Publication Ethics

Ethical Responsibilities of Authors

Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure that their submissions are entirely original. Any use of previously published work, including text, data, figures, or ideas, must be appropriately cited or quoted. All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using licensed tools such as Turnitin or equivalent plagiarism detection software.

Data Integrity
Authors are responsible for presenting accurate, complete, and verifiable data. Any form of data fabrication, falsification, selective reporting, or manipulation is considered unethical and unacceptable.

Multiple and Concurrent Submissions
Manuscripts submitted to RRIJM must not be under review, accepted, or published elsewhere. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is a serious ethical violation.

Authorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All listed authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission.

Conflict of Interest
Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation. All potential conflicts of interest must be clearly stated at the time of submission.

Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment must be given to all sources of information, data, and funding. Relevant and accurate citations should be included to recognize prior scholarly work.

Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality
Reviewers must treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Manuscripts must not be shared, discussed, or used for personal advantage without explicit permission from the editor.

Objectivity and Constructive Review
Peer reviews should be conducted objectively and professionally. Reviewers should provide constructive, evidence-based feedback and avoid personal criticism of authors.

Identification of Ethical Issues
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited and alert the editor to any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism, data duplication, or redundant publication.

Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any conflicts of interest and decline to review manuscripts where such conflicts could compromise impartiality.

Ethical Responsibilities of Editors

Editorial Decision-Making
Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based solely on the manuscript's academic merit, originality, clarity, and contribution to the field, in accordance with the journal's editorial policies.

Fair Play
Manuscripts are evaluated without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or editorial advisors directly involved in the evaluation process.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Editors must not use unpublished material for their own research without the author's written consent and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

Handling of Misconduct
Editors will respond promptly and appropriately to allegations of ethical misconduct, following COPE guidelines. Actions may include investigation, issuance of corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction of published articles where necessary.