1. Scope & purpose

This policy applies to:

• All submissions, peer review and published content across OMR Publication journals.
• Authors, co-authors, editors, reviewers, editorial board members, and publishing staff.
  It defines minimum expectations and the processes we follow when ethical concerns arise, including investigation, correction, retraction and reporting.

1. Core principles

OMR Publication upholds the following core principles:

• Honesty: Accurate reporting of methods, data, results and authorship.
• Transparency: Full disclosure of funding sources, conflicts of interest, methods and data availability.
• Accountability: Authors and editors are accountable for their work and decisions.
• Fairness: Impartial handling of submissions, peer review and complaints.
• Respect for participants & animals: Compliance with ethical standards for research involving humans and animals.
• Preservation: Maintenance of records and archival copies in Zenodo, Internet Archive and SSRN to support the scholarly record.

1. Responsibilities

3.1 Authors

Authors must:

• Ensure the work is original, truthful and free from fabrication, falsification or plagiarism.
• Disclose all sources of funding, affiliations and any potential conflicts of interest.
• Secure ethical approvals for research involving humans, human data, or animals, and include approval details (committee name, approval number) in the manuscript.
• Obtain and retain informed consent for publication of identifiable participant information (images, case details).
• Provide accurate authorship and contribution statements (use ICMJE criteria and CRediT taxonomy where possible).
• Provide underlying data, code and materials where feasible and include a Data Availability Statement specifying repository links (Zenodo recommended) or reasons for restrictions.
• Notify the editor promptly if errors are discovered after submission or publication.

3.2 Editors & Editorial Board

Editors must:

• Act impartially and independently in editorial decision-making.
• Avoid handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist; recuse and appoint an alternate editor.
• Ensure peer review is fair, timely and confidential.
• Investigate allegations of misconduct promptly and confidentially, following COPE guidance.
• Maintain records of decisions, reviewer reports and communications.

3.3 Reviewers

Reviewers must:

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
• Declare any conflicts of interest prior to accepting the review.
• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts and avoid use of privileged information for personal advantage.

3.4 Publisher & Staff

OMR Publication  will:

• Provide training and guidance on ethical policies.
• Operate plagiarism screening and other integrity checks (e.g., image screening).
• Support editors during investigations and preserve editorial records.
• Report serious misconduct to institutions, funders, or relevant authorities when necessary.

1. Authorship, contributorship & disputes

• Authorship criteria: OMR Publication expects authorship to follow standard international criteria (e.g., ICMJE): substantial contribution to conception/design/data analysis; drafting or revising critically; final approval; and accountability for accuracy.
• CRediT taxonomy: Authors are encouraged to supply a CRediT-style contributor statement (e.g., Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing — original draft).
• Order of authors: Determined by the authors; the corresponding author must confirm that all authors agree to the order.
• Disputes: Authorship disputes should first be resolved among authors. If unresolved, contact the editorial office (editorial@omrpublication.com). The publisher may request statements from all parties and—if needed—notify institutional authorities. OMR Publication will not arbitrate complex disputes of fact but will document correspondence and may publish corrigenda or linked notes to clarify authorship.

1. Conflicts of interest (COI)

• Disclosure requirement: All authors, editors and reviewers must disclose financial and non-financial relationships that could influence interpretation (grants, employment, stock, consultancies, patents, personal relationships, ideological beliefs).
• Declaration: A formal Conflict of Interest statement must appear within the manuscript and be entered during submission. If none exist, use: “The authors declare no competing interests.”
• Management: Editors will assess disclosed COIs on a case-by-case basis and may require additional disclosure in published articles or recuse conflicted editors/reviewers.

1. Research involving humans, human data & identifiable information

• Ethical approval: All research involving human participants, human material, or human data must have prior approval from an institutional ethics committee or IRB. Provide committee name, reference number and statement in the manuscript.
• Informed consent: Obtain informed consent from participants for participation and for publication of potentially identifiable information (including photographs). A sample consent-for-publication line is provided below.
• Vulnerable populations: Additional protections and documentation are required for vulnerable groups (children, prisoners, cognitive impairment). Authors must state guardian consent and safeguards taken.
• Privacy & data protection: Authors must comply with applicable data protection laws (e.g., GDPR-equivalent obligations) and anonymize data where necessary. If data sharing is restricted, include a clear Data Availability Statement explaining reasons and access procedures.

1. Clinical trials and prospective registration

• Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a recognized public registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov) before patient enrolment. The registration number and registry name must be included in the manuscript and the protocol adhered to. Trials should follow CONSORT reporting standards.

1. Animal research

• Authors must follow relevant national and international guidelines for animal care and use (e.g., ARRIVE). Provide details of ethical approval (committee name and approval number), housing, welfare and measures to minimize suffering. Manuscripts lacking appropriate approvals will be rejected.

1. Data, materials & reproducibility

• Data Availability Statement (DAS): Required for all articles. Preferably deposit data and code in public repositories (Zenodo recommended) and include DOIs/links. If data cannot be shared, state the reasons and any conditions for access.
• Reproducibility: Authors should provide sufficient methodological detail, analysis code and raw data to allow independent verification where possible. Failure to provide requested data during review or after publication may prompt editorial action.

1. Plagiarism, duplicate publication & prior publication

• Originality: Submitted work must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Posting preprints is allowed if disclosed at submission.
• Plagiarism screening: All submissions are screened using similarity-detection tools (e.g., iThenticate or equivalent). Submissions with substantial uncited overlap will be rejected or investigated.
• Redundant publication: Duplicate or salami publication is unacceptable and will lead to rejection and possible notification of institutions/funders.

1. Image & data manipulation

• Figure integrity: Authors must present images and figures honestly. Unacceptable practices include selective enhancement, splicing without disclosure, or fabrication. Authors should retain original, unprocessed image data and provide them on request.
• Image screening: Figures may be examined for manipulation during review or production. Suspicious cases will be investigated. Corrections, retractions or expressions of concern may follow if manipulation affects the validity of the work.

1. Handling allegations of misconduct — procedure

When an allegation is raised (by editors, reviewers, readers or third parties), OMR Publication  will follow a staged, confidential process based on COPE guidance:

1. Triage & preliminary assessment (editorial office): Establish the nature, scope and credibility of the allegation. Preserve records, anonymize sensitive material and inform the Editor-in-Chief.
2. Request information from authors: Where appropriate, request explanations, original data and documentation from the corresponding author and co-authors within a specified timeframe.
3. Formal investigation: If concerns persist, the publisher/editor will ask the author’s institution(s) to investigate (institutions are best placed to investigate research conduct). OMR Publication  will cooperate fully and may provide evidence.
4. Interim actions: Where necessary to protect the scholarly record or participants, the editor may issue an Expression of Concern while investigation proceeds.
5. Outcome & remedies: Depending on findings, OMR Publication  may publish a Correction, Retraction, or Statement of Concern, notify funders/institutions, and apply sanctions (see Section 14). Retractions will be clearly labelled and linked to the original article.
6. Appeal: Authors may appeal outcomes per the Appeals section. Appeals are handled by independent editors or an appeals panel.

All steps will be documented and records retained (see Section 18).

1. Corrections, expressions of concern & retractions

• Correction (Erratum/Correction): Issued for honest errors that do not invalidate the core findings. Linked to the original article and permanently citable.
• Expression of Concern: Issued when editors have reasonable concerns but investigations are incomplete. Clearly states the reasons.
• Retraction: Issued for unreliable findings (due to misconduct or honest error), redundant publication, or unethical research. Retraction notices explain the reason and are linked to the original article. Retracted papers remain accessible but clearly marked. All actions will follow COPE best practice.

1. Sanctions & outcomes

Possible outcomes when misconduct is confirmed include:

• Publication of corrections, expressions of concern or retractions.
• Notification to authors’ employers, institutions, and funders.
• Temporary or permanent bans on submission for individuals found responsible for serious misconduct.
• Revocation of editorial roles or board membership where appropriate.

Sanctions are proportionate to the severity of the breach and documented.

1. Whistleblowing & confidentiality

• Reporting: Concerns can be raised confidentially to the editorial office at editorial@omrpublication.com or to contact@omrpublication.com for general enquiries. Whistleblowers may request anonymity; OMR Publication  will protect confidentiality to the extent possible.
• Protection: Retaliation against whistleblowers is unacceptable. The publisher will not disclose the identity of complainants without consent except where required by law or investigation.

1. Appeals & disputes

• Authors may appeal editorial decisions or investigation outcomes in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of notification, providing supporting evidence. Appeals are reviewed independently (by another senior editor or appeals panel). Appeals do not guarantee reversal.

1. Training, guidance & resources

OMR Publication  will:

• Provide editors, reviewers and staff with guidance and periodic training on publication ethics, detection of misconduct and best practices.
• Encourage editorial board members and authors to follow COPE, ICMJE and relevant reporting guidelines (CONSORT, PRISMA, ARRIVE).

1. Record keeping & retention

• Editorial records (submission files, reviewer reports, correspondence and investigation records) are retained for a minimum period to meet legal and investigative needs and to support archival integrity. Records are stored securely and accessed only by authorised personnel.

1. Reporting to indexers, institutions & funders

• Where required, OMR Publication  will notify indexing services, institutions and research funders of corrections, retractions or proven misconduct. Clear, transparent records will be provided to support external investigations.

1. Sample author statements & templates (copy-paste friendly)

Conflict of interest declaration (example):

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.
— or —
Conflict of interest: Author A reports grants from [Funder] during the conduct of the study. Author B declares consultancy fees from [Company]. All other authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval (human participants):

Ethics approval: This study was approved by the [Name of Ethics Committee / Institutional Review Board], approval number [XXXX]. All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation.

Informed consent for publication (identifiable data):

Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the individual(s) for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article.

Animal ethics statement:

Animal ethics: All procedures involving animals were performed in accordance with the guidelines of [Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee], approval number [XXXX], and national legislation [country].

Data Availability Statement (example):

Data availability: The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Zenodo repository, DOI: [10.xxx/zenodo.xxxxxx]. If data are restricted, explain access conditions here.

Authorship contribution statement (CRediT—example):

Author contributions: Conceptualization: A.A.; Data curation: B.B.; Formal analysis: A.A., B.B.; Writing—original draft: A.A.; Writing—review & editing: A.A., B.B., C.C.

1. Contact & reporting channels

For ethical concerns or to report suspected misconduct, contact the Editorial Office:

Editorial Office — OMR Publication
Email: editorial@omrpublication.com
General enquiries: contact@omrpublication.com
Phone: +91 91264 31439
Postal: Udmari, Hojai, Assam, 782440, India

Please include: article title/DOI (if published), submission ID (if known), brief description of concern, and any supporting documents or evidence.

1. Policy review & publication

This Ethics & Integrity Policy will be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect developments in publishing ethics and legal requirements. The policy’s last update date will be displayed on the page; substantive changes will be announced on the journal site.

Publisher statement: OMR Publication  endorses COPE guidelines and expects authors, editors and reviewers to follow these standards. We are committed to fair, transparent and timely handling of ethical issues to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.