Frontline Medical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Journal (FMSPJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the principles and best practices established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal expects editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers to adhere to ethical conduct throughout the submission, review, publication, and post-publication processes.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that their work is original, accurate, and has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal. All data presented in the manuscript must be genuine and obtained through ethical research practices.
Authors are responsible for:
- Submitting original and unpublished work.
- Properly citing all sources and references.
- Ensuring the accuracy of research data and results.
- Obtaining ethical approval where required.
- Disclosing any conflicts of interest.
- Acknowledging all funding sources.
- Including as authors only those who made significant scholarly contributions.
Any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, image manipulation, or unethical research conduct is strictly prohibited.
Ethical Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the quality and integrity of scholarly publications. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, fairly, and confidentially.
Reviewers should:
- Maintain strict confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
- Provide constructive and unbiased feedback.
- Identify relevant published work not cited by authors.
- Inform editors of any suspected ethical concerns.
- Decline review assignments where conflicts of interest exist.
Reviewers must not use unpublished information obtained during the review process for personal or professional advantage.
Ethical Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based solely on the scholarly merit of submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions are made without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.
Editors are expected to:
- Ensure a fair and transparent peer review process.
- Preserve reviewer and author confidentiality.
- Evaluate manuscripts based on academic quality and relevance.
- Address ethical concerns promptly and fairly.
- Avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decisions.
The Editor-in-Chief retains the final authority regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts.
Plagiarism Policy
The journal maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review and publication.
Manuscripts found to contain:
- Direct plagiarism
- Self-plagiarism
- Data plagiarism
- Improper citation practices
- Unauthorized use of copyrighted material
may be rejected immediately or withdrawn from publication.
Research Misconduct
Research misconduct includes but is not limited to:
- Fabrication of data
- Falsification of results
- Manipulation of images or figures
- Citation manipulation
- Undisclosed conflicts of interest
- Authorship misconduct
If evidence of misconduct is identified before or after publication, the journal reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate corrective actions, including corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.
Human and Animal Research Ethics
Research involving human participants must comply with recognized ethical standards and applicable regulations. Authors should confirm that informed consent was obtained where required and that approval was granted by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board.
Research involving animals must follow accepted ethical guidelines for animal care and welfare and must have received relevant institutional approval.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the evaluation, interpretation, or publication of a manuscript.
Any potential conflict of interest should be declared at the time of submission or review.
Corrections and Retractions
The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. When significant errors or ethical concerns are identified, appropriate actions may include:
- Publication of corrections
- Editorial notices
- Expressions of concern
- Retractions
- Removal of content in exceptional circumstances
Such actions will be carried out following recognized publishing ethics standards and COPE recommendations.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all content submitted to the journal complies with applicable copyright laws. Permission must be obtained for any copyrighted material reproduced within a manuscript.
Authors retain responsibility for the intellectual content of their published work.
Commitment to Ethical Publishing
Frontline Medical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Journal is dedicated to promoting integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal continually strives to uphold international publication ethics standards and to foster trust in the scientific record through responsible editorial and publishing practices.