Publication Ethics Statement

The Journal of Hematology and Clinical Research (JHCR) maintains a rigorous ethics framework to protect the scholarly record and the communities who rely on it—clinicians, laboratorians, transfusion specialists, and researchers. The legacy JHCR website prominently lists public policies—including Publication Ethics, Peer Review, Plagiarism, Digital Archiving, Open Access, Waiver, and Grievances—in the journal navigation and across article interfaces. These resources signal our commitment to transparent processes and ethical publishing.

This statement consolidates the responsibilities and expectations for authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher. It complements our Peer Review Policy, Plagiarism Policy, Withdrawal Policy, and Crossmark Policy, which together define how we evaluate, correct, and preserve the record. 

Core Principles

• Integrity of the record: We correct, retract, or otherwise update the literature and propagate changes through DOI/Crossmark.
• Fair, unbiased evaluation: Decisions are based on validity, significance, and originality, not author identity or affiliation.
• Transparency: Policies and charges are publicly available; APC waivers are considered case-by-case. 
• Open access to knowledge: Articles are freely accessible; reuse is governed by Creative Commons licensing and article pages show license information. 
• Due process: Complaints and appeals are handled via a documented Grievances Policy. 

Editorial Independence and Decision-Making

Editors have full authority over editorial content. Acceptance depends on the scholarly merits assessed through an established review process and is not influenced by financial considerations, including APCs or potential waivers. The legacy peer review page emphasizes assessment of validity, significance, and originality; the contributor guidance empowers editors to reject at any stage for scientific or ethical reasons. 

Editors recuse themselves from handling submissions where conflicts exist and appoint an alternative editor. When necessary, an independent editor may be engaged for appeals (see Complaints and Appeals).

Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should reflect substantial, accountable contributions to the work, including at least one of: conception/design; acquisition/analysis/interpretation of data; drafting or critical revision; and final approval of the version to be published. All authors share responsibility for the content. We recommend including a CRediT taxonomy statement (e.g., Conceptualization; Methodology; Data curation; Writing—original draft; Writing—review & editing; Supervision; Funding acquisition).

Conflicts of Interest and Funding Transparency

Authors, editors, and reviewers must declare financial (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, funding, equipment or reagent support) and non-financial interests (e.g., personal relationships, ideological positions, academic rivalry). Manuscripts should include a Funding statement and a Competing Interests statement. If none, use: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

Editors/reviewers with material conflicts should decline assignment; JHCR screens suggested reviewers for independence. 

Human and Animal Research Ethics

• Human subjects: State IRB/IEC approval (with reference number) and confirmation of informed consent; ensure patient confidentiality and lawful processing of personal data (see Privacy Statement).
• Clinical images/case reports: Obtain consent for publication; anonymize images appropriately.
• Animal research: Provide oversight committee approval and adherence to accepted guidelines; report housing, welfare measures, and humane endpoints.
• Clinical trials: Provide registration (e.g., CTRI/ClinicalTrials.gov) in the manuscript and abstract when applicable.

Data Integrity, Availability, and Reproducibility

Authors must present data accurately and retain primary data for audit by editors or institutions. On request during review, provide de-identified datasets, statistical code, or raw figures (e.g., unprocessed gels, microscopy). Image integrity is essential; undisclosed splicing or duplication is unacceptable and may lead to rejection or retraction. The contributor guidance confirms the right to reject at any stage for integrity concerns. 

Originality, Similarity Screening, and Plagiarism

JHCR is committed to protecting the reliability of scholarly manuscripts and uses iThenticate or equivalent similarity tools. The legacy site’s Plagiarism Policy states that plagiarism is unethical and checked by the quality control team; the contributor guidance notes that submissions can be rejected at any stage if redundant or plagiarized content is detected. 

• Unacceptable practices: verbatim copying without quotation and citation; close paraphrasing; redundant or duplicate publication; undisclosed translation of earlier works; figure/table reuse without permission/licence.
• Editorial actions: request correction and citation; reject; notify institutions/funders for serious misconduct; apply post-publication notices as required (see Post-Publication Updates).

Peer Review Ethics and Confidentiality

JHCR uses a structured external review process; the legacy peer review policy describes double-anonymized review where feasible and emphasizes judging the work, not identity. Reviewers must keep materials confidential, avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage, and declare conflicts. Authors should prepare anonymized files as instructed (separate title page vs blinded manuscript). 

Responsible Citation and Avoiding Manipulation

Citations should be relevant and proportionate. Coercive citation, self-citation inflation, or reference cartels are unethical. Editors and reviewers will flag questionable citation patterns during assessment. Where inappropriate citation is detected, we request corrections before acceptance.

Open Access, Licensing, and Reuse

JHCR follows an open access model; article pages and issues display policy links (e.g., Open Access, Licensing, Peer Review, Grievances) and DOIs for discoverability and harvesting. Reuse is governed by the article license; users must attribute appropriately and indicate changes. 

APCs sustain the OA model; waivers may be granted on request for eligible authors. Decisions are independent of ability to pay. 

Post-Publication Updates: Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

When errors or misconduct are identified after publication, JHCR issues corrective notices—Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction—as appropriate. The Crossmark policy ensures the Version of Record is clearly signposted and that updates propagate to indexers via DOI metadata.

Where authors request withdrawal of a manuscript pre-publication, the Withdrawal Policy details stage-based rules and charges (e.g., no charge before plagiarism check; defined fees thereafter). 

Complaints and Appeals

We welcome good-faith concerns about editorial decisions, bias, delays, authorship, or reviewer conduct through the Grievances Policy. Complaints are acknowledged, assessed by an independent editor when feasible, and resolved with documented outcomes. Appeals must include a clear rationale and evidence (e.g., annotated similarity report, data, or permissions).

Special Issues and Guest Editors

Special issues are governed by the same ethics and review standards. Guest Editors follow documented guidance covering reviewer selection, decision categories, and COI management; they collaborate with the Journal Quality Team for oversight. 

Use of Generative AI and Automated Tools

Authors may use computational tools (e.g., for language editing or figure generation) only if they retain full authorship responsibility. Disclose any substantive AI assistance in the Methods or Acknowledgments section. Do not list AI tools as authors. Authors are responsible for verifying facts, ensuring originality, and obtaining permissions for any generated content that may incorporate third-party material.

Preprints and Prior Dissemination

Preprint posting is allowed. On publication, authors should update the preprint with the DOI and a link to the JHCR Version of Record. Thesis reuse is permitted with clear citation and in accordance with institutional and copyright requirements.

Record Keeping and Audit Trails

The editorial office maintains secure records of submissions, reviewer assignments, decisions, communications, similarity reports, and post-publication updates. These records support audit, appeals, and compliance with indexing and preservation partners; public policy links are surfaced on article pages and across the journal site (e.g., Current Issue, Previous Issue, Archive).

Sanctions for Misconduct

In confirmed cases of serious misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, peer review manipulation), actions may include rejection, retraction, institutional notification, and a temporary submission ban. Decisions are proportionate, documented, and communicated to all parties.

FAQs

Do you have a fixed similarity percentage to define plagiarism?

No. Editors assess the nature and location of overlap rather than a single threshold. Methods text with proper citation may produce higher scores without constituting plagiarism. 

Can inability to pay APCs affect acceptance?

No. Acceptance is independent of APCs. Waiver requests can be made following the journal’s Waiver Policy. 

How are readers informed about post-publication changes?

Through Crossmark indicators and linked notices (Correction, Expression of Concern, Retraction) connected to the DOI. 

Where can I find your related policies?

See the Policies cluster (Publication Ethics, Peer Review, Plagiarism, Digital Archiving, Open Access, Grievances, Waiver) in the journal navigation and on article pages. 

Contact

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