Ethical aspects and Editorial Responsibilities

Ethical Policy and Editorial Responsibilities

At UIJIR Academic Research Foundation, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. To ensure transparency, accountability, and trust in the publication process, we fully adhere to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) (https://publicationethics.org/).This document outlines the core practices and ethical standards that guide all aspects of our editorial and publishing activities.

Research Integrity
At Health and Professional Leadership, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity. We expect all publications to reflect the following core principles:

  • Honesty – Upholding truthfulness and integrity in every aspect of the research process

  • Meticulous Care – Demonstrating rigor, precision, and excellence in research design and execution

  • Transparency – Ensuring open, clear, and accurate communication of methods, data, and findings

  • Respect – Valuing the dignity, rights, and welfare of all research participants and subjects

  • Accountability – Taking full responsibility for one’s own work and addressing misconduct or ethical concerns when they arise

These principles form the foundation of ethical and responsible research within our community.

Procedure for Reporting Concerns
If there are concerns that research published in Health and Professional Leadership may not have been conducted in line with our principles of research integrity, we encourage individuals to report these concerns directly to the appropriate editor by emailing editorial@hpl-editor.com.  All reports will be reviewed and addressed in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Editorial Process
Editorial Independence
We are firmly committed to maintaining editorial independence and take proactive measures to ensure it is not compromised by competing interests, external pressures, or undue influence—whether corporate, commercial, financial, or political in nature.

Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable publishing environment. We do not tolerate discrimination against authors, editors, or reviewers on the basis of personal characteristics or identity. Diversity and inclusion are actively promoted at every stage of our publication process.

Evaluation Procedure
Peer review is essential to upholding the quality and integrity of our publications. We are committed to ensuring a rigorous, fair, and effective review process by providing robust systems, comprehensive training, and ongoing support for both editors and reviewers.

We uphold the confidentiality of all participants involved in our double-blind peer review process, ensuring that identities remain protected throughout the evaluation.

Authorship and Contributions
Principles of Authorship
We acknowledge that authorship conventions may vary across disciplines and publication formats. In the absence of specific disciplinary guidelines, we recommend applying the following authorship criteria:

  1. Significant contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data

  2. Involvement in drafting the manuscript or providing critical revisions that enhance its intellectual content

  3. Final approval of the version to be published

  4. Accountability for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately addressed

These principles help ensure that authorship reflects meaningful participation and shared responsibility.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities
The corresponding author holds key responsibilities throughout the publication process. These include reviewing and proofreading the manuscript, managing revisions and resubmissions, and serving as the primary point of contact for any post-publication inquiries.

Affiliations
Membership Guidelines
Author affiliations should accurately reflect the institutions where the research was conducted, supported, or formally approved.

Plagiarism
Definition and Policies against Plagiarism
At Health and Professional Leadership, we maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism in all our publications. Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s ideas, words, data, or other material without proper acknowledgment.

Manuscripts found to contain suspected plagiarism will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is identified after publication, we will take appropriate action in accordance with the COPE guidelines on Retractions, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern.

Duplicate and Redundant Publication
Policies against Duplication
Duplicate or redundant publication, also known as self-plagiarism, occurs when a manuscript—or significant portions of it—is published more than once without appropriate citation or a valid justification for the overlap. Health and Professional Leadership does not permit substantial content duplication across publications and expects all submissions to be original and properly referenced.

Human or Animal Research
Ethical Approval
All research involving human participants or animals must receive prior approval from the appropriate ethics committees and adhere to recognized international ethical and legal standards. Authors are also expected to uphold participants’ rights to privacy and obtain informed consent before submitting their work for publication.

Researchers must ensure compliance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053). 

For randomized clinical trials, authors are required to:

  • Obtain approval from a Clinical Research Ethics Committee (or its equivalent, in accordance with national regulations)

  • Disclose all sources of funding for the study

  • Register the trial in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry (e.g., www.clinicaltrials.gov) and provide evidence of that registration

Conflicts of Interest and Financing
Statement of Conflicts
To maintain the integrity and objectivity of our publications, Health and Professional Leadership requires that all authors, editors, reviewers, and staff disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the content or evaluation of a manuscript.

  • If no conflict of interest exists, authors must explicitly state this in the manuscript under the section titled "Conflicts of Interest" using the following declaration: “Conflicts of interest: none.”

  • If a conflict of interest is present, authors must disclose it in the same section and submit a completed ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form, available at: https://www.icmje.org/downloads/coi_disclosure.docx. The information provided in the disclosure form must match the details included in the manuscript.

We are committed to maintaining the accuracy and reliability of the scholarly record. Editors will consider issuing retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4). 

  • Corrections (corrigenda or errata) will be published when minor errors are identified that do not compromise the overall findings or conclusions of the article.

  • Retractions will be issued in cases of serious errors, data fabrication, ethical breaches, or substantial plagiarism.

  • Expressions of concern may be published when an investigation is ongoing, and the outcome is not yet conclusive.

Image Manipulation, Counterfeiting and Fabrication
We expect authors to refrain from altering images in any way that could result in the falsification or fabrication of research findings. While certain image modifications may be acceptable for clarity or presentation purposes, they must not misrepresent or distort the underlying data.

Any inappropriate image manipulation identified during the review or post-publication process will be addressed in accordance with the COPE guidelines (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.2.21). 

Research Fraud and Inappropriate Conduct
Anti-Fraud Procedures
If research fraud or misconduct is suspected or confirmed, we will collaborate with the relevant publishers, institutions, and oversight bodies to conduct a thorough investigation. Any publication found to contain fraudulent or intentionally misleading findings will be retracted in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4) 

Versions and Adaptations
Regional Adaptations
Our publications reach audiences across diverse cultural, environmental, and economic contexts. To enhance accessibility and relevance, we may issue adapted versions of certain articles tailored to these specific settings—while maintaining the integrity, quality, and accuracy of the original content.

Transparency
We strive to follow the COPE Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing and encourage our authors to uphold these same principles (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12).

Data and Supporting Evidence
Registration and Data Access
We are committed to promoting transparency and openness in research. Authors are expected to maintain accurate and complete records of all data, code, and supporting materials essential for others to understand, verify, and replicate their findings. Sharing these materials enhances the credibility, reproducibility, and impact of scientific work.

Marketing Communication
All communication through social media and email must uphold the integrity of both the academic content and the scholarly record. Promotional and marketing activities must never compromise editorial independence or influence editorial decisions.

We are committed to using ethical and responsible communication channels to promote our publications, ensuring that academic content remains accessible, credible, and respected across all platforms.

Procedure for the Identification and Handling of Allegations of Research Misconduct
Identification and Action Mechanisms
The editors and publisher are committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity. We take proactive measures to identify and prevent the publication of manuscripts involving research misconduct, including but not limited to plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification or fabrication.

Under no circumstances will editors or the publisher encourage, condone, or knowingly permit such misconduct.

If an allegation of research misconduct related to a published article arises, it will be addressed in accordance with the COPE guidelines (https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12)  or an equivalent ethical framework.

Editorial responsibilities:
At UIJIR Academic Research Foundation, we place the highest value on the integrity and quality of our academic publications. Our publication ethics policy outlines the core principles and standards that guide our commitment to ensuring a fair, transparent, and ethically sound publication process.

Duties of the Editor

The editor of a scholarly journal holds the primary responsibility for deciding which submitted manuscripts are suitable for publication. These decisions must be grounded in the validity of the research and its significance to the journal’s readership and the broader academic community. Editorial judgments should be based solely on the quality, originality, and relevance of the manuscript—free from any external or inappropriate influence.

  • The editor must ensure that the peer review process is fair, unbiased, and conducted in a timely manner.

  • Research articles should be evaluated by at least two independent, external reviewers with appropriate expertise and no conflicts of interest.

  • Additional expert opinions should be sought when necessary to ensure a thorough and balanced assessment.

  • Manuscripts must be assessed solely on their intellectual merit, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, citizenship, or political views.

  • Editors should actively promote transparency, integrity, and honest reporting in line with the journal’s editorial policies.

  • Editors are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all submitted materials and communications with reviewers.

  • No information should be disclosed to third parties without the explicit consent of the authors and reviewers, unless required by ethical or legal obligations.

  • Editors must not use generative or AI-assisted technologies to evaluate or make decisions on manuscripts. The critical thinking, ethical judgment, and contextual understanding required in editorial decision-making exceed the capabilities of current AI tools.

  • Editors are personally accountable for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and independence of the editorial process.

  • Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to their appointment and update these disclosures as needed.

  • Editors should recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they are personally involved—whether as authors, collaborators, or through close personal or professional relationships.

Duties of Reviewers
•    Peer review plays a vital role in supporting editorial decision-making and enhancing the quality of scholarly work. Reviewers are expected to approach their task with professionalism, integrity, and respect for authors and their contributions.

  • All manuscripts received for review must be treated as strictly confidential.

  • Reviewers must not share, discuss, or disclose any part of the manuscript with others, nor contact the authors directly without prior approval from the editor.

  • The use of unpublished material or ideas from the manuscript in the reviewer’s own research is strictly prohibited without the author’s explicit consent.

  • Reviewers should remain alert to potential ethical concerns, such as data fabrication, plagiarism, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.

  • Any suspected misconduct or significant overlap with previously published work should be promptly reported to the editor.

  • Reviews must be conducted objectively and constructively.

  • Reviewers should avoid personal criticism and focus on the content, clarity, and scientific merit of the manuscript.

  • Awareness of personal bias is essential; reviewers should strive to minimize its influence on their evaluation.

  • Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest—financial, institutional, or personal—that could affect their impartiality.

  • If a conflict exists, reviewers should recuse themselves from the review process.

Duties of Authors
Authors are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the preparation and submission of their work. The following principles guide ethical authorship and publication:

  • Authors must present a truthful and accurate account of the work performed, along with an objective discussion of its significance.

  • All data and findings must be reported honestly and without fabrication, falsification, or selective omission.

  • Deliberate misrepresentation or fraudulent statements are strictly prohibited.

  • Authors may be required to provide supporting research data for editorial review and/or to meet the journal’s open data policies.

  • Where possible, authors should make data publicly accessible and retain it for a reasonable period following publication.

  • Submitted work must be entirely original. If the work or words of others are used, they must be properly cited or quoted.

  • All forms of plagiarism—including self-plagiarism—are unethical and unacceptable.

  • Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously.

  • Publishing substantially similar content in multiple primary journals without proper justification and citation is considered unethical.

  • Secondary publications must accurately reflect the original work and cite the primary source.

  • Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study.

  • All contributors who meet these criteria should be listed as co-authors.

  • The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the final version and consent to its submission.

  • Generative or AI-assisted tools may be used to enhance the readability and language of the manuscript but must be applied under human supervision.

  • Authors must thoroughly review and edit AI-generated content and declare its use in the “Methods” section. This disclosure will appear in the published article.

  • Authors must not manipulate images in a way that misrepresents the data.

  • Acceptable adjustments include changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, provided they do not obscure or eliminate original information.

  • Introducing, removing, or altering specific features within an image is considered unethical and will be addressed accordingly.

  • Authors conducting clinical trials must adhere to recognized standards such as the CONSORT guidelines.

  • Full details of trial methods and results must be provided to ensure transparency and reproducibility.

  • Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence their work.

  • Potential conflicts include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, and funding sources.

  • All sources of financial support for the research and manuscript preparation must be clearly stated.

  • If an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the editor or publisher.

  • Authors must cooperate fully in issuing a correction or retraction if deemed necessary.

  • If the editor or publisher identifies an error, the author is expected to assist in correcting the record.