Publication Ethics

The Journal of Urban Health Research is committed to publishing scientific articles with high ethical standards. In order to build the ethical integrity of all published papers, JUHR adopts the recommendations and policies regarding research and publication ethics from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the Committee on Publication Ethics, and the Council of Science Editors. These ethical policies should be respected by all parties who contribute to the quality of papers including the author, the editor-in-chief, the editorial board, the publisher, and the peer reviewers. Peer review process holds an essential role in ensuring the integrity of the scientific papers. Therefore, all manuscripts submitted to JUHR will be exposed to editorial review and peer reviews. We take our duties to ensure all ethical aspects are taken into consideration, including approval and consent, data accuracy, plagiarism, submission fraud, ethics or authorship, and conflict of interest.

Responsibilities of Editor

• Publication Decisions, editors have the responsibility in providing the final decision on whether an article will be accepted for publication, accepted with minor/major revisions, or rejected. The final decision should be made with consideration of all aspects that affect the quality of the research paper such as validity, importance and impact of research on developing knowledge, and possible ethical issues.
• Review of Manuscripts, editors check the originality of works and ensure that the manuscript is plagiarism-free. Editors should pick qualified peer reviewers with expertise and high comprehension of the related research papers.
• Objectivity, editors should work independently and assess the manuscript with consideration of its intellectual content without influenced by other personal factors such as race, gender, nationality, religious belief, or institutional affiliation of the authors.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest, editors should not disclose any unpublished information or use it within the editor’s own research for personal advantages.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions, peer-reviewers assist in improving the quality of the paper and making editorial decisions. The results of peer review will have a significant influence in determining the final decision whether an article will be accepted, accepted with minor/major revisions, or rejected.
• Review of Manuscripts, peer-reviewers provide feedback, suggest any improvements and recommendations, or identify additional work needed to improve the quality of research records. In addition, reviewers should identify any possible ethical issues or publication misconduct in the research paper.
• Objectivity, reviewers should assess the research paper objectively without looking at the race, gender, nationality, religious belief, or institutional affiliation of the authors. Reviewers should give their fair and frank logical feedback with enough supporting arguments so that authors could understand the point of revision to re-look and re-envision. Personal criticism should be avoided.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest, any information obtained from the peer review process must be kept confidential and not used for its own benefit. Reviewers have the responsibility to identify if the manuscripts have a potential conflict of interest with the authors, companies, or institutions.

Responsibilities of Authors

• Reporting Standards, authors should report accurate results of the research as well as the underlying supporting data that helps to define the significance and conclusion-making process.
• Originality, authors must ensure that the writing is an original work. If authors have used facts or ideas from other research, they have to be appropriately cited or quoted.
• Multiple Publications, authors must be aware of publication ethics that the research papers should not be previously published, or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
• Acknowledgment of Sources, authors should give proper acknowledgment of facts or ideas obtained from other researchers’ work. Any statement, argument, or data that derived from a previously reported paper should be cited.
• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest, authors should mention any financial or other potential conflict interest such as research expense, intellectual property, or other expenses that may influence the results of the research.