Publication Ethics Policy

The Journal of Hematology and Clinical Research (JHCR) is committed to ethical editorial and research practices that protect the scholarly record and the patients and communities served by hematology and clinical medicine. The legacy JHCR site publicly surfaces core policy pages—Publication Ethics, Peer Review, Plagiarism, Digital Archiving, Open Access, Grievances, Waiver—within its navigation and across article pages, underscoring a transparent policy cluster approach.

This Publication Ethics Policy formalizes the responsibilities and processes for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. It works in concert with the Peer Review Policy, Plagiarism Policy, Grievances Policy, Withdrawal Policy, and Crossmark Policy. 

Core Principles

• Integrity of the scholarly record: We correct, retract, or otherwise update content when required and propagate changes via DOI/Crossmark so that indexers and libraries receive authoritative metadata. 
• Fair, unbiased assessment: Submissions are judged on validity, significance, and originality rather than author identity; JHCR’s peer review page explicitly states this principle and employs double-blind practices. 
• Open and responsible access: The journal is open access with policy links and license information surfaced across issues and article interfaces.
• Due process: The journal maintains a defined pathway for complaints and appeals. 

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship requires substantial scholarly contribution (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, data acquisition/analysis/interpretation), drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability for the work. We encourage authors to provide a CRediT statement. The corresponding author manages communications with the editorial office and peer review on behalf of all authors, as emphasized in the legacy contributor guidance. 

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

All authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose financial (funding, consultancies, stock) and non-financial (personal, professional, or ideological) relationships that could influence the work. Manuscripts must include a Funding and a Competing Interests statement. Editors and reviewers with material COIs must decline involvement. These expectations align with JHCR’s peer-review guidance and contributor rules. 

Human and Animal Research Ethics

• Human subjects: State IRB/IEC approval and informed consent; protect privacy and personal data as described in the site’s policy cluster and article templates.
• Clinical images/case reports: Obtain consent for publication; de-identify images appropriately.
• Animal research: Report oversight committee approval and compliance with established welfare guidelines; describe housing, enrichment, and humane endpoints.
• Clinical trials: Provide registration details (e.g., CTRI/ClinicalTrials.gov) in manuscript and abstract where applicable.

Data Integrity, Availability, and Reproducibility

Authors must present data accurately and retain primary data for verification. On request during review, provide de-identified datasets, statistical code, or raw images (e.g., gels, microscopy). The contributor guidance affirms the editorial office’s right to reject at any stage for integrity concerns and to request clarifications from the corresponding author.

Originality, Similarity Screening, and Plagiarism

All submissions are screened for similarity (e.g., iThenticate) during initial quality control and may be re-checked after revision. The legacy Plagiarism Policy states that JHCR considers plagiarism unethical and that the Quality Control team uses iThenticate; the journal evaluates the quantity and quality of overlap. 

• Unacceptable practices: verbatim copying without quotation and citation; close paraphrasing that mirrors structure; redundant/duplicate publication; translation plagiarism; figure reuse without permission.
• Editorial responses: request corrections with proper citation; reject; escalate to institutions/funders for serious cases; apply post-publication notices when required (see Corrections and Retractions). 

Peer Review Ethics and Process

JHCR follows a structured double-blind external peer review in which both author and reviewer identities are concealed; authors are instructed to submit a title page (author details) and a blinded manuscript as separate files. Decisions are based on validity, significance, and originality. 

Complaints and Appeals

JHCR provides a documented Grievances Policy for concerns such as authorship disputes, bias, delays, or reviewer conduct. Complaints are acknowledged, evaluated (by an independent editor when feasible), and resolved with a written outcome; authors may appeal by providing a reasoned case and supporting evidence. 

Withdrawals During Editorial Processing

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript; however, per the legacy Withdrawal Policy, stage-based fees may apply (e.g., after plagiarism check; after peer review; at final proof). Current published norms include: $0 before plagiarism checking; $349 after plagiarism check but before peer review; $549 after peer review; $949 at final proof. 

Editorial decisions remain independent of APCs or waiver eligibility; withdrawing to avoid an adverse decision may be considered malpractice and recorded in the editorial system.

Open Access, Licensing, and Waivers

JHCR publishes under an open-access model with license information and policy links clearly displayed on article pages and issues. APCs are payable after acceptance only; the Waiver Policy permits up to 50% waiver for eligible authors with genuine reasons or from under-resourced countries. Acceptance is independent of ability to pay.

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

Post-publication issues (honest error or misconduct) may require a Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction. JHCR maintains a Crossmark policy to identify the authoritative Version of Record and propagate notices through DOI metadata for indexers and libraries.

Retraction notices state reasons, link bidirectionally to the original article, and remain accessible. For serious misconduct, institutions and funders may be notified.

Special Issues and Guest Editors

Special issues follow the same ethical standards. The legacy Guidelines for Special Issue indicate that submissions are screened by Special Issue Editors/Guest Editors/Journal Quality Team for academic value and relevance to ensure a smooth peer-review process and robust oversight of conflicts. 

Guest Editors must declare conflicts and, where conflicts arise, request reassignment to a neutral handling editor. 

Discoverability and Policy Surfacing

JHCR exposes policy links (Peer Review, Plagiarism, Archiving, OA, Grievances, Waiver) across the website, including Early Online, Current Issue, Previous Issue, and article landing pages; DOIs and license cues are displayed with each article for harvesting and citation linking. 

Use of Generative AI and Automated Tools

Authors may use computational tools (e.g., grammar assistance or figure generation) only if they retain full responsibility for content. Disclose substantial assistance in the Methods or Acknowledgments. Do not list AI tools as authors. Authors must verify factual accuracy, originality, and rights for any generated material.

Good Practice Checklist (for Authors)

• Confirm that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere; disclose preprints, theses, or conference proceedings as applicable.
• Provide IRB/IEC/animal ethics approvals and written patient consent for case material.
• Prepare a blinded manuscript and a separate title page to support the journal’s double-blind process. 
• Run your own similarity check and correct overlaps before submission; cite and quote properly. 
• Deposit data to appropriate repositories and include a Data Availability Statement.
• Declare all funding and competing interests; ensure contributor roles are transparent (CRediT).

FAQs

Do you use a fixed similarity percentage to define plagiarism?

No. Editors evaluate the location, extent, and nature of overlaps rather than a single threshold, as reflected in the legacy plagiarism policy that weighs “quantity and quality” of copied content. 

Is the review single-blind or double-blind?

JHCR employs double-blind review and requires separate files (title page and anonymized manuscript) to support this process.

How can I lodge a complaint or appeal a decision?

Use the Grievances Policy pathway, providing a clear rationale and evidence (e.g., permissions, data, annotated reports). 

What if I need to withdraw my submission?

Requests are possible, but stage-based withdrawal fees may apply as per the legacy policy (e.g., $349 after plagiarism check, $549 after peer review, $949 at final proof).

Where can I see all your policies?

Policy links appear throughout the site within the Policies cluster and on article pages and issue listings. 

Contact

Editorial Office – Journal of Hematology and Clinical Research (JHCR)
Heighten Science Publications Inc.
Website: https://www.hematologyresjournal.com/
Email: [email protected]