Ethics and Policies

Ethics and Policies

The International Journal of New Findings in Health and Educational Sciences (IJHES) is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity, publication ethics, transparency, fairness, and editorial independence.

The journal expects all authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and other participants in the publication process to act responsibly and ethically.

IJHES follows recognized principles and recommendations for scholarly publishing ethics, including relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Ethical Publishing Principles

IJHES is committed to:

  • Maintaining the integrity and reliability of the scholarly record;

  • Applying fair and transparent editorial and peer-review procedures;

  • Protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and unpublished research;

  • Requiring appropriate disclosure of conflicts of interest;

  • Promoting responsible authorship and contributorship;

  • Addressing allegations of research and publication misconduct;

  • Supporting appropriate ethical oversight of research involving human participants and animals;

  • Maintaining transparent copyright, licensing, and publication-charge policies;

  • Providing mechanisms for complaints, appeals, corrections, and post-publication concerns; and

  • Maintaining editorial independence from financial or commercial considerations.

Core Ethics and Publication Policies

IJHES maintains specific policies covering the following areas:

1. Authorship and Contributorship

Authors must meet the journal's authorship requirements and take responsibility for the integrity of their contributions.

The journal provides clear procedures for authorship, contributorship, acknowledgments, changes in authorship, and authorship disputes.

See: Authorship and Contributorship Policy

2. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members must disclose relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.

Conflicts are assessed and managed appropriately to protect the fairness and independence of the editorial and peer-review process.

See: Conflict of Interest Policy

3. Research Misconduct

IJHES takes allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct may include plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, peer-review manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and unethical research practices.

Allegations may be investigated before or after publication.

See: Allegations of Research Misconduct Policy

4. Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants, animals, vulnerable populations, or confidential information must comply with applicable ethical and institutional requirements.

Where applicable, authors should provide information regarding ethical approval, informed consent, participant protection, and confidentiality.

See: Ethical Oversight Policy

5. Peer Review Ethics

IJHES follows a structured peer-review process designed to provide fair, objective, and confidential evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, disclose relevant conflicts of interest, and avoid using unpublished information obtained during peer review.

See: Peer Review Process and Reviewer Guidelines

6. Complaints and Appeals

IJHES provides mechanisms through which authors and other relevant parties may raise legitimate complaints or appeal editorial decisions.

Complaints and appeals are handled fairly, confidentially, and independently of financial considerations.

See: Complaints and Appeals Policy

7. Data Sharing and Research Transparency

IJHES supports responsible data sharing and encourages authors to make relevant research data available where ethically, legally, and practically appropriate.

Authors should provide appropriate data availability information where applicable.

See: Data Sharing and Availability Policy

8. Intellectual Property, Copyright and Licensing

IJHES maintains transparent policies concerning copyright ownership, author rights, licensing, and the reuse of published material.

Unless otherwise stated, published articles are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

See: Copyright and Licensing Policy

9. Post-Publication Corrections and Discussions

The journal recognizes that maintaining an accurate scholarly record may require corrections, revisions, expressions of concern, or retractions.

Readers and researchers may raise legitimate concerns regarding published articles, and the journal may take appropriate action when necessary.

See: Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy

10. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on the academic and scientific merits of submitted manuscripts and are not determined by commercial interests, advertising, sponsorship, publication fees, or an author's ability or willingness to pay.

The €170 Article Processing Charge (APC) is payable only after peer review and formal acceptance.

Payment of the APC does not guarantee acceptance or influence the editorial decision.

Plagiarism and Originality

Authors must submit original work and appropriately acknowledge the work of others.

Plagiarism, including the presentation of another person's ideas, text, data, images, or other intellectual contributions as one's own, is not acceptable.

IJHES may use appropriate similarity or originality-checking procedures during the editorial process.

Where plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct are identified, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its research misconduct procedures.

Artificial Intelligence and Responsible Use of AI

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of their submissions.

AI-assisted tools may be used where appropriate, but AI systems cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Where AI tools have been used substantially in the preparation or development of a manuscript, authors must provide appropriate disclosure in accordance with the journal's authorship and contributorship requirements.

Authors remain fully responsible for the submitted content, including AI-assisted text, analysis, references, images, and other materials.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts submitted to IJHES are treated as confidential during the editorial and peer-review process.

Editors and reviewers must not disclose, share, or use unpublished manuscript information for personal or professional advantage.

Information obtained through the editorial process must be handled responsibly and in accordance with applicable ethical and privacy requirements.

Editorial Board Responsibilities

Editors and editorial board members are expected to:

  • Maintain editorial independence and fairness;

  • Evaluate manuscripts objectively;

  • Protect confidential information;

  • Declare and appropriately manage conflicts of interest;

  • Avoid discrimination or inappropriate bias;

  • Ensure that peer review is conducted responsibly; and

  • Take appropriate action when ethical concerns arise.

Editorial decisions should be based on scholarly considerations rather than the authors' nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, personal characteristics, or financial circumstances.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Conduct reviews objectively and constructively;

  • Maintain manuscript confidentiality;

  • Identify potential conflicts of interest;

  • Notify the editor of suspected ethical concerns;

  • Avoid inappropriate personal criticism;

  • Not use unpublished information for personal or professional purposes; and

  • Submit reviews within the agreed timeframe where possible.

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • The submitted work is original;

  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal;

  • All sources are properly acknowledged;

  • Authorship accurately reflects contributions;

  • Relevant conflicts of interest are disclosed;

  • Funding information is provided where applicable;

  • Research has received appropriate ethical approval where required;

  • Required consent has been obtained where applicable;

  • Data and results are reported accurately;

  • Any use of AI tools is appropriately disclosed; and

  • All authors approve the final version of the manuscript.

Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern

When significant errors, unreliable findings, research misconduct, or ethical concerns are identified after publication, IJHES may take appropriate corrective action.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

  • Publication of a correction;

  • Publication of an editorial notice;

  • Expression of Concern;

  • Retraction of an article; or

  • Referral of the matter to an appropriate institution or authority.

The journal aims to maintain an accurate, transparent, and reliable scholarly record.

Ethical Concerns and Reporting

Concerns regarding research integrity, publication ethics, peer review, authorship, conflicts of interest, or other ethical matters may be reported to the Editorial Office through the journal's official communication channels.

Reports should provide sufficient information and evidence to allow the journal to assess the concern appropriately.

IJHES will handle such matters as fairly and confidentially as reasonably possible.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

IJHES is committed to continuously improving its editorial and publishing practices and maintaining a trustworthy scholarly publishing environment.

The journal's policies are designed to promote:

Research Integrity | Transparency | Fair Peer Review | Responsible Authorship | Editorial Independence | Ethical Research | Open Access | Reliable Scholarly Record

All participants in the publication process are expected to familiarize themselves with the relevant IJHES policies and comply with applicable ethical and publishing requirements.