IMSAR Journal's Commitment to Ethical Publishing
The IMSAR Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and preventing malpractice by adhering to the following principles. These principles are based on the recommendations and guidelines developed by organizations such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for journal editors.
#### EDITOR RESPONSIBILITIES
**Article Publication Decisions**
The editor of the IMSAR Journal is responsible for deciding which of the submitted articles should be published in the journal. The editor is also responsible for ensuring that articles submitted to the journal are compliant with the journal's policies regarding defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor has the right to consult with reviewers during the decision-making process. The editor is responsible for the content and overall quality of the publication. The editor must ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process.
**Conflicts of Interest**
Unpublished material disclosed in submitted manuscripts cannot be used in any editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author.
**Impartiality**
Submitted articles are always evaluated without bias. Manuscripts are assessed solely on their intellectual content without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy.
**Confidentiality**
The editor, assistant editors, and the publication committee must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, other editorial advisors, and the publisher.
To access the "General Duties and Responsibilities of Editors" document prepared by COPE, visit: [COPE Code of Conduct](https://publicationethics.org/files/2008%20Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf).
#### REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES
**Promptness**
A reviewer who feels unqualified to assess the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its timely review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.
**Confidentiality**
Manuscripts under review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.
**Impartiality**
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
**Acknowledgment of Sources**
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. They should also bring to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.
**Conflicts of Interest**
Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors.
To access the "Peer Review Guidelines" document prepared by COPE, visit: [COPE Peer Review Guidelines](https://publicationethics.org/files/Peer%20review%20guidelines.pdf).
#### AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
**Reporting Standards**
Authors must ensure that the submitted work is original and has not been published in any other journal. Data presented in the work must be accurate, and the work should include sufficient detail and references. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
**Data Access and Retention**
Authors may be asked to provide raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data, if feasible, and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
**Originality and Plagiarism**
Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original, and if they have used the work and/or words of others, this must be appropriately cited. By submitting a manuscript to IMSAR, authors guarantee that their work is original, adheres to ethical standards, and does not substantially overlap with other published or submitted works.
**Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication**
An author should not generally publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
**Acknowledgment of Sources**
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work.
**Authorship of the Paper**
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. When other individuals have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.
**Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest**
All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
**Fundamental Errors in Published Works**
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
For more information on authorship and author responsibilities, see the ICMJE guidelines: [ICMJE Recommendations](http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/).
**At the end of the article, a statement regarding the Contribution Rate of the researchers, any Support and Acknowledgment, and a Conflict of Interest Declaration must be included.**
### PUBLICATION POLICIES
1. The language of the articles submitted to the journal must be English.
2. Submitted manuscripts should not have been previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Articles derived from papers presented at conferences and symposia can be published in the Journal, provided that a note to this effect is included on the first page.
3. The opinions expressed in the published articles are the responsibility of the authors.
4. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must comply with writing and grammar rules. The editor and/or the Editorial Board reserve the right to request changes to the form and content of the manuscripts if deemed necessary.
5. The journal is published in June and December. There may be shifts in the publication schedule due to the journal's publication system. Therefore, the IMSAR journal is not under any obligation or liability for any requests or demands.
6. Authors are required to comply with the IMSAR journal's article submission policy.