Publication Ethics

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Sciences (IJPHS)

INTRODUCTION

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Sciences (IJPHS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and quality. All parties involved in the publishing process — authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers — are expected to follow ethical standards as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

DUTIES OF AUTHORS

Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript is original and has not been previously published anywhere. All authors must have made a significant contribution to the research and preparation of the manuscript. Authors must accurately present their research findings without fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data. Authors must cite all sources of information used in the manuscript properly. Authors must disclose all funding sources and any potential conflicts of interest. Authors must obtain written permission before using any previously published figures, tables, or text. If errors are discovered after publication, authors are obligated to promptly notify the editorial office for correction or retraction.

AUTHORSHIP CRITERIA

To be listed as an author, each person must have made a substantial contribution to conception, design, data collection, or analysis. They must have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version for publication, and must be accountable for all aspects of the work. Honorary authorship, guest authorship, and ghost authorship are strictly prohibited by IJPHS.

DUTIES OF EDITORS

Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of their academic merit, without regard to race, gender, religion, nationality, or institutional affiliation of the authors. Editors must maintain confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and must not disclose any information to unauthorized persons. Editors must declare and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. Editors must ensure a fair and unbiased peer review process for all submitted manuscripts and must take appropriate action when ethical misconduct is suspected or reported.

DUTIES OF REVIEWERS

Reviewers must provide objective, honest, and constructive feedback on submitted manuscripts. Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality and must not share or discuss manuscript content with others. Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts exist. Reviewers must not use unpublished information from a manuscript under review for their own research and must complete their review within the stipulated time frame.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

IJPHS follows a strict Double-Blind Peer Review process. All submitted manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent expert reviewers. Neither the authors nor the reviewers know each other's identity. The final decision to accept or reject a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief. The peer review process typically takes 4 to 6 weeks from the date of submission.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could potentially influence their work. Conflicts of interest include financial interests such as funding, employment, or consultancy, personal relationships with other authors or reviewers, academic competition or rivalry, and institutional affiliations that may bias the work.

DATA FABRICATION AND FALSIFICATION

IJPHS has a zero-tolerance policy against fabrication and falsification of data. Fabrication means making up data or results and recording them as real. Falsification means manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes to change or omit results. Any manuscript found to contain fabricated or falsified data will be immediately rejected or retracted and the matter will be reported to the author's institution.

ETHICAL APPROVAL

Authors conducting research involving human subjects or animals must obtain prior approval from the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB) and clearly state the ethical approval number in the Materials and Methods section. For human studies, a notary verified approval letter from the Ethics Committee must be provided. For animal studies, authors must confirm that all experiments were conducted in accordance with national and international guidelines for animal welfare.

CORRECTIONS AND RETRACTIONS

IJPHS is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scientific record. Minor errors will be corrected through an official Erratum notice. Major errors or ethical violations will result in retraction of the article. Retraction notices will be published prominently in the journal. All retracted articles will remain online but will be clearly marked as RETRACTED.

COPE COMPLIANCE

IJPHS strictly adheres to the guidelines and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). For more information visit www.publicationethics.org

CONTACT

For any queries regarding publication ethics, please contact the Editorial Office of International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Sciences (IJPHS) at ijphsjournal@gmail.com