Ethical Standards for Authors

1. General Ethical Principles

Authors must conduct research responsibly, present findings honestly, and respect the confidentiality and welfare of human and animal subjects. Misrepresentation, fabrication, or falsification of data violates journal ethics and leads to immediate rejection or retraction.

2. Authorship Criteria

Authorship is based on the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Every author must meet the following conditions:

• Significant contribution to study design, data collection, or analysis.
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for intellectual content.
• Approval of the final version for publication.
• Accountability for all aspects of the work.

Individuals who contribute but do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgments” section.

3. Originality and Plagiarism

All submissions must represent original work that has not been published elsewhere. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or duplicate submission is strictly prohibited. JAPCH employs iThenticate to detect textual similarity, and manuscripts exceeding a 10% threshold (excluding references) are returned or rejected.

4. Data Accuracy and Integrity

Authors must ensure data accuracy, provide sufficient methodological detail for reproducibility, and retain raw data for verification if requested. Manipulation or selective reporting of data is considered research misconduct.

5. Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any personal, financial, or institutional relationships that could influence the interpretation of results. Conflict of interest statements must appear in both the cover letter and manuscript.

6. Funding Disclosure

All sources of research funding, sponsorship, or grants must be disclosed in the acknowledgment section, including grant numbers and funding agencies.

7. Ethical Approval for Human and Animal Research

Research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Studies involving animals must follow institutional and international ethical guidelines such as ARRIVE and AVMA standards. IRB approval and informed consent must be explicitly stated.

8. Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in recognized public databases such as ClinicalTrials.gov or the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). The registration number must appear in the Methods section.

9. Duplicate and Redundant Publication

Authors must not submit the same or similar work to multiple journals simultaneously. Redundant publication—submitting overlapping data without citation—is a violation of publication ethics and leads to sanctions.

10. Image and Figure Integrity

Figures, photographs, or diagnostic images should not be manipulated to alter results or mislead readers. Any digital enhancement must be disclosed, and original files may be requested for verification.

11. Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must accurately cite all sources, data, and materials used. Proper credit must be given to other researchers, data repositories, and third-party materials following the CC BY 4.0 License.

12. Reporting Standards

Authors must adhere to discipline-specific reporting standards, including:

• CONSORT – Clinical trials
• PRISMA – Systematic reviews
• STROBE – Observational studies
• ARRIVE – Animal research

13. Corrections and Retractions

Authors must promptly notify the editor if significant errors are discovered after publication. The journal follows COPE Retraction Guidelines for corrections or withdrawals.

14. Ethical Conduct in Collaboration

Collaborating authors must ensure mutual transparency, data sharing, and equitable recognition of contributions. Disputes regarding authorship or data ownership should be resolved before submission.

15. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Disclosure

If AI-assisted technologies (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, or similar tools) are used in writing or analysis, their use must be disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgment section per COPE AI ethics recommendations.

16. Sanctions for Misconduct

Confirmed violations may lead to rejection, retraction, institutional notification, or prohibition from future submissions. All decisions follow COPE’s Ethical Flowcharts.

17. Contact for Ethical Concerns

For ethical queries or reports of misconduct:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.pediatricshealthjournal.com