JoMI Policy - A to C

JoMI aims to make published research usable by the widest possible readership, including readers using assistive technology. Articles are published in HTML and PDF, and full text is supplied to indexing and discovery services in machine-readable form.

Authors support accessibility by supplying figures at sufficient resolution, by describing the content of each figure in its legend rather than relying on the image alone, by using tables for tabular data rather than images of tables, and by ensuring that colour is not the only means of conveying information in a figure.

Readers who encounter an article they cannot access in a usable form should contact the editorial office, which will supply an alternative format where it is reasonably able to do so.

Advertising, where accepted, is independent of editorial decision-making. Advertisers have no influence over editorial content, over the selection of manuscripts, or over the outcome of peer review, and no advertisement is linked to the content of any individual article.

Advertisements are clearly distinguishable from scholarly content. The journal does not accept advertising for products that are unlawful, that make unsubstantiated health claims, or that would compromise the integrity of the journal.

Any direct marketing undertaken by the journal, including invitations to submit, is targeted, restrained and truthful. Communications identify the journal and the publisher accurately and do not misrepresent indexing status, metrics, editorial board membership, or the speed of review.

Sponsored issues, supplements or collections, if published, are labelled as such, name the sponsor, and are subject to the same peer review as ordinary submissions. Sponsors do not select reviewers, see manuscripts before publication, or influence editorial decisions.

This policy covers allegations of research or publication misconduct concerning manuscripts under consideration by, or articles published in, JoMI. Misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, image manipulation, undisclosed duplicate submission, authorship misappropriation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, breach of research ethics requirements, citation manipulation, and interference with the peer review process.

Allegations may be raised by anyone, including readers, reviewers, editors and institutions, and should be sent to the editorial office with supporting evidence. Anonymous allegations are considered where the evidence is sufficient to act on.

The journal follows the flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics. The corresponding author is informed of the substance of the allegation and given a reasonable opportunity to respond, ordinarily within twenty-one days. The journal does not disclose the identity of the person raising the allegation without their consent.

Where a response is unsatisfactory, or where the matter requires investigation beyond the journal's competence, the case is referred to the authors' institution or to the relevant research integrity body. The journal does not itself conduct investigations into individuals; it assesses the reliability of the published record.

Depending on severity and on the findings of any institutional investigation, outcomes may include rejection of the manuscript, a correction, an expression of concern, retraction, notification of the authors' institution and funder, and a period during which further submissions from the authors concerned are not considered.

Confidentiality is maintained throughout. Editors who are themselves the subject of an allegation take no part in handling it.

Manuscripts reporting research involving vertebrate animals or regulated invertebrates must state the name of the institutional animal care and use committee or equivalent body that approved the work, the approval or protocol number, and the national or regional legislation under which the work was conducted.

Authors must confirm that the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement were applied, and must report housing, husbandry, anaesthesia, analgesia and humane endpoints where relevant to the interpretation or reproducibility of the work.

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines, and the completed checklist supplied as a supplementary file.

Where research involving animals did not require approval, authors must state why, naming the body that determined this. Manuscripts that do not satisfy these requirements are not sent for review.

Authors may appeal a rejection. Appeals must be made in writing by the corresponding author within thirty days of the decision, must address the specific scientific or procedural grounds on which the decision is contested, and must respond point by point to the reviewers' comments.

Appeals are assessed by an editor who was not responsible for the original decision, and additional independent review may be sought. Priority is given to submissions under normal consideration, so an appeal does not guarantee a rapid response. The decision on an appeal is final.

Disagreement with an editorial judgement is not in itself a ground for appeal. Appeals alleging bias, procedural irregularity, or a reviewer conflict of interest are treated as complaints under the section below.

Complaints concerning editorial process, conduct of peer review, publication ethics, the behaviour of an editor or reviewer, or the handling of personal data should be sent to the editorial office. Complaints are acknowledged within seven working days and ordinarily resolved within thirty days.

Complaints are handled by a person not involved in the matter complained of. Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, it is referred to the publisher, who appoints an independent reviewer.

Complainants are informed of the outcome and of the reasons for it. Where a complainant remains dissatisfied, they may ask the publisher to review the handling of the complaint, and may refer the matter to the Committee on Publication Ethics.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) operates under a transparent author-pays model to support the costs associated with high-quality scholarly publishing and immediate open access dissemination. Article Processing Charges (APCs) are applied only after a manuscript has successfully undergone peer review and has been formally accepted for publication. The standard APC for JoMI is USD 300 per accepted article. The APC covers a comprehensive range of publishing services, including but not limited to editorial handling, rigorous peer review management, professional copyediting, typesetting, metadata creation, DOI assignment, online hosting, indexing support, and long-term digital archiving. This ensures that all published articles meet international standards of quality, accessibility, and discoverability. All APC payments are final and non-refundable, except in cases of administrative error or duplicate payment, which will be addressed in accordance with applicable financial regulations and publisher policies. Payment is required prior to the final publication of the accepted manuscript, and authors will receive detailed instructions regarding the payment process upon acceptance.

JoMI is published by Aayvu Publications Pvt. Ltd., which reserves the right to review, suspend, or cancel any transaction when necessary to comply with credit card industry standards, payment processor requirements, banking regulations, or applicable legal and regulatory obligations. This includes, but is not limited to, compliance with intellectual property laws, fraud prevention measures, court orders, and directives from competent legal authorities. JoMI is committed to transparency and ethical publishing practices in line with international standards and recommendations, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics and leading open-access frameworks. APCs are clearly communicated to authors prior to submission, and no hidden charges are applied at any stage of the publication process.

As part of its journal launch initiative and commitment to promoting inclusive research dissemination, JoMI currently offers a full waiver of APCs for all manuscripts submitted and accepted until March 2027. During this period, authors will not be required to pay any publication fees. This waiver is applied automatically, and no separate request is necessary. This APC policy ensures sustainability of the journal while maintaining equitable access, high editorial standards, and global visibility of published research.

Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-Assisted Technologies

Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI), generative artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs), machine-learning systems, AI-assisted image-generation technologies, and related computational tools are increasingly used in research and scholarly publishing. The journal permits the responsible use of AI and AI-assisted technologies provided that such use is transparent, ethical, scientifically appropriate, and consistent with principles of research integrity and publication ethics. AI tools may assist authors, reviewers, editors, and other contributors, but they cannot assume responsibility for scholarly work. Human authors and editorial personnel remain accountable for the accuracy, originality, integrity, confidentiality, and ethical compliance of all material submitted to or published by the journal.

Authors may use AI-assisted technologies for language improvement, grammar and spelling correction, translation, sentence restructuring, readability enhancement, and other limited editorial purposes. When AI is used only for routine language editing or proofreading, detailed reporting of individual prompts is generally not required; however, authors remain responsible for carefully reviewing and approving all AI-assisted output. Where AI is used to generate substantial new text, scientific arguments, interpretations, literature summaries, methodological descriptions, or other substantive intellectual content, such use must be disclosed in the manuscript. Authors should identify the AI tool or model used, its version where available, and the purpose and nature of its contribution. AI-generated content must never be presented as the independent work of the authors without appropriate disclosure.

AI systems, chatbots, large language models, and other artificial intelligence technologies cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of manuscripts submitted to Journal of Medico Informatics. Authorship requires human responsibility for the scholarly work, including accountability for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript, approval of the final version, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and the ability to respond to questions concerning the research. Authors who use AI-assisted technologies remain fully responsible for all material produced, modified, interpreted, or incorporated with such assistance. This policy follows the principles established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

When AI or machine-learning technologies contribute to research activities, including data processing, statistical analysis, predictive modelling, classification, natural-language processing, image analysis, molecular modelling, computational analysis, code development, or scientific interpretation, the authors must clearly describe the role of the technology in the appropriate methodological section of the manuscript. Where relevant, authors should report the AI system or model, version, software environment, important parameters, input data, training procedures, validation methods, and other information necessary to understand and evaluate the methodology. Authors must independently verify AI-assisted analyses and interpretations and remain responsible for the scientific validity, reproducibility, and accuracy of the resulting research.

The journal applies four separate rules, according to what an image shows.

1. Research images that carry data. Microscopy, radiological, histological, gel and blot images, clinical photographs, and any other image offered as evidence of a result. Prohibited: creating, adding, removing, replacing, concealing or materially altering any part of the image with generative AI. Permitted: routine adjustment of brightness, contrast or colour balance, and cropping, applied evenly to the whole image and to its controls, provided nothing is obscured or removed; AI-based analysis tools, such as segmentation or quantification software, used as part of the research method. Disclosure: describe every processing step, and any AI-based analysis tool with its name and version, in the Materials and Methods, and keep the original unprocessed files available on request.

2. Scientific diagrams and conceptual illustrations. Schematics, pathway and workflow diagrams, study-design flowcharts and conceptual figures that do not present data. Permitted: preparation with AI assistance, provided the authors check every label, arrow and relationship for accuracy. Prohibited: depicting results, data or structures that were not obtained in the study, or presenting an AI-drawn illustration as an experimental image. Disclosure: name the tool and its contribution in the figure legend and in the Declaration of Generative AI.

3. Graphical abstracts. Permitted: preparation with AI assistance. Prohibited: any data, image or claim that does not appear in the article, or any conclusion stronger than the article supports. Disclosure: name the tool and its contribution in the Declaration of Generative AI.

4. Images generated as the subject of the research. Studies that develop or evaluate image-generation models, synthetic medical images or AI-based data augmentation. Permitted: AI-generated images where their generation is part of the research design. Prohibited: presenting a synthetic image as a real patient or experimental image. Disclosure: label every such image as AI-generated or synthetic in the figure and its legend, and describe the model, version, settings or prompts, training data and evaluation method in the Materials and Methods.

Undisclosed use of AI in any figure, or any AI alteration of a data-bearing image, is treated as a breach of publication ethics and handled under the journal’s misconduct procedures.

AI-assisted technologies may be used in preparing tables, graphs and flowcharts, provided that all scientific information is independently verified by the authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy of numerical values, data interpretation, labels, units, statistical information, captions and all other content in AI-assisted materials. Where AI makes a substantive contribution to a table or graph, the authors should disclose the tool and its contribution. AI must not be used to introduce, modify or fabricate research data in a manner that changes the scientific meaning or evidentiary basis of the work. Figures, images and graphical abstracts are covered by Section 5.

AI systems must not be considered authoritative bibliographic sources, and authors must independently verify all references suggested, generated, formatted, or selected with the assistance of AI. Authors are responsible for confirming that every cited publication exists and that its authorship, title, journal, publication year, volume, issue, page information, DOI, and other bibliographic details are accurate. Authors must also confirm that each cited source genuinely supports the statement for which it is cited and must avoid inappropriate citation of retracted, withdrawn, or otherwise unreliable publications. AI-generated references can contain fabricated or inaccurate bibliographic information; therefore, references must be checked against the original publication or reliable bibliographic databases before submission. AI-generated text or responses must not be cited as though they constitute original scientific literature, and AI tools must not replace appropriate citation of primary research sources. This principle is consistent with ICMJE recommendations concerning the use of AI in scholarly publishing.

Manuscripts submitted to Journal of Medico Informatics must not contain fabricated, nonexistent, materially inaccurate, or unverifiable references, regardless of whether such references were generated through AI or by other means. Authors are responsible for checking the authenticity and relevance of all references before submission. Discovery of fabricated or substantially inaccurate references during editorial assessment or peer review may result in a request for clarification, correction, manuscript rejection, or further editorial action where appropriate. Where fabricated references are associated with broader concerns regarding research integrity, the journal may initiate procedures in accordance with its publication-ethics policies.

Authors must disclose substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of a manuscript. The disclosure should normally appear under a heading such as "Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies," "Acknowledgements," or another appropriate section specified by the journal. The statement should identify the AI tool or model and explain its purpose and contribution. For example, authors may state: "During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used \[name of AI tool/model\] for language editing and grammatical improvement. The authors reviewed and revised the output and take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript." Where AI is used for substantive analysis, coding, figure preparation, interpretation, or other research activities, the disclosure should describe the specific contribution and confirm that the authors independently verified the resulting material.

When AI contributes substantially to scientific analysis, generation of research results, tables, figures, illustrations, code, or other research outputs, authors may be required to provide additional information about the AI system to support transparency and reproducibility. Such information may include the name of the AI platform, model and version, date of use, purpose of use, relevant prompts, important parameters or settings, input information, and relevant output information. The journal may request such information during peer review or editorial assessment where necessary to evaluate the scientific validity, reproducibility, originality, or integrity of the submitted work. Disclosure requirements may vary according to the extent and nature of AI involvement.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must exercise appropriate caution when using AI systems in connection with unpublished manuscripts, confidential research data, proprietary information, patient information, personal data, or other restricted material. Confidential manuscript content must not be uploaded to external AI systems where confidentiality, data protection, or appropriate control over the submitted information cannot be assured. All contributors must comply with applicable privacy requirements, institutional policies, research-participant protections, intellectual-property obligations, and the journal's confidentiality requirements. Use of AI must not compromise the confidentiality or security of unpublished scholarly material.

Reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, supplementary files, figures, confidential data, reviewer comments, or other unpublished material into generative AI systems or external platforms when such use could compromise confidentiality. AI must not replace the reviewer's independent scholarly assessment. Where AI-assisted tools are permitted for limited purposes, reviewers remain fully responsible for the accuracy, fairness, confidentiality, originality, and integrity of their review reports. Reviewers should follow the journal's instructions regarding disclosure of AI use and must not allow AI-generated content to determine or materially replace their independent evaluation of the manuscript.

Editors and editorial staff may use AI-assisted technologies for appropriate administrative, language, screening, or editorial-support purposes when confidentiality, accuracy, transparency, and data protection can be maintained. Unpublished manuscripts and confidential editorial information must not be entered into external AI systems where confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. AI tools may assist editorial workflows but must not independently determine manuscript acceptance, rejection, retraction, or other substantive editorial outcomes. Final editorial decisions must remain the responsibility of qualified human editors who are accountable for the fairness, integrity, and transparency of the editorial process.

AI-generated peer-review reports must not be submitted as a substitute for a reviewer's own scholarly assessment. Reviewers are expected to independently evaluate the originality, scientific validity, methodology, interpretation, ethical compliance, references, figures, and overall contribution of each manuscript. Where the journal permits limited AI assistance in preparing a review, the reviewer remains fully responsible for the final report and must ensure that confidential manuscript information is not improperly disclosed to an AI system. AI assistance must never compromise the independence, confidentiality, fairness, or scholarly judgment expected of peer reviewers.

The use of AI does not exempt authors or other contributors from established standards of research integrity. Undisclosed substantive AI-generated content, fabricated references, fabricated or falsified data, manipulated research images, plagiarism, inappropriate reproduction of copyrighted material, misleading scientific statements, concealment of material AI involvement, or other AI-assisted practices that compromise the integrity of the scholarly record may be considered publication-ethics or research-integrity concerns. The journal may request clarification, original research data, original image files, methodological information, AI-use details, or other supporting documentation when concerns arise. Editorial action will be determined according to the seriousness and circumstances of the concern and the journal's applicable publication-ethics procedures.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all AI-assisted content complies with applicable copyright, licensing, intellectual-property, and third-party rights. The use of an AI system does not transfer responsibility for copyright compliance from the author to the journal. Authors must not use AI tools to reproduce copyrighted text, figures, images, datasets, or other protected material without appropriate permission, attribution, or other lawful basis. Authors should also consider the terms and conditions of the AI platform used, including restrictions relating to ownership, reuse, commercial publication, data retention, and confidentiality, where applicable.

Journal of Medico Informatics may request additional information concerning AI use whenever necessary to evaluate research integrity, originality, reproducibility, image integrity, citation accuracy, confidentiality, or compliance with this policy. The journal reserves the right to request clarification regarding the extent to which AI contributed to manuscript preparation, data analysis, coding, interpretation, tables, figures, graphical abstracts, or other research outputs. Failure to disclose substantive AI use, particularly where such use materially affects the scientific content or presentation of the work, may be considered during editorial assessment and may result in appropriate corrective or editorial action.

All authors, including the corresponding author, are responsible for ensuring that the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies complies with this policy. Authors must verify the accuracy, originality, scientific validity, and integrity of all AI-assisted material and must ensure that such material does not contain fabricated information, fabricated references, plagiarism, misleading interpretations, inappropriate image manipulation, or unauthorized copyrighted content. Authors must also ensure that AI use does not compromise confidentiality, privacy, or research-participant protections. Human authors retain full responsibility for the final manuscript and all material contained in the published scholarly record, regardless of whether any portion was produced or modified with AI assistance.

Journal of Medico Informatics recognizes that artificial intelligence technologies, scholarly publishing practices, copyright requirements, research-integrity standards, and recommendations concerning responsible AI use are rapidly evolving. Accordingly, the journal may periodically review and update this policy to reflect developments in technology, law, publication ethics, research integrity, and international publishing standards. The journal will seek to maintain this policy in accordance with recognized recommendations and guidance from organizations including the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and other relevant international scholarly-publishing and research-integrity organizations. Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are expected to comply with the current version of this policy applicable at the time of submission, review, or editorial activity.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to recognizing and promoting high-quality research contributions from the global scientific community. As part of this commitment, the journal has established an Author Awards and Honorarium Program to acknowledge outstanding scholarly work that demonstrates exceptional scientific merit, innovation, and impact in the field of medico informatics and computational health sciences.

Authors of selected outstanding papers will be awarded an honorarium of USD 100 as a token of recognition for their contribution to advancing scientific knowledge. This initiative is intended to encourage excellence in research, support global participation, and enhance the visibility of high-quality publications within the journal.

All articles published in JoMI are automatically considered for this award. Selection is based on multiple criteria, including but not limited to:

► Scientific originality and novelty

► Methodological rigor and technical quality

► Relevance and contribution to the field

► Clarity of presentation and scholarly impact

► Potential for advancing research and application

There is no separate application process required. All eligible articles will be reviewed periodically as part of the journal's internal evaluation process.

The selection of award-winning papers is conducted exclusively by the Editorial Board, comprising subject experts and senior academics. The evaluation process is carried out in a fair, unbiased, and confidential manner, based solely on academic merit and quality of the published work. The final decision regarding the selection of awardees rests solely with the Editorial Board, and such decisions are considered final and binding.

Awards may be conferred periodically (e.g., per issue, quarterly, or annually), depending on the volume and quality of published articles. Selected authors will be formally notified by the journal, and award announcements may be published on the journal website and associated communication platforms.

► The honorarium is granted as a recognition award and does not constitute payment for publication.

► The journal reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the award program at its discretion.

► In cases of multiple authors, the honorarium will be awarded to the corresponding author unless otherwise specified.

Through this initiative, JoMI aims to foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and global collaboration in scientific research. The Author Awards and Honorarium Program reflect the journal's dedication to recognizing impactful contributions and supporting the advancement of high-quality scholarly communication.

Authorship in the Journal of Medico Informatics is restricted to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work. To qualify for authorship, each author must meet all of the following criteria: (i) substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; (ii) drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; (iii) final approval of the version to be published; and (iv) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet all four criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors. Contributions such as technical assistance, language editing, writing support, administrative assistance, funding acquisition only, or general supervision should be acknowledged appropriately in the Acknowledgments section, with the individual's consent. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors meet the journal's authorship criteria, that no eligible author has been omitted, that all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript, and that all authors have agreed to its submission for publication. Changes in authorship, including the addition, removal, or rearrangement of author names, are generally not permitted after submission. Exceptions may be considered only in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. Any request for a change in authorship must include a formal explanation for the change and written consent from all listed authors, including any author being added, removed, or affected by the change. The journal may suspend review or publication of the manuscript until the matter is resolved. Requests for authorship changes after acceptance or publication will be considered only in rare and justified circumstances and may require a formal correction notice.

Individuals who have contributed to the work but do not meet all criteria for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately in the Acknowledgments section and should not be listed as authors. Such contributions may include technical assistance, language editing, writing support, administrative assistance, data collection support, funding acquisition only, or general supervision. Authors must obtain consent from all individuals named in the Acknowledgments section before submission.

To promote transparency, the Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMi) encourage authors to provide a contributor statement describing the specific role of each author in the work. Contributor roles may include, for example, conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing of the original draft, review and editing, visualization, supervision, project administration, and funding acquisition. Submission of contributor information does not replace the journal's authorship criteria, and all listed authors must independently satisfy the requirements for authorship. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the contribution statement is accurate and approved by all authors.

JoMI follows the requirements of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Any manuscript reporting a clinical trial must have been registered prospectively, in a publicly accessible registry that meets WHO or ICMJE standards, at or before the time of first participant consent for enrolment.

Retrospective registration does not satisfy this requirement. Manuscripts reporting unregistered or retrospectively registered trials are not considered for publication.

The registry name and the trial registration number must appear at the end of the abstract and in the Materials and Methods. Any discrepancy between the registered protocol and the reported outcomes, including changes to primary or secondary outcomes, must be disclosed and explained.

Authors are encouraged to supply the trial protocol and statistical analysis plan as supplementary material, and to report results in accordance with the CONSORT statement and its relevant extensions.