Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy

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Ethics Statement

QES MedPharm Journal is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. The journal’s ethical standards are informed by international best practices in journal publishing (including COPE guidance and widely used biomedical publishing recommendations). All parties involved in publishing (authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher) share responsibility for maintaining these standards.

1. Duties and Responsibilities of Authors

  • Originality: Submit only original work and appropriately cite/quote the work of others.
  • No simultaneous submission: Do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.
  • Accurate reporting: Present data honestly; do not fabricate, falsify, or selectively omit results.
  • Methods transparency: Provide sufficient methodological detail to enable reproducibility.
  • Ethics approvals: Report IRB/ethics approval and consent for human studies; report animal ethics approval for animal studies.
  • Authorship integrity: List as authors only those who made substantial contributions; obtain approval from all authors for submission and publication.
  • Conflicts and funding: Disclose conflicts of interest and all funding sources; describe the role of funders.
  • Data availability: Provide a Data Availability Statement and share data/materials/code where possible or justify restrictions.
  • Corrections: Notify the journal promptly if a significant error is discovered after publication.

2. Duties and Responsibilities of Editors

  • Fair decisions: Evaluate manuscripts on scholarly merit without discrimination.
  • Confidentiality: Protect manuscript confidentiality and reviewer identities (unless open review is stated).
  • Conflicts of interest: Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists.
  • Integrity: Act on suspected misconduct and request clarifications, data, or approvals when required.
  • Transparency: Maintain clear editorial policies and communicate decisions with reasons.
  • Independence from incentives: Any contributor recognition or fee-discount programs are administered separately and do not influence editorial decisions.

3. Duties and Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Treat manuscripts as confidential and do not share or use unpublished content.
  • Objectivity: Provide constructive, evidence-based reviews and avoid personal criticism.
  • Conflicts: Declare conflicts of interest and decline review when appropriate.
  • Timeliness: Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe or inform the editor promptly.
  • Ethical vigilance: Alert editors to suspected plagiarism, duplication, ethical problems, or major errors.

4. Handling Allegations of Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of misconduct seriously and investigates concerns in a fair, confidential manner. Examples include (but are not limited to) plagiarism, data fabrication/falsification, image manipulation, duplicate publication, unethical research, undisclosed conflicts of interest, authorship manipulation, and peer-review manipulation.

  • Initial assessment by the editorial team and/or publisher.
  • Request for explanation and supporting documentation from authors (e.g., raw data, ethics approval).
  • Consultation with reviewers, editorial board members, or independent experts when needed.
  • Contacting institutions or funders in serious cases, when appropriate.
  • Outcomes may include rejection, correction, retraction, expression of concern, or notification to institutions.

5. Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

  • All submissions may be screened using plagiarism-detection tools.
  • Text recycling must be limited and properly cited; unacceptable overlap may lead to rejection.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication is not permitted unless transparently justified and approved (e.g., secondary publication with permission).

6. Image and Data Integrity

  • Inappropriate image manipulation (e.g., altering bands in gels, selective enhancement, removing features) is prohibited.
  • Any adjustments must apply to the whole image and be described in the Methods if relevant.
  • Editors may request original/raw image files and raw datasets for verification.

7. Authorship Disputes

Authorship disputes should be resolved by the authors’ institutions whenever possible. The journal may pause review or publication while disputes are investigated. Authorship changes after submission require written agreement from all listed authors and editorial approval.

8. Conflicts of Interest

Undeclared conflicts of interest can undermine trust. If an undisclosed COI is identified, the journal may publish a correction, reassess the manuscript, or take other actions depending on severity.

9. Ethical Oversight for Human/Animal Studies

  • Human research must report ethics approval and informed consent; privacy must be protected.
  • Clinical trials should be registered in a public registry; registration number must be provided.
  • Animal studies must report ethics approval and humane endpoints where applicable.

EQUATOR Network: https://www.equator-network.org/

10. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

When errors or integrity concerns are confirmed, the journal will take appropriate steps to correct the record. A retraction may be issued for unreliable findings due to misconduct or serious error. An expression of concern may be issued when an investigation is ongoing but concerns are credible.

11. Editorial Conflicts, Complaints, and Appeals

  • Editors disclose conflicts and recuse themselves when appropriate.
  • Authors may appeal decisions with an evidence-based rationale.
  • Complaints are investigated confidentially and fairly; the journal may seek independent advice.

12. Ethics Resources

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics): https://publicationethics.org/
  • COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/resources/cope-core-practices/
  • ICMJE Recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

Contact

Email: editorial.office@qesmedpharm.com

Website: https://qesmedpharm.com/

Address: Quest College of Health Sciences, VIP Plaza, near Grid Station, Yaseen Chowk,  Jaranwala Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Phone: +92-41-2422541 | Cell: +92-3327600425