Razavi Journal of Medicine

1. General Ethical Principles

Razavi Journal of Medicine adheres strictly to the ethical standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All parties involved in the publication process—including authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff—are expected to comply with these principles.

The journal follows a double-blind peer review policy and is committed to maintaining integrity, transparency, and academic rigor in all published content.

In cases of suspected research or publication misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or unethical research practices, the journal follows COPE flowcharts and guidelines to investigate and take appropriate action.

2. Editorial and Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening by the editorial office to assess scope, originality, formatting compliance, and ethical requirements, including plagiarism detection using iThenticate or equivalent tools.

Manuscripts that meet the initial requirements are assigned to an Associate Editor and evaluated through a double-blind peer review process by at least two independent expert reviewers.

Final editorial decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or designated Associate Editors based on reviewer reports, scientific merit, originality, and relevance to the journal scope. The Editor-in-Chief holds ultimate responsibility for all editorial decisions.

The Editorial Board may serve as advisors and reviewers but does not participate in final editorial decisions, which are the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief or designated Associate Editors.

In cases of conflicting peer review reports, the editorial team evaluates the scientific arguments and makes a decision based on academic merit and journal standards.

3. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer review process. Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit, including originality, scientific validity, clarity, and relevance.

Editors must:

• Maintain confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities
• Avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decisions
• Ensure fair treatment of all submissions without discrimination
• Act promptly in cases of ethical concerns or misconduct
• Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary
• Not use unpublished information for personal advantage
• Follow COPE guidelines when handling ethical issues

4. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts represent original work and have not been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Authors are required to:

• Present accurate and honest data without fabrication or falsification
• Cite all sources and prior research appropriately
• Obtain necessary ethical approvals for human or animal studies
• Ensure informed consent where applicable
• Disclose all conflicts of interest and funding sources
• Ensure all listed authors meet ICMJE authorship criteria 
• Confirm that all co-authors have approved the final manuscript
• Avoid redundant or fragmented publication

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and ensuring compliance with publication ethics.

5. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, confidential, and constructive evaluations of submitted manuscripts.

Reviewers must:

• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts
• Decline review if a conflict of interest exists
• Provide unbiased, evidence-based assessments
• Avoid personal criticism of authors
• Report ethical concerns, plagiarism, or significant overlap
• Refrain from using unpublished material for personal gain

6. Authorship and Contributorship

Razavi Journal of Medicine follows ICMJE authorship criteria. Authorship must be based on:

• Substantial contribution to conception, design, data acquisition, or analysis
• Drafting or critical revision of the manuscript
• Final approval of the version to be published
• Accountability for all aspects of the work

All contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately.

7. Conflicts of Interest

All participants in the publication process must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation or publication of the research.

Conflicts of interest must be declared at submission. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state this.

Editors and reviewers must also disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when necessary.

Failure to disclose conflicts of interest may result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript in accordance with COPE guidelines.

8. Copyright and Licensing

Razavi Journal of Medicine is an open-access journal published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this license:

• Authors retain full copyright of their work
•  Articles may be freely shared, copied, redistributed, and adapted in any medium or format
•  Use is permitted for both commercial and non-commercial purposes
•  Appropriate credit must be given to the original authors and source
•  A link to the license must be provided, and any changes must be indicated

The CC BY 4.0 license ensures maximum dissemination and reuse of published content while preserving proper attribution to authors.

 

9. Data Availability and Reproducibility

The journal strongly encourages authors to make underlying data available to support reproducibility and transparency.

Authors should:

• Share data whenever ethically and legally possible
•  Provide persistent identifiers for datasets when available
•  Ensure data does not compromise participant confidentiality 
•  Be prepared to provide raw data upon editorial request for verification purposes

10. Ethical Oversight

The journal ensures ethical oversight in all published research involving humans, animals, or sensitive data.

For human studies, authors must:

• Obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board
•  Report informed consent procedures clearly in the manuscript
•  Protect participant confidentiality

For animal studies, compliance with internationally accepted animal research guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE) is required.

11. Publication Misconduct

The journal actively monitors and investigates publication misconduct, including:

Plagiarism
Data fabrication or falsification
Citation manipulation
Peer review manipulation
Authorship misconduct

All suspected cases are handled according to COPE procedures, and corrective actions may include rejection, correction, or retraction.

12. Complaints and Appeals

The journal provides a formal mechanism for handling complaints related to editorial decisions, ethical concerns, or publication processes.

Complaints are reviewed initially by the editorial office and may be escalated to the Editor-in-Chief or an Appeals Committee when necessary. Final decisions are made based on COPE guidelines and journal policies.

13. Post-Publication Corrections

Post-publication issues are addressed through:

Corrections (errata)
Expressions of concern
Retractions

All actions are taken based on COPE Retraction Guidelines. The integrity of the scholarly record is the primary consideration in all post-publication decisions.

14. Journal Management and Independence

The journal maintains editorial independence. Editorial decisions are not influenced by financial, institutional, or political considerations.

The journal ensures that editorial staff and board members are adequately trained and adhere to international best practices in scholarly publishing.