JoMI Policy - C to E

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and ethical publishing. A conflict of interest (COI) arises when professional judgment concerning a primary interest, such as the validity of research, objectivity in peer review, or impartial editorial decision-making, may be influenced by secondary interests, including financial, personal, academic, or institutional relationships. In accordance with internationally recognized best practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), JoMI requires full disclosure and appropriate management of all potential conflicts of interest from authors, reviewers, and editors.

Authors must disclose all actual or potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. These include financial relationships such as funding, grants, employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, patents, or royalties, as well as non-financial interests such as personal relationships, academic competition, or institutional affiliations that may influence the interpretation of results. All funding sources must be clearly acknowledged, along with a statement describing the funder's role in the research. If no conflicts exist, authors must explicitly state that there are no conflicts of interest. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts may result in rejection, post-publication correction, or retraction, depending on the severity of the issue.

Reviewers are expected to conduct evaluations with objectivity, fairness, and confidentiality. They must disclose any conflicts of interest before accepting a review assignment and should decline participation if any potential bias exists, including prior collaborations with the authors, shared institutional affiliations, personal relationships, or competing interests. Reviewers are also responsible for reporting any suspected undisclosed conflicts or ethical concerns to the editorial office.

Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board members, must ensure impartial and unbiased editorial decisions. They are required to recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including submissions from their own institution, collaborators, or close associates, or where financial or personal interests may influence judgment. Such manuscripts will be reassigned to an independent editor to maintain the integrity of the review process.

JoMI ensures that all disclosed conflicts of interest are clearly stated in published articles under a dedicated "Conflict of Interest" section. This transparency allows readers to assess the potential influence of external factors on the research and supports informed interpretation of findings.

The journal employs strict procedures to manage conflicts of interest, including mandatory disclosure requirements, independent editorial handling, and the use of unbiased reviewers. These measures are designed to ensure fairness, objectivity, and credibility throughout the peer review and publication process.

If a conflict of interest is identified after publication and is found to have affected the integrity or reliability of the work, JoMI reserves the right to take appropriate corrective actions. These may include issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction of the article, as well as notifying relevant institutions or funding bodies when necessary.

This Conflict-of-Interest Policy reflects JoMI's commitment to upholding international ethical standards, ensuring accountability, and maintaining trust in scholarly communication.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) adopts a clear and author-friendly copyright policy that supports open access dissemination while ensuring proper attribution and protection of intellectual property rights. Authors publishing in JoMI retain full copyright ownership of their work without any restriction. Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors grant JoMI a non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish, reproduce, archive, and disseminate the article in all forms and media. This license enables JoMI to make the work available permanently and to ensure its long-term preservation and accessibility.

All articles published in JoMI are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, authors grant third parties the right to copy, use, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the license is included, and any modifications are clearly indicated. This ensures that the work can be widely reused while maintaining proper scholarly attribution.

Authors are permitted to reuse their published work without restriction, including for educational purposes, future publications, institutional repositories, and personal or professional websites, provided that the original publication in JoMI is properly cited. JoMI does not impose any restrictions on the author's ability to share the published version of the article. Authors are encouraged to deposit the final published version (Version of Record) in institutional repositories, subject-specific repositories, and other platforms to maximize visibility and impact. In cases where authors include third-party material (such as figures, tables, or images), it is the responsibility of the authors to obtain the necessary permissions prior to submission and to provide appropriate acknowledgments. JoMI assumes no liability for copyright infringement related to such materials. This copyright policy ensures a balance between author rights, publisher responsibilities, and the global dissemination of knowledge, in alignment with international open-access standards and best practices.

The version of record is permanent. Errors identified after publication are addressed by a notice that is itself published, indexed, assigned a DOI and linked bidirectionally to the original article, so that the record remains complete and traceable.

A corrigendum corrects an error introduced by the authors that affects the scholarly record but not the conclusions. An erratum corrects an error introduced by the publisher during production. An expression of concern is issued where there is well-founded concern about the reliability of an article but the matter is unresolved, for example while an institutional investigation is under way. A retraction is issued where the findings are unreliable, whether through honest error or misconduct, or where the article reports unethical research, infringes copyright, or has been published elsewhere.

Retracted articles remain online. The full text is retained, watermarked as retracted on every page, with the retraction notice displayed alongside it. Notices state who is retracting the article and the reason, distinguish honest error from misconduct, and avoid defamatory statements about individuals.

The journal may issue a correction or retraction without the agreement of all authors, where authors do not respond within a reasonable period, where they cannot agree among themselves, or where the evidence requires it. The notice records which authors agreed and which did not.

Articles are not removed from the journal website except where required by law or court order, or where the article presents a serious risk to health or safety. Where removal occurs, the bibliographic metadata and an explanatory notice are retained.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and the integrity of scientific research. The journal recognizes that access to underlying data, code, and methodological details is essential for validating findings, enabling reuse, and advancing scientific knowledge. In alignment with internationally recognized best practices, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and global open science principles, JoMI requires authors to report their research in a manner that supports verification and reproducibility.

Authors are strongly encouraged, and in certain cases required, to make all underlying data, code, and software associated with their study publicly available. Data should be deposited in recognized and reliable repositories such as Zenodo, Dryad, Figshare, and GitHub, as well as discipline-specific repositories including GenBank, PubChem, the Protein Data Bank, and the Protein Model Database, or other appropriate biological and domain-specific databases that ensure long-term preservation and accessibility. Deposited materials must be complete, properly documented, and accessible through persistent identifiers such as a DOI, accession number, or stable URL.

All submissions must include a clearly labeled Data Availability Statement within the manuscript. This statement must specify whether the data and code are publicly available, the name of the repository in which they are deposited, and the corresponding DOI, accession number, or permanent URL. Where access is restricted, authors must clearly describe the conditions under which the data may be accessed and provide a justified reason for such restrictions.

Authors are encouraged, where appropriate, to release datasets, code, and supplementary materials under open licenses such as the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) or equivalent licenses that permit reuse with proper attribution. Open licensing enhances transparency, reproducibility, and the global dissemination of research outputs. However, the selection of a license remains at the discretion of the authors, particularly where ethical, legal, institutional, or third-party constraints apply. Authors must clearly indicate the applicable licensing terms in the Data Availability Statement.

JoMI acknowledges that certain datasets may be subject to ethical, legal, or privacy constraints, especially in studies involving human participants, sensitive information, or proprietary data. In such cases, authors must provide a clear and valid explanation for the restriction and ensure compliance with applicable regulations, institutional policies, and ethical approval requirements. Where possible, authors should provide mechanisms for controlled access by qualified researchers.

Authors are required to provide sufficient methodological detail to enable independent replication of their study. This includes comprehensive descriptions of study design, data collection procedures, analytical methods, statistical analyses, and software tools used, including version details. Any custom scripts, algorithms, computational workflows, and biological data processing pipelines should be shared or described in sufficient detail to allow reproducibility.

Editors and reviewers may evaluate the availability, accessibility, and quality of underlying data and code as part of the peer review process. Manuscripts that do not include a Data Availability Statement or that fail to meet reproducibility standards may be returned for revision, delayed in processing, or rejected. The journal reserves the right to request access to underlying data during review for verification purposes.

Authors are expected to ensure the continued accessibility of shared data and code after publication. Any changes to data availability must be promptly communicated to the journal. Failure to comply with stated data-sharing commitments may result in corrective actions, including the publication of notices or retraction where necessary.

Through this policy, JoMI supports open science practices, enhances the reliability and reproducibility of published research, and promotes responsible data sharing in accordance with international standards and funding agency requirements.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, continued accessibility, and enduring integrity of all published scholarly content. The journal recognizes that robust digital preservation is fundamental to guaranteeing that research outputs remain permanently and reliably available to the global scientific community. In accordance with internationally accepted standards and best practices, including the recommendations of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, JoMI adopts a systematic and multi-layered approach to digital archiving and content preservation to safeguard the permanent scholarly record.

All articles published in JoMI are made available online in full open-access format and are hosted on secure, professionally managed publishing platforms equipped with routine backup mechanisms and system redundancy. The journal ensures that all published content remains freely accessible without restriction and is preserved in stable, widely supported digital formats, including PDF and XML, in accordance with international digital preservation standards. Full-text articles, associated metadata, and supplementary materials are maintained in structured, machine-readable formats to support indexing, long-term discoverability, and sustained usability across current and future information systems.

JoMI is actively pursuing formal integration with internationally recognized digital preservation and archiving networks to further strengthen the long-term security and availability of its published content. These include trusted distributed archiving systems such as CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS), LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe), Portico, and equivalent preservation infrastructures that provide permanent, geographically distributed preservation of scholarly outputs.The journal is currently in the process of applying for inclusion in such archival services. This section will be updated transparently once formal integration agreements are confirmed and operational. Upon successful inclusion, full details of archiving partners, content coverage, preservation scope, and access mechanisms will be publicly disclosed on the journal's official website. JoMI is committed to completing this integration in a timely manner and regards third-party archiving as an essential component of its long-term publishing infrastructure.

JoMI employs multiple layers of data protection to prevent loss, corruption, or unauthorized alteration of published content. These measures include server-level automated backups, geographically distributed redundancy systems, encrypted data storage, and secure hosting environments that comply with internationally recognized information security standards. Regular system maintenance, integrity audits, and performance monitoring are conducted to ensure the continuous availability and authenticity of all digital content hosted by the journal.

All articles published in JoMI are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) through a recognized registration agency to ensure permanent accessibility, reliable citation, and long-term bibliographic traceability. The journal ensures that all metadata associated with published content, including author information, abstracts, keywords, funding details, and licensing terms, is fully preserved, regularly updated, and maintained in formats compatible with major indexing services, bibliographic databases, and digital repositories. Metadata standards comply with internationally recognized schemas, including Dublin Core and JATS (Journal Article Tag Suite), where applicable.

In the event of technical failure, prolonged service interruption, platform migration, or discontinuation of journal operations, JoMI is committed to ensuring uninterrupted access to its complete archive of published content. This commitment will be fulfilled through established archival partnerships and distributed preservation systems. Once third-party archiving integration is fully operational, all published content will be securely preserved in distributed systems designed to guarantee long-term availability independently of the journal's primary hosting platform. Authors, readers, and institutions can be assured that the accessibility of published research will not be compromised under any foreseeable operational circumstance.

JoMI's digital preservation practices are designed to comply with the archiving and long-term access requirements stipulated by major indexing agencies, open access directories, and research funding bodies. This includes adherence to the preservation expectations of DOAJ, PubMed Central (PMC), and relevant national and international funding agencies that mandate sustainable access to publicly funded research outputs. The journal will keep its preservation practices aligned with any evolving requirements issued by these bodies.

JoMI remains dedicated to the continuous improvement of its digital preservation infrastructure through the adoption of globally recognized standards, technologies, and best practices. The journal will conduct regular reviews of its archiving policies and technical systems to ensure ongoing alignment with advancements in digital preservation science and the evolving requirements of indexing agencies, funding bodies, and the broader scholarly community. Any material changes to the journal's preservation arrangements will be communicated transparently through the journal's official website. This policy reflects JoMI's unwavering commitment to maintaining a permanent, reliable, and universally accessible scholarly record, ensuring that all published research remains available and citable for current and future generations of researchers, clinicians, and practitioners worldwide.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and equitable scholarly publishing environment. The journal upholds the principles of fairness, diversity, equity, and non-discrimination across all aspects of its editorial and publishing processes. JoMI adheres to internationally recognized ethical standards, including the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing jointly established by COPE, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and is committed to promoting equal opportunity, representation, and inclusion within the global research community.

JoMI strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, disability, marital or family status, socioeconomic background, language, institutional affiliation, career stage, or any other personal characteristic unrelated to academic merit. This prohibition applies to all individuals involved in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial board members. All editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of the scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance of the submitted work, in accordance with the journal's stated aims and scope.

JoMI is committed to ensuring that the editorial and peer review process is conducted in a fair, transparent, unbiased, and respectful manner at all stages. Editors and reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, without prejudice, favoritism, or bias of any kind. Any form of discriminatory language, behavior, or assessment, whether in written reviews, editorial communications, or decisions, is strictly unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Confirmed instances of discriminatory conduct may result in immediate removal from editorial or reviewer responsibilities and, where appropriate, notification of the individual's affiliated institution.

JoMI actively promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in its Editorial Board, reviewer pool, and author community. The journal is committed to recruiting and retaining editors and reviewers from a wide range of geographic regions, including low- and middle-income countries, academic disciplines, career stages, genders, and cultural backgrounds. This approach is intended to ensure balanced perspectives, minimize systemic bias, and promote genuinely inclusive representation in all editorial decision-making processes. The composition of the Editorial Board is reviewed periodically to assess and improve its diversity and representativeness.

Authors are required to use respectful, inclusive, and non-discriminatory language throughout their manuscripts. This includes the use of person-first or identity-first language where appropriate, gender-neutral terminology, and culturally sensitive framing of research findings and discussions. Manuscripts containing discriminatory, offensive, stereotyping, or otherwise inappropriate language or perspectives will not be considered for publication and will be returned to authors with guidance for revision. The journal endorses the use of terminology that reflects current standards of diversity, equity, and inclusion in scientific and medical communication, including guidance from relevant international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ICMJE.

JoMI is committed to supporting equitable access to publishing opportunities for researchers from diverse, underrepresented, and resource-limited regions and communities. The journal promotes open access dissemination, in accordance with DOAJ principles, to ensure that scientific knowledge is freely accessible to all, regardless of institutional resources or geographic location. Where applicable, the journal will consider supporting authors from low- and middle-income countries through fee waivers or reduced publication charges, subject to the journal's financial sustainability policies.

Any individual who experiences or witnesses discrimination, bias, harassment, or inequitable treatment during the editorial or peer review process is encouraged to report such concerns to the editorial office in writing. JoMI will investigate all reported concerns in a timely, confidential, and impartial manner, in accordance with COPE guidelines for handling complaints and allegations. Appropriate corrective actions will be taken where concerns are substantiated, including but not limited to reassignment of manuscripts, removal of individuals from editorial roles, and notification of relevant institutions where warranted. The identity of individuals raising concerns will be protected to the extent possible throughout the investigation process.

JoMI is committed to ongoing monitoring and evaluation of its diversity and inclusion practices. The journal will periodically review the demographic composition of its editorial board, reviewer pool, and author community, and will publish transparency reports where feasible to demonstrate accountability. Any identified disparities will be addressed through targeted outreach, policy revision, or structural changes to editorial processes. This commitment reflects the journal's recognition that diversity and inclusion require active and sustained effort, not merely formal policy statements.

Through this policy, JoMI reaffirms its dedication to creating a scholarly publishing environment that values diversity, promotes inclusion, and ensures equal opportunity for all contributors, regardless of background, identity, or geographic origin. This commitment strengthens the integrity, credibility, and global relevance of the research published in the journal and reflects JoMI's broader responsibility as a participant in the international scholarly communication ecosystem.

Manuscripts submitted to JoMI must be original and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Submitting the same work, or substantially overlapping work, to more than one journal at the same time is a breach of publication ethics.

Redundant publication occurs where a study is divided into several papers reporting the same data without adequate cross-reference, or where previously published findings are re-presented as new. Authors must disclose at submission any related manuscript published, in press or under consideration, and supply copies where the editorial office asks.

Secondary publication, such as a translation for a different readership, is acceptable where both editors agree in advance, the secondary version cites the primary publication in full, and the secondary version states clearly that it is a secondary publication. It must not be presented as original research.

Undisclosed duplicate or redundant publication discovered after acceptance leads to rejection; discovered after publication, it leads to retraction and notification of the authors' institutions.

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly quality, validity, originality, ethical soundness and relevance of the work, and on its fit with the scope of the journal. They are not influenced by the authors' nationality, institution, seniority, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, political or religious belief, or ability to pay.

The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the editorial content of the journal and over the timing of publication. The publisher, its owners, advertisers, sponsors and commercial partners have no influence over editorial decisions, over individual manuscripts, or over the composition of the editorial board on scholarly grounds.

Editors do not handle manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including submissions authored by themselves, by close collaborators within the previous three years, by members of their own institution, or by persons with whom they have a personal or financial relationship. Such manuscripts are reassigned to an independent editor with no access to the handling record.

Manuscripts authored by members of the editorial board are subject to the same peer review as any other submission and are handled independently of the author. The journal monitors the proportion of articles authored by its own editorial board and keeps it within the limits expected of an independent journal.

Editors respect the confidentiality of submitted work and do not use information obtained through the editorial process for their own advantage.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct in biomedical, clinical, and informatics research. All research involving human participants, animals, human tissues, or sensitive biological materials must comply with applicable ethical guidelines, institutional requirements, and national and international regulations. The journal adheres to globally recognized ethical frameworks, including the Committee on Publication Ethics, and requires strict compliance with ethical approval and reporting standards.

For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that the research was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national or institutional regulations. Manuscripts must include a clear statement indicating that ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent body, including the name of the approving institution and the approval/reference number. Authors must also confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants, or that appropriate consent procedures were followed in accordance with ethical standards. In cases where consent was waived, a justification must be provided along with confirmation that such waiver was approved by the relevant ethics committee. If a study is exempt from ethical approval, authors must clearly state the reason for exemption and provide appropriate justification.

For studies involving human tissues, cadaveric materials, autopsy samples, or case studies based on deceased individuals, authors must ensure that the research complies with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional guidelines governing the use of human biological materials. Ethical approval from an appropriate authority (such as an institutional ethics committee, anatomy board, or equivalent regulatory body) must be obtained where required, and details of such approval must be clearly stated in the manuscript. Authors must confirm that the use of human remains or tissues was conducted with appropriate authorization and respect for donor consent, next-of-kin permission (where applicable), and cultural and legal considerations. Any identifiable information must be anonymized to protect privacy and dignity. For case reports involving deceased individuals, authors must ensure that no identifying details are disclosed unless explicit permission has been obtained in accordance with ethical standards. Where formal ethical approval is not required under local regulations, authors must provide a clear justification and confirm adherence to institutional and national policies.

For studies involving animals, authors must confirm compliance with internationally accepted guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals, including the ARRIVE Guidelines, the Directive 2010/63/EU, or equivalent national regulations. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming that ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate animal ethics committee, including the name of the approving body and the approval number. Authors must also confirm that all procedures were designed to minimize animal suffering and follow principles of humane care.

For studies involving personal data, patient records, or identifiable information, authors must ensure compliance with applicable data protection regulations. Identifiable personal information must not be published unless explicit consent has been obtained. All data must be anonymized where appropriate to protect privacy.

JoMI requires that all manuscripts include a clearly identifiable Ethics Statement within the main text. The editorial office reserves the right to request official documentation of ethical approval at any stage of the submission, review, or publication process. Failure to provide valid documentation upon request may result in rejection of the manuscript.

Manuscripts lacking appropriate ethical approval, incomplete ethics statements, or evidence of non-compliance with ethical standards will not be considered for review or publication. If ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate corrective actions, including issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction of the article.

This policy ensures that all research published in JoMI adheres to internationally accepted ethical principles, protects the rights, dignity, and welfare of human participants and animals, and maintains the integrity and credibility of the scientific record.