Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Authorship and Contributorship
The Journal follows the guidelines provided by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) COPE's Core Practice guidance regarding  authorship and contributorship.

1. Authorship Criteria:

• The journal requires that all authors meet the following criteria
• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

2. Authorship Requirements:
The journal requires that all authors:

• Have made significant contributions to the work and take responsibility for the content of the manuscript.
• Have read and approved the final version of the manuscript
• Agree to the submission of the manuscript to the journal
• Agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work

3. Contributorship Statement
The journal requires a contributorship statement to be provided for each published article. The statement should list the specific contributions of each author to the work.
Examples of contributions may include:

• Conception and design of the study
• Acquisition and analysis of data
• Drafting or revising the manuscript
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Approval of the final version of the manuscript

4. Changes to Authorship
The journal requires that any changes to authorship (adding, deleting, or rearranging authors) be approved by all authors and documented in writing

5. Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential or actual conflicts of interest related to the work being submitted.

6. Corresponding Author
The journal requires that one author be designated as the corresponding author and responsible for communicating with the journal during the submission, review, and publication process.
These policies on authorship and contributorship ensure that all authors of a published work have made significant contributions to the research and take responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

Complaints and Appeals

RGUHS Journals strive to provide high-quality content and services to our readers and authors. We have a clear and transparent process for handling complaints and appeals, as per COPE's Core Practice Guidance. Complaints and Appeals | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

Complaints:
If you wish to make a complaint regarding a published article, please contact us here. We will acknowledge your complaint and assign it to an appropriate person or committee for investigation and resolution. We will keep you informed of the progress of the investigation and aim to provide you with a response within a reasonable timeframe.

Investigation:
The person or committee assigned to investigate the complaint will review the article and related materials and communicate with you, the author(s), and any other relevant parties. The investigation will be conducted thoroughly, objectively, and in a timely manner.

Resolution:
Once the investigation is complete, journal will provide you with a clear and concise explanation of the outcome of the investigation and any actions that were taken as a result. If the complaint is found to be valid, we will take appropriate corrective action, such as issuing a correction, retraction, or apology.

Appeals:
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, you have the right to appeal the decision. Please contact us  hereto initiate the appeals process. Your appeal will be reviewed by an independent person or committee who was not involved in the original investigation.

RGUHS journals value your feedback and are committed to continuous improvement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our complaints and appeals process, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Allegations of research misconduct

Allegations of research misconduct are taken seriously by RGUHS journals. We follow the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) 'Allegations of research misconduct' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics to ensure a fair, impartial, and confidential investigation process. This includes seeking advice from experts in the relevant field to ensure that any investigation is conducted in accordance with scientific standards and norms.

Our process includes providing due process to all parties involved in an investigation of research misconduct, including the accused researcher and any affected co-authors. We ensure that any investigation is carried out in a timely manner and that any findings are communicated to all parties involved as soon as possible.

If research misconduct is found to have occurred, we take appropriate action, which may include retraction of the article, correction of the record, and notification of relevant parties, such as funders or employers.

RGUHS Journals are committed to promoting good research practices and preventing research misconduct by providing education and training for authors, reviewers, and editors.

We strive to uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in research and follow COPE's Core Practice guidance in handling allegations of research misconduct.

Conflicts of Interest

The Journal adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and has established policies to manage potential conflicts of interest for all authors, reviewers, and editors involved in the publication process. 'CONFLICT OF INTEREST' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

All authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation or reporting of their research findings. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include financial interests, relationships with industry or organizations, and academic or personal connections that may bias the research or its outcomes

In addition, all reviewers and editors involved in the peer review process are required to disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect their ability to provide an unbiased assessment of the manuscript. The Journal has established procedures to manage conflicts of interest and ensure that the review process is fair and impartial.

The Journal's policies on conflicts of interest are in line with COPE’s Core Practice guidance, which provides best practices for publishers to manage and disclose conflicts of interest. These policies are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that they remain current and relevant to the research community’s evolving needs

Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy

The journal follows the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), 'Data Sharing and Reproducibility ' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics to promote transparency and reproducibility in scientific research. To that end, we have established the following policies:

Data Sharing:
We require that authors make their data openly available and accessible to readers upon publication, either by depositing it in a recognized public repository or by including it as supplementary material to the article.
We encourage authors to use open data formats and to provide detailed metadata to enable data reuse and interpretation by other researchers.
We require that authors provide a data availability statement in the article, indicating where the data can be accessed and any restrictions or limitations on data sharing.

Reproducibility:
We encourage authors to provide detailed descriptions of the methods used in their research and to make their code openly available to enable the reproducibility of their results.
We may require that authors provide access to raw data and analysis code upon request from readers or reviewers.
We may consider publishing replication studies or negative results to promote transparency and reproducibility in scientific research.
We believe that these policies will help promote open and reproducible science, which benefits the scientific community and society as a whole.

Ethical Oversight Policy:
Journal adheres to the ethical standards outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and has implemented a policy on ethical oversight in accordance with COPE's Core Practice guidance. 'Ethical Oversight’ COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics
Our policy includes the following components:

• A robust and transparent review process that includes appropriate checks for ethical issues such as plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and other forms of research misconduct.
• Maintaining confidentiality of the review process and protecting the identity of reviewers and authors, where appropriate.
• Policies and procedures to identify and manage conflicts of interest of authors, reviewers, and editors.
• Requiring authors to have obtained informed consent from study participants, where appropriate.
• Ensuring that research involving human subjects or animals complies with international, national, and institutional standards for ethical practices
• Policies in place to address issues such as duplicate publication, plagiarism, and authorship criteria.
• Providing a mechanism for post-publication discussions and corrections.
• Monitoring compliance with our policies and taking appropriate enforcement actions in case of ethical breaches.

Policy on Intellectual Property :
The journal follows the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) 'Intellectual Property' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics to uphold ethical standards in scholarly publishing. In alignment with these principles, the journal recognizes the importance of intellectual property and respects the rights of authors, reviewers, and readers.
The Journal requires that authors grant the Journal the right to publish their work in any format and distribute it to any third party for non-commercial purposes. The authors retain the copyright to their work, and the Journal requires that any use of the work for commercial purposes should be negotiated directly between the authors and the third party. The Journal acknowledges the importance of data sharing and encourages authors to deposit their data in publicly accessible repositories. The Journal also requires that authors provide appropriate citations and acknowledge the sources of any data used in their work. The Journal will take appropriate measures to protect the intellectual property rights of authors, reviewers, and readers, and will investigate any allegations of plagiarism, copyright infringement, or other forms of intellectual property violation. If you have any questions or concerns about our policy on intellectual property, please contact ushere.
By submitting a manuscript to the Journal, you agree to comply with our policy on intellectual property.

Post-publication discussions

Commenting:
We encourage readers to share their thoughts and opinions on published articles by commenting on them. Your comments can help further the scientific discussion and promote transparency in research. All comments will be moderated to ensure that they are relevant and respectful. Please note that comments that contain inappropriate content, personal attacks, or spam will not be approved.

Corrections and Retractions:
If you have identified any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in a published article, please contact us for Corrections and Retractions. We take the accuracy and integrity of our published articles seriously and will work with the authors to rectify any errors in a timely and transparent manner.

Letters to the Editor:
If you would like to express your opinions or concerns about a published article, we welcome you to submit a letter to the editor. Please use the Letters to the Editor form to submit your letter. All letters will be moderated to ensure that they are relevant, and respectful, and add value to the scientific discussion.

Journal's policies on corrections and retractions

We take our commitment to research integrity very seriously and strive to maintain the highest standards of ethical publishing. As part of this commitment, our journal has clear policies and procedures in place for correcting and retracting published articles in cases of errors, fraud, or other ethical concerns. These policies are in line with the Core Practice guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), an internationally recognized organization that sets standards for ethical publishing. 'corrections and retractions' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

Corrections:
If a published article contains minor errors, such as typographical errors, the author may submit an erratum or corrigendum that will be published online and linked to the original article. In the case of major errors, such as significant errors in data, calculations, or conclusions, the Journal will publish a formal correction notice that describes the error and its impact on the conclusions of the article.

Retractions:
Articles may be retracted if they contain serious errors or if they are found to be fraudulent or unethical. The editor-in-chief initiates the retraction process, who will notify the author(s) of the concerns, and give them an opportunity to respond. If the concerns are verified, the Journal will publish a formal retraction notice that describes the reason for retraction and includes a link to the original article. A retraction means that the article is considered to be null and void, and its findings should not be used or cited. The retraction notice will remain online alongside the original article to ensure transparency and accountability.

Handling of unethical publishing behavior

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification, or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the affected work. The publisher, together with the editors, shall take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, and under no circumstances encourage such misconduct or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. Fabrication and Falsification:
The authors of submitted manuscripts or published articles in which the results are found to have been fabricated, falsified, or subjected to image manipulation, will be sanctioned, and their published articles will be retracted immediately. 'Fabrication and Falsification' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics Citation Manipulatio:
Authors should not engage in citation manipulation, including excessive self-citation, coercive citation requests, or coordinated citation exchanges aimed at inflating citation counts without strong scholarly justification.
Editors and reviewers should not request authors to add citations lacking clear academic relevance or primarily intended to boost metrics.
If citation manipulation is suspected or detected:

• The manuscript will be carefully reviewed and evaluated for ethical compliance.
• Authors will be asked to provide a justification or explanation for the citation pattern.
• If manipulation is confirmed, the manuscript may be rejected or withdrawn.
• Serious or repeated offenses may be reported to the authors’ institutions or funding bodies.

Actions will be taken in accordance with COPE guidelines Citation manipulation | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Plagiarism

Authors must ensure all sources are properly cited. Submitting plagiarized material, including self-plagiarism or duplicate publication, is unethical and unacceptable.

The journal uses plagiarism detection software to check the originality of submissions. If plagiarism is suspected, RGUHS will request full evidence from reviewers and investigate confidentially. Authors will be contacted, informed of the issue, and allowed to respond. Confirmed cases may result in manuscript rejection, retraction, or notification to the author’s institution. For self-plagiarism, COPE’s flowcharts and guidance will be followed. 'plagiarism' | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics