contribute fully. We are committed to ensuring the research we publish reflects and benefits the global community we serve. We support inclusive publishing practices and work with a broad range of communities, contributors, and partners to make research more open, accessible, and fair.
We achieve this by setting expectations of diversity for conferences. Conferences has made specific commitments; Using data-driven insights to improve diverse representation of the global research communities within groups we work with, such as authors, editors, and peer reviewers; and developing inclusive publishing practices, including understanding of implicit bias and how to address it.
Personal Data
We believe that personal data should be disclosed only with the full permission of the individual to whom the data pertains.
We achieve this by requiring authors to obtain consent to publish individual identifiable personal data. In cases where personal data is published without consent, editors will retract the article or obscure identifiable data.
Preprints
We believe that sharing preprints can accelerate research and help advance discovery.
We achieve this by having a unified policy that encourages posting of preprints on preprint servers, supports citation and open licensing of preprints, with the expectation that authors will respect our policies on communications with the media.
Research Data
We believe that the MedNEXT Journal of Medical and Health Sciences should support community best practices in the sharing and archiving of research data.
We achieve this by facilitating compliance with research funder and institution requirements to share data.
Transfer Between Journals
We believe that all sound research that is submitted to us should be able to find a home in one of our journals.
We achieve this by providing transfer services, through which authors whose papers have been declined from their initial journal of choice receive recommendations of other suitable journals and, often, assistance with resubmission. We do not allow manuscripts to be submitted to more than one journal at a time, but we will endeavor to ensure that the process of transferring a paper between journals is as efficient and as swift as possible.