Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Introduction

The Journal of AI and Integrative Medicine (JAIIM) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in scholarly publishing. As an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by Novadex Publications, JAIIM publishes original, high-quality research in artificial intelligence, integrative medicine, digital health, biomedical sciences, clinical research, healthcare innovation, and related interdisciplinary fields.

The journal expects authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and the publisher to uphold internationally recognized ethical standards throughout the publication process. Editorial decisions are based solely on the scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance of submitted manuscripts.

JAIIM follows the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) where applicable.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Originality

Authors must ensure that:

  • Submitted work is entirely original.

  • The manuscript has not been published previously.

  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.

  • All sources are properly cited and acknowledged.

  • Appropriate permissions have been obtained for copyrighted materials.

Multiple or Concurrent Submission

Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously. Duplicate or redundant publication constitutes unethical publishing behavior and may result in rejection or retraction.

Data Integrity

Authors must:

  • Present research honestly and accurately.

  • Avoid fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting of data.

  • Preserve original research data.

  • Provide underlying data upon reasonable request during editorial review.

Authorship

Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions should be listed as authors.

All authors must:

  • Participate significantly in the research.

  • Review and approve the final manuscript.

  • Agree to its submission and publication.

Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

Citation

Authors must accurately cite:

  • Previous research

  • Data sources

  • Figures and tables

  • Software and algorithms

  • Public datasets

  • AI tools where applicable

Citation manipulation or excessive self-citation is unacceptable.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, commercial, academic, or personal relationships that could influence the research or interpretation of results.

Funding

All sources of financial support must be disclosed, including:

  • Funding organization

  • Grant number (if applicable)

Human Subjects

Research involving human participants must include:

  • Approval from an appropriate Institutional Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB)

  • A statement confirming informed consent

  • Protection of participant privacy and confidentiality

Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with institutional and national ethical guidelines and include approval from the relevant ethics committee.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors may use AI-assisted tools solely for language editing, coding assistance, or manuscript preparation. Any such use must be disclosed within the manuscript.

AI systems, including generative AI tools, cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Peer reviewers play an essential role in maintaining the scientific quality of JAIIM.

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential documents and must not:

  • Share manuscripts

  • Copy manuscript content

  • Discuss manuscripts with unauthorized individuals

Objectivity

Reviews should be:

  • Fair

  • Objective

  • Constructive

  • Evidence-based

Personal criticism of authors is inappropriate.

Timeliness

Reviewers should complete reviews within the requested timeframe or promptly decline invitations if unable to review.

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must decline assignments where conflicts of interest exist, including:

  • Personal relationships

  • Financial interests

  • Collaborative relationships

  • Institutional affiliations

Reporting Ethical Concerns

Reviewers should notify the editors if they identify:

  • Plagiarism

  • Duplicate publication

  • Data fabrication or falsification

  • Ethical concerns

  • Image manipulation

  • Citation manipulation

4. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring an impartial, transparent, and efficient editorial process.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently without influence from:

  • Authors

  • Reviewers

  • Advertisers

  • Sponsors

  • Institutions

  • The Publisher

Fair Evaluation

Manuscripts are evaluated solely on:

  • Scientific merit

  • Originality

  • Methodological quality

  • Ethical compliance

  • Relevance to the journal's scope

Editorial decisions are independent of authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Confidentiality

Editors maintain strict confidentiality regarding:

  • Authors

  • Reviewers

  • Submitted manuscripts

  • Editorial decisions

Conflict of Interest

Editors shall not manage manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist. Such submissions will be reassigned to another qualified editor.

Publication Decisions

Acceptance decisions are based on:

  • Reviewer recommendations

  • Scientific quality

  • Ethical compliance

  • Editorial judgment

  • Suitability for the journal

5. Responsibilities of the Publisher

Novadex Publications is committed to:

  • Editorial independence

  • Ethical publishing

  • Long-term preservation of scholarly content

  • Transparency

  • Open-access dissemination

  • Continuous improvement of publication quality

The publisher does not interfere with editorial decisions.

6. Peer Review Policy

JAIIM follows a Double-Blind Peer Review process.

Each manuscript undergoes:

  • Initial editorial screening

  • Scope assessment

  • Plagiarism screening

  • Review by at least two independent experts

  • Final editorial decision based on reviewers' recommendations

Editorial decisions include:

  • Accept

  • Minor Revision

  • Major Revision

  • Reject

7. Plagiarism Policy

JAIIM maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism.

All submissions are screened using plagiarism-detection software before peer review.

The journal may reject manuscripts containing:

  • Plagiarism

  • Self-plagiarism

  • Duplicate publication

  • Copyright infringement

Minor textual overlap may require revision, while serious misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, or notification of the authors' institution.

8. Research Misconduct

Research misconduct includes:

  • Fabrication

  • Falsification

  • Plagiarism

  • Image manipulation

  • Citation manipulation

  • Duplicate publication

  • False authorship

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Where misconduct is suspected, the journal will investigate in accordance with COPE recommendations and may contact authors, institutions, or funding agencies before taking appropriate corrective action.

9. Corrections

If minor errors that do not affect the scientific conclusions are identified after publication, JAIIM may publish a correction linked to the original article.

10. Retractions

Articles may be retracted when:

  • Findings are unreliable

  • Research misconduct is confirmed

  • Plagiarism is established

  • Duplicate publication is identified

  • Serious ethical violations are discovered

Retracted articles remain accessible online with a clear retraction notice to preserve the scholarly record.

11. Expressions of Concern

Where investigations are ongoing and conclusive evidence is unavailable, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern to alert readers while maintaining fairness to all parties.

12. Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed written justification to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of receiving the decision.

Appeals will undergo an independent review, and the Editor-in-Chief's final decision shall be binding.

13. Complaints

Complaints regarding:

  • Editorial processes

  • Peer review

  • Publication ethics

  • Conflicts of interest

  • Publication delays

should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief.

All complaints will be handled confidentially, fairly, and promptly.

14. Copyright

Authors retain copyright of their published work.

Upon acceptance, authors grant Journal of AI and Integrative Medicine (JAIIM) and Novadex Publications a non-exclusive license to publish, archive, preserve, and disseminate the article.

15. Open Access

All published articles are made freely and permanently available immediately upon publication without subscription or registration barriers.

16. Licensing

Unless otherwise stated, all articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, permitting unrestricted sharing, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction provided appropriate attribution is given.

17. Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in recognized repositories or make data available upon reasonable request unless legal, ethical, or confidentiality restrictions apply. Any restrictions should be clearly stated in the manuscript.

18. AI-Assisted Content

Generative AI technologies may only be used for writing assistance, language editing, coding support, or data analysis assistance.

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in the manuscript.

AI systems cannot be credited as authors because they cannot accept responsibility or accountability for published work.

19. Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Journal of AI and Integrative Medicine (JAIIM) is committed to:

  • Fair, transparent, and unbiased editorial decisions

  • Rigorous and confidential peer review

  • Academic integrity and responsible research reporting

  • Ethical publishing practices

  • Long-term preservation and accessibility of published content

  • Continuous improvement of editorial quality and publication standards

The journal welcomes constructive feedback from authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions to strengthen its ethical policies and maintain confidence in the scholarly record.