Author Guidelines

IJMA adheres to the finest editorial principles to ensure that the work it publishes is accurate, timely, fair, and conforms to the best ethical principles of publication of scientific papers as outlined here and may be updated from time to time. We believe that principles like those outlined here provide clear and clarity and rigorous guidelines for best working practices in scientific publishing and for ensuring the integrity of the papers that we publish. We believe that these principles and policies will benefit our authors, editors, and readers as we strive for a trustworthy, transparent, and efficient publishing process. IJMA Editor-in-Chief is a member of the World Association of Medical Editors, a global nonprofit voluntary association of editors of peer-reviewed medical journals. This ensures that our editorial policies comply with the best practices in medical and scientific publishing across the world,

Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers are expected to treat articles they handle confidentially. Editors and reviewers must not disclose information about manuscripts (including their receipt, content, status in the publishing process, reviewer feedback, and final decision) to anyone, other than the authors.

Objectivity and Fair Play

An editor will evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors. Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Integrity of the Scientific Record

IJMA is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published record, and to publishing the most objective and unbiased scientific information possible. As such, we subscribe to the principles adopted by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and follow the COPE’s Code of Conduct.

Research misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results, according to experts. If a suspicion or allegation of scientific misconduct or fraudulent research is brought to the journal’s attention concerning a manuscript submitted for review, IJMA reserves the right to raise these concerns with other relevant institutions or other appropriate authorities for investigation. In the handling and resolution of such cases, we follow COPE’s guidance and recommendations

IJMA will take all necessary steps to maintain the accuracy and quality of the papers it publishes. To this end, IJMA will publish correspondence about papers and publish Errata and Corrigenda when appropriate. In cases of serious error or scientific misconduct, it may be necessary to ask authors to retract their papers or to impose retraction upon them. Should an author discern a significant error or inaccuracy in the published article, they are responsible for notifying IJMA Editor-in-Chief or publisher, and should work together with them to retract or correct the paper. If the Editor-in-Chief or the publisher learns that a published article contains a significant error, the author will be asked to correct or possibly retract the paper, or assist verification by the Editor-in-Chief of the correctness of the original paper.

Errata and Corrigenda

Should an error appear in a published article that affects the scientific meaning or author credibility but does not affect the overall results and conclusions of the paper, our policy is to publish a correction in print and online in the next available issue of the journal. If an error is introduced by the publisher during the editing and/or proofing stages, the journal takes responsibility and a correction is published as an Erratum, with appropriate apologies to authors and readers. If an error is introduced by the authors, the correction is published as a Corrigendum and the author is required to pay all costs associated with the correction.

Retractions

Should a paper contain one or more significant errors or inaccuracies that change some or all of the results or conclusions described therein, the entire paper may be retracted. The word ‘retraction’ will be used in the title of the Retraction to ensure that it is picked up by indexing and archiving systems. The journal will request an explanation from the author(s) as to how the errors or inaccuracies occurred, and if they are not satisfied with the response they will ask the employers of the authors or some other appropriate body to investigate, and particularly to consider the possibility of fraudulent behavior. The journal will make all reasonable attempts to ensure that such an investigation is carried out with due diligence. To the extent possible, we will assist the parties and their institutions in the resolutions of these cases.

Should an author discern a significant error or inaccuracy in the published article, they are responsible for notifying IJMA and should work together with the journal to retract or correct the paper. If the journal learns that a published article contains a significant error, the author will be asked to correct or possibly retract the paper, or assist verification by the Editor-in-Chief of the correctness of the original paper.

Redundant or Concurrent Publication

Research manuscripts that describe work already published elsewhere will not be considered. The submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently is considered to be unethical practice. This does not prevent journals from considering articles that have been rejected by other journals or that were not previously published in full (e.g. abstracts or posters presented at scientific meetings).

When submitting, authors should declare any previous submissions or reports that might be regarded as redundant or duplicate publication. Copies of any such related articles should be included with the submitted manuscript to assist editorial decision-making. If the redundant publication is attempted or occurs, editorial action will be taken, including probable rejection or publication of a notice of redundant or duplicate publication.

Anti-Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the “use of others’ published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source” see www.wame.org – the World Association of Medical Editors web site). It is considered a dishonest and unacceptable practice. By submitting an article, authors are thereby asserting that their work is entirely original and that others’ work or text has been appropriately cited or attributed.

IJMA is committed to the publication of high-quality, original, research in the field of MCH and HIV/AIDS, and public health in general. The journal editors and publisher will take every step to ensure that, to the best of their knowledge, papers published in the journal are original and conform to the best ethical principles. This includes the use of proprietary and open-source anti-plagiarism screening services and software to verify the originality of content submitted before publication. Manuscripts found to have been plagiarized will be automatically rejected and the editors reserve the right to notify appropriate agencies or the institutions of the corresponding authors.

Author Contributions

IJMA complies with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors guidelines in the definition of authorship. An author is someone who has made significant and substantial contributions to a study. This should include conception, design, execution, and interpretation of the findings being published, and drafting and revising the article. Papers must be submitted with the agreement of all authors, and all authors should give final approval of the version to be published. Those who have made other contributions to the work, such as by providing reagents or assisting with the writing, should be listed in the Acknowledgements, and their role or involvement outlined. Mentees of authors who participate in our IPMP will be included as authors due to the substantial nature of the methodological and editorial support provided to the mentee in the development of the manuscript and its preparation for peer-review and eventual acceptance.

Open Access: In addition to strict compliance with the above guidelines, our open-access publishing practices follow best practices, guidelines, and policies outlined in The Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing issued by COPE, Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

This journal is indexed in DOAJ and will be subjected to the required screening and rescreening for open-access publishing best practices as established and updated by DOAJ.