The International Journal of Clinical Medical Research (IJCMR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical practice in all stages of the publishing process. This statement outlines the ethical responsibilities of authors, reviewers, and editors, and details our policies for preventing and addressing research misconduct and publication malpractice. Our practices adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and other internationally recognized standards.

✦ Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors submitting to IJCMR must ensure their work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by any other journal. All financial support, institutional affiliations, and potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.

Authorship must reflect significant intellectual contribution, including conception, design, data acquisition or analysis, drafting or critical revision of the manuscript, and approval of the final version. All authors are collectively accountable for the content and integrity of the work.

Authors must obtain appropriate ethical approvals for research involving human participants or animals and provide evidence of informed consent where applicable. Compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant institutional and national guidelines is required. Authors should cooperate fully with editorial requests during peer review and production stages.

✦ Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers play a crucial role in maintaining the journal’s academic quality. They are expected to provide fair, unbiased, and constructive evaluations based solely on scientific merit, without regard to authors’ identity or affiliations.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and avoid using information from manuscripts for personal advantage. Any conflicts of interest should be declared immediately to the editorial office. Reviewers unable to assess a manuscript or meet the deadline must notify the editors promptly.

✦ Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors ensure that each manuscript is evaluated on academic merit alone. Decisions are based on relevance, originality, scientific rigor, and clarity, independent of authors’ race, gender, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Editors will take all reasonable measures to detect and prevent research misconduct. In cases of suspected ethical breaches, they will investigate in accordance with COPE flowcharts and take appropriate action.

✦ Handling of Misconduct and Complaints

IJCMR treats allegations of research misconduct—including plagiarism, data fabrication, image manipulation, and unethical practices—with utmost seriousness. Reported cases will be investigated confidentially, and actions may include manuscript rejection, article retraction, or notifying authors’ institutions and funding bodies.

Complaints and appeals from authors, reviewers, or readers should be directed to [email protected] and will be handled transparently following COPE guidelines.

✦ Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

Significant errors or ethical issues identified in published articles will lead to retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern as appropriate. Retractions follow COPE guidelines to ensure transparency and integrity in the scholarly record.

✦ Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must adhere to ethical standards. Manuscripts should include details of ethics approval and consent. IJCMR reserves the right to request documentation of ethical compliance at any stage.

✦ Commitment to Best Practices

IJCMR is dedicated to fostering openness, integrity, and responsible publication. We call on all authors, reviewers, editors, and readers to support these principles to enhance trust in scientific research and publishing.