Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The International Journal of Medical Case Reports (IJOMCR) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity. Our policies are guided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing established by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME.

All parties involved in the publication process — editors, reviewers, authors, and the publisher — are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the standards outlined below.

Editorial Standards and Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board of IJOMCR are responsible for maintaining the scholarly quality and integrity of every published article.

Editorial independence. Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, and relevance of submitted work. Decisions are not influenced by the authors' race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or seniority.

Confidentiality. Editors treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Information about submissions is disclosed only to those directly involved in the editorial process (reviewers, editorial staff, and, where appropriate, the publisher).

Conflicts of interest. Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a competing interest, whether personal, financial, institutional, or academic. In such cases, an alternative editor manages the peer review process.

Fair review. Editors ensure a fair, timely, and rigorous peer review process. Editorial decisions are communicated to authors with clear reasoning, and authors are given a reasonable opportunity to respond to reviewer comments.

Investigation of concerns. When ethical concerns are raised about a submitted or published article, the editorial office investigates promptly, following COPE flowcharts, and takes appropriate action.

Peer Reviewer Responsibilities

Peer reviewers contribute essential expertise to the editorial process and are held to the following standards:

Confidentiality. Manuscripts under review are confidential documents and must not be shared with or discussed with third parties without editorial permission.

Objectivity. Reviews should be conducted objectively, with constructive feedback. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly and with supporting arguments.

Timeliness. Reviewers who are unable to complete a review within the agreed timeframe, or who feel unqualified to review a manuscript, should promptly notify the editorial office.

Conflicts of interest. Reviewers must declare any competing interests — personal, financial, academic, or institutional — that could influence their review. Reviewers should decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist.

Acknowledgement of sources. Reviewers should identify any relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any observation that a substantial portion of the manuscript is similar to, or plagiarised from, other published work must be brought to the editor's attention.

Author Responsibilities

Originality and plagiarism. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original and that the work and words of others are appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in any form — verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, self-plagiarism, or duplicate submission — is considered a serious ethical violation. All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software.

Accurate reporting. Authors should present their findings accurately and objectively, with sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Data availability and retention. Authors should be prepared to provide raw data supporting their findings if requested by the editorial office or reviewers, and should retain such data for a reasonable period after publication.

Authorship. Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All authors must have reviewed and approved the final manuscript before submission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have agreed to authorship and to the submitted version of the manuscript.

Changes to authorship after submission (additions, removals, or reordering) require written approval from all co-authors and are considered by the editor on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with COPE guidance.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest. All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could reasonably be seen as influencing the work reported. Sources of funding must be declared.

Ethical approval and consent. Studies involving human participants must have appropriate ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee, and written informed consent must be obtained from patients (or their legal guardians) for publication of case details and any identifying information or images. Documentation of consent and ethical approval must be available on request.

Multiple, redundant, or concurrent submission. Authors should not submit the same manuscript, or substantially similar manuscripts describing essentially the same research, to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour.

Errors in published work. When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the editor and cooperate in issuing a correction or, where warranted, a retraction.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Language Models

IJOMCR recognises the growing use of AI-assisted tools in scholarly writing and requires transparent disclosure.

Permitted use. AI language models and writing assistants may be used for language editing, grammar correction, formatting, and improving clarity of expression.

Required disclosure. Any substantive use of AI tools in the preparation of a manuscript — including drafting sections of text, generating figures, analysing data, or literature synthesis — must be disclosed in the manuscript's Methods or Acknowledgements section, specifying the tool used and the nature of its contribution.

Authorship exclusion. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authorship requires accountability, which AI systems cannot bear. Human authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all content, including any content generated or assisted by AI.

Fabrication. Use of AI to fabricate data, generate fictitious references, or create misleading content is considered research misconduct and is grounds for rejection or retraction.

Handling of Research Misconduct

IJOMCR investigates all credible allegations of research misconduct, whether raised during peer review or after publication. Investigations are conducted following COPE flowcharts.

Categories of misconduct considered include, but are not limited to:

• Fabrication or falsification of data
• Plagiarism, including self-plagiarism and duplicate publication
• Image manipulation
• Undisclosed conflicts of interest
• Breach of research ethics or lack of appropriate consent
• Authorship disputes involving misrepresentation
• Citation manipulation

Process. When a concern is raised, the editorial office contacts the corresponding author for a written response, may seek independent expert assessment, and, where appropriate, contacts the authors' institutions. Authors are given a fair opportunity to respond before any editorial action is taken.

Outcomes. Depending on the nature and severity of the confirmed misconduct, outcomes may include a published correction, an Expression of Concern, retraction of the article, or referral to the authors' institutional research integrity office. All post-publication actions are handled in accordance with our Retraction Policy.

Post-Publication Corrections and Retractions

IJOMCR is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. Post-publication changes are handled transparently and in accordance with COPE guidelines. Detailed procedures — including the specific grounds on which retraction will and will not be considered — are set out in our dedicated Retraction Policy.

In summary, IJOMCR distinguishes three categories of post-publication action:

Corrections (Errata). Published for factual, typographical, or metadata errors that do not affect the article's conclusions. The original article remains available with the correction clearly noted.

Retractions. Reserved for cases where the scientific record must be corrected — including research misconduct, unreliable data, duplicate publication, or serious ethical violations. Retracted articles remain accessible at their original DOI with a clear retraction notice.

Expressions of Concern. Published when serious concerns are raised about a published article and investigation is ongoing or inconclusive, to alert readers while the matter is examined.

Please refer to our full Retraction Policy for the complete procedure.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, or readers who wish to raise a complaint about the editorial process, an editorial decision, or the conduct of any party involved in publication, may contact the Editor-in-Chief in writing at the editorial email address.

Complaints are acknowledged within seven working days and investigated in accordance with COPE guidance. Where the complaint concerns an editorial decision, the appeal is reviewed by an editor not previously involved in the decision. The outcome of the review, including reasoning, is communicated to the complainant in writing.

Where a complainant remains dissatisfied with the internal outcome, they may escalate the matter to COPE for external guidance.

Advertising, Direct Marketing, and Commercial Influence

IJOMCR does not accept advertising or commercial sponsorship that could compromise editorial independence. Editorial decisions are made solely on scholarly grounds and are never influenced by advertising, commercial partnerships, or reprint revenue.

Copyright, Licensing, and Access

IJOMCR is an open-access journal. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) licence, unless otherwise specified. Authors retain copyright and grant IJOMCR the right of first publication.

Full details of copyright, licensing, and self-archiving permissions are provided in the Copyright Transfer Agreement.

Data Availability

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to make the underlying data supporting their conclusions available in a public repository, or to state clearly why the data cannot be shared (for example, patient confidentiality). Data availability statements should be included in every original research article.

Preservation and Archiving

IJOMCR is committed to the long-term preservation of published content. Articles remain accessible at their original URLs and DOIs indefinitely. In the unlikely event that the journal ceases publication, arrangements will be made for continued availability of published content through recognised preservation services.

Contact

Ethical concerns, complaints, and questions regarding editorial policy may be addressed to the editorial office at the email address listed on the journal's Contact page. All communications are treated confidentially.