EDITORIAL POLICIES
Overview
- Scope and Focus
- Authorship Criteria and Acknowledgement
- Conflict of Interest
- Peer Review
- Confidentiality
- Ethical Approval of Research
- Scientific Misconducts
- Correction and Retraction of Articles
1. SCOPE AND FOCUS: ORIGINAL PUBLICATION
PJHRD will consider only original manuscript on health research for publication. No substantial part of the manuscript must be considered by any other journal. In case there is potential overlapping or duplication with another work, authors must declare this and where possible must submit these additional files with the manuscript. Any overlapping publications must be cited. The Editor reserves the right to evaluate overlapping publications.
2. AUTHORSHIP CRITERIA AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Authorship should be solely based on scientific contribution to the work. Based on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines, an author is one who has:
- made substantial contribution from conception to design of research, or gathering of data/experimentation, analysis, and interpretation of results.
- been involved in drafting the manuscript or in the critical revision of the paper;
- given final approval of the version of the manuscript for publication;
- accepted accountability for all aspects of the work; stands by the accuracy or integrity of data presented.
In case of multiple authorship, the order should be based on the amount of contribution one has made in the conduct of the research and in the writing of the manuscript. The first author should be the person who has made the most contribution and the last author is usually the senior researcher/supervisor of the team.
Securing research funding, collection of data, contribution of samples or general supervision of the research group, alone, does not usually justify authorship.
Acknowledgements
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgement section. These may include those who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, or head of a department/section who provided only general support.
2.1 Scientific Writers
Scientific writers or anyone who assisted in the preparation of the manuscript content should be acknowledged, along with their source of funding.
2.2 Changes in Authorship
If any change to the list of authors is necessary after the initial submission of manuscript, but before its publication, a written confirmation must be required from all authors and that they agree on such change. A change in authorship of a published article can only be amended via publication of a Correction Article. It is not the Editor’s responsibility to resolve authorship issues.
Any individual who was requested by the corresponding author to be added or removed from the list of authors will be contacted by PJHSR.
In general, PJHRD follows the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines on changes in authorship.
3. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
PJHRD requires authors, editors, referees or evaluators to submit a conflict of interest declaration or statement in relation to their work. This is to ensure that the research is free from any form of bias. If there is no conflict of interest, one should still issue an official statement that says he or she has no conflict of interest.
3.1 What is a conflict of interest?
Conflict of interest is a situation in which financial or other considerations have the potential to compromise or bias professional judgement and objectivity.
A conflict of interest exists when the author’s interpretation of data or presentation of information may be influenced by his personal or financial relationship with other people or organizations. Authors should also disclose any non-financial conflict of interest, that may cause him embarrassment if this was to become public after the publication of the article.
Distinction will have to made between a conflict of interest between authors and a conflict of interest between reviewers. Editors (professional or academic, paid or unpaid) and reviewers must likewise declare their own conflict of interests and if necessary inhibit themselves from involvement in the evaluation of a paper.
When a conflict of interest is disclosed either by the author or editor, a footnote describing the disclosure will be included with the published article. Articles will be evaluated fairly and will not necessarily be rejected when any competing interests are declared.
4. PEER REVIEW
All research papers published in PJHRD undergo thorough peer review. Independent peers review each manuscript.
4.1 Peer Review Policy
Manuscripts submitted to PJHRD are initially assessed by the Editor and the Editorial Board who will decide whether these are suitable for peer review. If found suitable, the manuscripts are sent to designated peer reviewers. Editors will make a decision based on the reviewers’ evaluation reports and authors are sent these reports along with the editorial decision on their manuscript.
PJHRD operates on a closed double-blind peer review process. Authors and reviewers will be treated anonymously.
Authors maybe requested to suggest potential reviewers but it is at the discretion of the Editorial board to invite these reviewers.
If the manuscript does not meet the criteria of the journal, authors are given the option to submit the manuscript together with the reviewers’ report to another journal.
Editors of the receiving journal are free to evaluate the paper using their own editorial policies.
5. CONFIDENTIALITY
Editors will treat all manuscripts submitted to PJHRD in confidence. Reviewers are also required to treat manuscripts in confidentiality.
6. ETHICAL APPROVAL OF RESEARCH
6.1 Research on Human Subjects
Research involving human subjects, human material, or human data, must have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and must have been approved by an appropriate ethics review board/committee. If the research does not need an approval, there must be a document issued by a duly designated committee (e.g. Institutional Ethics Review Board) officially indicating such.
Researches involving human subjects require signed informed consent to participate in the study and the investigator should obtain this from participants (or their parent or guardian in the case of children under 16). A statement to this effect should appear in the manuscript.
In cases where pictures or images are part of the manuscript but where the subjects are entirely unidentifiable and there are no details on individuals reported within the manuscript, consent for publication of images may not be required. The final decision on whether consent to publish is required lies with the Editor
6.2 Use of Animals in Research.
Use of live animals in research or in vivo or testing must be reviewed and approved by a recognized IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) of an institution. The investigators should abide by RA No. 8485-Animal Welfare Act 1998 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (DA Administrative Order No. 40 Series of 1998 and the Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals in the Philippines (2002).
6.3 Use of Biological and Hazardous Materials
Researches involving the use of biological and hazardous materials including those that involved genetic modification and manipulation of microorganisms and of animal and plant tissue cells must be reviewed and approved by the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) before implementation.
6.4 Researches on Wildlife/Threatened Species
Researches involving the use life forms that are classified as “wildlife” or “threatened species” shall be required to show proof that an official permit has been issued to the investigators by duly authorized body to conduct this research in accordance to of REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9147 Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.”
7. SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCTS
Research misconduct occurs when a researcher fabricates or falsifies data, or plagiarizes information or ideas within a research report. The misconduct must be committed intentionally, and the allegation must be proven by sufficient evidence. The definition of misconduct can also extend to breaches of confidentiality and authorship/publication violations.
7.1 Plagiarism/Duplicate Publication
Plagiarism is using another’s work (data, text, figures, or theories) as if they were his/ her own and without proper acknowledgment.
7.2 Falsification/Fabrication of Data
Fabrication is making up data/results and recording or reporting them.
Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
References:
PLOS Editorial and Publishing policies
Springer Verlag Policies on Misconduct
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/
http://publicationethics.org/case/authorship-issue