Unless otherwise mentioned in this policy, IJLMH follows all the Core Practices set forth by COPE  available HERE.

Key points are included below, however, if you cannot find any information on the website, kindly visit the document provided above. The Journal completely follows COPE Guidelines.

For Editors

Fair play and editorial independence

The editors have the complete right to decline the publication of a manuscript on account of copyright infringement, plagiarism, incomplete pre-publication formalities, and so on. The entire team works in collaboration with each other, and all manuscripts are evaluated crucially in order to maintain the standard of the journal. The Editors evaluate the manuscripts based on their academic merit and their relevance to the journal irrespective of Authors authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation. The decision of the Editor-in-chief is held final and binding. All communications pertaining to manuscripts (both with authors and reviewers) are done by editors and can be reached for any queries relating to the same.

Confidentiality

The Editors will not disclose or disseminate any information, manuscript contents etc. to anyone other than the Corresponding Author, potential reviewer of the manuscript, the reviewers of the manuscripts, or any other person from the organisation working on the manuscript as per the rules and regulations of the journal.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Editors are duty-bound to disclose any conflict of interest with the manuscripts they are working on irrespective of whether it is personal, professional, or at the level of research. In case of any such conflict, they’ll transfer the Manuscript to other Editors for further processing. Editors will not use any information or data of an unpublished manuscript for their own research and will not use any information for their personal gain.

Publication decisions

The editors are duty-bound to send all the manuscripts submitted (and passed the Plagiarism test) to 2 reviewers (who are experts in the field) and work further on the basis of review reports. The Editor-in-chief has the right to make a final decision of the publication of a paper, based on the reviewers’ comments and further after evaluating the importance of the manuscript to researchers and readers, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

All the Editors are bound to take relevant steps in accordance with the COPE Guidelines if any ethical concerns are raised with regards to a submitted or published in the Journal. No time limitation shall be made with regards to reporting the unethical conduct and the Editors will properly investigate with the support of a committee of 2 other editors even if the behaviour is reported years after publication. If, on the investigation, the ethical concern is well-founded, a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note as may be relevant, will be published in the journal.

For Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

All the Editorial decision for publication is taken by the Editor-in-chief based on the Reviewer’s Comments. The review report and comments provided by the reviewer assist the authors in improving their manuscripts, and helps the editors to take a well-informed decision.

Promptness

On receipt of the Manuscript, an invitation is sent to reviewers. In case the reviewer feels that he/she is not qualified for the manuscript review on the topic or he/she will not be able to provide the review report within a reasonable time, the reviewer must notify the editors immediately and decline the invitation so that the alternative reviewers can be assigned and the review process can be completed on time.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must be treated as such; they must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the Editor-in-Chief (who would only do so under exceptional and specific circumstances). This applies also to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.

Standards of objectivity

However, the journal follows a blind peer review process so that the review remains transparent and free of biases, it is the responsibility of the reviewers to review the manuscripts independent of their personal views, i.e., objectively.

Acknowledgment of sources

Reviewers should look for similar published work that the writers haven’t mentioned. Every assertion that is an observation, derivation, or argument that has previously been published should be followed by a citation. Any substantial resemblance or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other manuscript should be reported to the editors by the reviewer. (published or unpublished) of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Reviewers are duty-bound to disclose any conflict of interest with the manuscripts they are working on irrespective of whether it is personal, professional or at the level of research. In case of any such conflict, they’ll intimate the Editors for further process and decline for review. Reviewers will not use any information or data of an unpublished manuscript for their own research and will not use any information for their personal gain.

For Authors and Authors Responsibilities:

Reporting standards

All manuscripts must be accompanied by proper abstracts. The abstract should be self- explanatory, brief and informative in nature. It may be presented either separately or within the manuscript itself. The results, discussions and conclusions must be stated clearly with proper evidence to support the data. The Results/Analysis should focus on the fulfilment of stated objectives as given in the introduction. All results based on methods must be included. Results should be described as concisely as possible in one of the following ways: text, table(s), or figure(s). Discussion should start with limited background information and then proceed with the discussion of the results of the investigation in light of what has been published in the past, the limitations of the study, and potential directions for future research. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Originality and plagiarism

IJLMH does not entertain plagiarism in any form. All papers found to be plagiarised will be directly eligible for rejection. Citations and referencing might not necessarily reduce plagiarism. At the time of submission, Authors declare that the Manuscript is written by them and that, there is no plagiarism on it. If the plagiarism is found after publication, the Editor-in-chief with a committee of 2 other Editorial will conduct an investigation and the Manuscript will be removed. In case , any other claim regarding the copyright of author comes or the considerable amount of plagiarism is found after publication, IJLMH will allow the author to provide its response to the objection. On finding the objection about the plagiarism or copyright true, IJLMH will be bound to take down the manuscript immediately. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable. 

Multiple, duplicate, redundant or concurrent submission/publication

The Manuscript with same research must not be previously published or currently under review at any other journal/conference/book etc. and should not be submitted to any other journal/conference while in process of review with us. Submission of a manuscript concurrently to more than one journal is unethical publishing behaviour and unacceptable.

However, Exceptions can be made at times when multiple publications are allowed, considering it is necessary (for example it is in a different language to cater to the needs of the specific audience). The Authors need to take permission from the Editorial Board before any such publication. Multiple, duplicate, redundant, or concurrent submissions/publications is an unethical practise and unacceptable.

Authorship of the manuscript

All papers must be accompanied by proper names and affiliations of authors along with email ids. Only persons who meet these authorship criteria should be listed as authors in the manuscript as they must be able to take public responsibility for the content: (i) made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, or analysis/interpretation of the study; and (ii) drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for important intellectual content; and (iii) have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication. Acknowledgments may briefly include acknowledgment of assistance from 1) contributors that do not warrant authorship; ii) technical help; and iii) Material support. It must be followed by one empty line. The name in the Acknowledgement section must be added after written permission of the concerned person. It is the duty of the corresponding Author to provide the correct list and verify it before submission.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Authors have the responsibility to disclose any conflict of interest that may arise, including any Grant or Funding they’ve been provided for the research. All sources of financial support for the work should be disclosed (including the grant number or other reference number if any).

Peer review Process

It is mandatory for Authors to participate in the Peer-review process set forth by the journal. On submission, the manuscript is checked for plagiarism and if it passes the criteria, it is sent for the peer-review process. The Authors are bound to provide clarifications needed or any relevant information asked. If there are changes suggested, the Authors must respond to the changes point by point in a timely manner and re-submit the manuscript within the required time.

Fundamental errors in published works

If the Author notices any significant error in their published works, they must immediately notify to the editors and provide a corrected copy. If the Journal fond out any such significant error, it is the duty of the Authors to provide a corrected copy. Infringements of professional ethical codes, such as multiple submissions, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data, or the like. This will also result in the retraction of the Manuscript.

Manuscript Processing Charges

There are no charges for the submission/Processing of Manuscripts in the Journal.

Access to journal content

The publisher is committed to the permanent availability and preservation of scholarly research and ensures accessibility by partnering with organizations and maintaining our own digital archive. This journal is an open-access journal.