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1. Scope & Purpose
This policy applies to all submissions, peer review and published content across OMR Publication journals. It applies to 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.
2. 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.
3. Responsibilities
3.1 Authors- 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 in the manuscript.
- Obtain and retain informed consent for publication of identifiable participant information.
- 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.
- Notify the editor promptly if errors are discovered after submission or publication.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
4. Authorship, Contributorship & Disputes
- Authorship criteria: OMR Publication expects authorship to follow standard international criteria (ICMJE): substantial contribution to conception/design/data analysis; drafting or revising critically; final approval; and accountability.
- CRediT taxonomy: Authors are encouraged to supply a CRediT-style contributor statement.
- 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 editorial@omrpublication.com. The publisher may request statements from all parties and notify institutional authorities. We will not arbitrate complex disputes of fact but may publish corrigenda to clarify authorship.
5. 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.
- Management: Editors will assess disclosed COIs on a case-by-case basis and may require additional disclosure or recuse conflicted editors/reviewers.
6. Research Involving Humans & Human Data
- Ethical approval: 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).
- Vulnerable populations: Additional protections and documentation are required. Authors must state guardian consent and safeguards taken.
- Privacy & data protection: Authors must comply with applicable data protection laws (e.g., GDPR) and anonymize data where necessary.
7. Clinical Trials
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.
8. 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.
9. Data, Materials & Reproducibility
- Data Availability Statement (DAS): Required for all articles. Preferably deposit data and code in public repositories (Zenodo recommended). 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. Failure to provide requested data may prompt editorial action.
10. Plagiarism & Duplicate 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). Submissions with substantial uncited overlap will be rejected or investigated.
- Redundant publication: Duplicate or "salami" publication is unacceptable and will lead to rejection.
11. 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.
- Image screening: Figures may be examined for manipulation. Suspicious cases will be investigated, potentially leading to corrections or retractions.
12. Handling Allegations of Misconduct
When an allegation is raised, OMR Publication will follow a staged, confidential process based on COPE guidance:
- Triage & assessment: Establish the nature, scope and credibility of the allegation. Preserve records and inform the Editor-in-Chief.
- Request information: Request explanations, original data and documentation from the authors within a specified timeframe.
- Formal investigation: If concerns persist, ask the author’s institution(s) to investigate. OMR Publication will cooperate fully.
- Interim actions: The editor may issue an Expression of Concern while investigation proceeds.
- Outcome & remedies: Depending on findings, we may publish a Correction, Retraction, or Statement of Concern, notify funders/institutions, and apply sanctions.
13. Corrections, Expressions of Concern & Retractions
- Correction (Erratum): Issued for honest errors that do not invalidate the core findings. Linked to the original article.
- Expression of Concern: Issued when editors have reasonable concerns but investigations are incomplete.
- Retraction: Issued for unreliable findings (misconduct or honest error), redundant publication, or unethical research. Retracted papers remain accessible but clearly marked.
14. 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.
15. Whistleblowing & Confidentiality
- Reporting: Concerns can be raised confidentially to editorial@omrpublication.com. Whistleblowers may request anonymity.
- Protection: Retaliation against whistleblowers is unacceptable. The publisher will not disclose the identity of complainants without consent except where required by law.
16. 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 panel). Appeals do not guarantee reversal.
17. Training, Guidance & Resources
OMR Publication will provide editors, reviewers and staff with guidance and periodic training on publication ethics. We encourage editorial board members and authors to follow COPE, ICMJE and relevant reporting guidelines.
18. 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 accessed only by authorised personnel.
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.
19. Sample Author Statements (Copy-Paste Friendly)
Conflict of Interest Declaration (Example)20. Policy Review & Publication
This Ethics & Integrity Policy will be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect developments in publishing ethics and legal requirements. 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.