JoMI Policy - P to T

The journal maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and upholds international standards of publication ethics. All submitted manuscripts are screened using reliable plagiarism detection software prior to peer review. A similarity index of up to 15% is permitted, provided that it does not involve copied sentences, data fabrication, or unattributed reuse of others' work; any form of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, duplication, or improper citation, is strictly prohibited. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold or found to contain unethical overlap will be rejected or returned for correction. The journal reserves the right to take appropriate actions, including rejection, retraction, and notification to affiliated institutions, in cases of confirmed misconduct.

In cases where AI-assisted or AI-generated content exceeds the permitted limit of 20%, authors are required to submit a detailed and transparent AI Declaration Statement at the time of manuscript submission. This declaration must clearly specify the name(s) of the AI tool(s) used, version (if applicable), and a comprehensive description of how and where AI was applied within the manuscript (e.g., drafting, editing, data interpretation, figure generation). Authors must explicitly confirm that all AI-assisted content has been critically reviewed, validated, and substantially revised by the authors to ensure originality, accuracy, and scientific integrity. The declaration must also affirm that no AI tools were used to fabricate data, generate false results, manipulate images, or create misleading or non-existent citations. Manuscripts exceeding the 20% AI threshold without an appropriate and complete declaration will be subject to immediate desk rejection. Even with full disclosure, the editorial office reserves the right to evaluate the extent of AI involvement and may request revisions, additional clarifications, or reject the manuscript if the intellectual contribution of the authors is deemed insufficient. Failure to disclose AI usage, submission of incomplete declarations, or evidence of unethical AI practices will be treated as a serious breach of publication ethics and may result in rejection, retraction, and notification to the authors' affiliated institutions. This policy ensures transparency, maintains authorship accountability, and aligns with international standards for responsible AI use in scholarly publishing.

**Kindly Note:** A similarity score below the journal threshold does not automatically mean that a manuscript is free from plagiarism, and a score above the threshold does not automatically result in rejection. Editorial decisions are based on the nature, location, extent, and context of the overlap, including whether the overlap involves copied discussion, interpretation, data, conclusions, figures, or other substantive intellectual content.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) adopts a policy of transparently displaying the percentage levels of both text-based similarity and AI-assisted content in the final published version of each manuscript, as assessed using validated commercial detection tools. The journal considers that openly reporting these metrics strengthens scientific integrity by promoting transparency, enabling informed evaluation by readers, and reinforcing author accountability. This practice aligns with international publication ethics standards, including recommendations from Committee on Publication Ethics and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which emphasize honesty, transparency, and responsible reporting in scholarly communication. By disclosing similarity indices, JoMI enhances trust in the peer-review process and contributes to maintaining the credibility and reproducibility of published research.

JoMI supports informed debate about the work it publishes. Readers who wish to comment on, question or dispute a published article may write to the editorial office.

Substantive scholarly comments may be published as a Letter to the Editor, with the authors of the original article invited to reply. Letters and replies are published together, are assigned DOIs, and are linked to the original article.

Letters must address the scholarly content of the article, must be signed, and must declare any competing interest. Anonymous or pseudonymous comment is not published, and personal criticism of authors is not accepted.

Where a comment raises a concern about the reliability or integrity of an article rather than a difference of interpretation, it is handled under the Allegations of Misconduct Policy and the Corrections and Retractions Policy instead.

Comments raised on external platforms are monitored where the journal becomes aware of them, and are considered on the same basis as comments sent directly.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to preserving the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record in full alignment with internationally recognized best practices, including the principles and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Post-publication updates are implemented transparently, promptly, and in a manner that ensures the permanent accessibility and traceability of all versions of the scholarly record.

Minor errors that do not affect the scientific validity, interpretation, or conclusions of an article, such as typographical mistakes, formatting issues, or publisher-introduced errors, will be corrected through an Erratum. Errors identified by authors that may affect specific aspects of the work but do not invalidate the overall findings will be addressed through a Corrigendum. All such notices will be clearly labelled, linked to the original article, assigned a unique DOI, and indexed to ensure discoverability. The original article will remain unchanged except for clear indications and links to the correction notice.

In cases where there is evidence of major errors, unreliable data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, image manipulation, unethical research practices, authorship disputes, or other forms of scientific misconduct that compromise the integrity or validity of the work, the journal will issue a formal Retraction. Retraction decisions will follow a structured editorial investigation process, ensuring due process and author notification. Retraction notices will be transparent, stating the reason(s) for retraction, who initiated it (authors, editors, or institution), and will be permanently linked to the original article. The retracted article will remain accessible to maintain the scholarly record but will be clearly watermarked or labeled as "Retracted" across all formats.

Where concerns arise but conclusive evidence is not yet available, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern to alert readers while investigations are ongoing. If the concerns are later resolved, this notice may be updated, replaced, or removed with a clear explanation. In exceptional cases, where content poses legal, ethical, or public safety risks (e.g., defamation, privacy violations, or hazardous misinformation), the journal reserves the right to remove or replace the content, accompanied by a formal notice explaining the reason for such action.

All post-publication notices (Erratum, Corrigendum, Retraction, Expression of Concern) will be freely accessible, permanently linked to the original article, and communicated to indexing and abstracting services to ensure accurate bibliographic records. Authors are expected to cooperate fully with investigations, and failure to do so may result in editorial actions, including retraction or notification to affiliated institutions or funding agencies. This policy ensures accountability, transparency, and adherence to global standards in scholarly publishing.

JoMI encourages readers, researchers, and the wider scientific community to engage in constructive, evidence-based discussions regarding published articles. Post-publication comments may address methodological concerns, data interpretation, reproducibility, ethical considerations, or other aspects relevant to scientific rigor. Such discussions should remain professional, respectful, and focused on scientific content.

JoMI acknowledges platforms such as PubPeer as valuable tools for facilitating transparent and independent post-publication peer review. Comments made on such platforms are considered part of the broader scholarly discourse. The journal may take into account credible and substantiated concerns raised through these platforms when evaluating published content.

Readers may also report concerns, errors, or potential ethical issues directly to the editorial office. Submissions should include clear evidence, supporting documentation, and specific details regarding the concern. Anonymous reports may be considered if they provide sufficient and verifiable information.

Upon receiving a credible concern, whether through PubPeer, other platforms, or direct communication---the editorial team will initiate a formal assessment in accordance with COPE guidelines. This process may involve consultation with independent experts, reviewers, or the authors' institutions, depending on the nature of the issue.

Authors will be notified of any concerns raised regarding their published work and will be given an opportunity to respond. The journal ensures a fair, unbiased, and confidential evaluation process before reaching any final decision.

Based on the outcome of the investigation, JoMI may take appropriate corrective actions, including:

► Issuance of an expression of concern

► Retraction of the article in cases of serious ethical or scientific issues

► All post-publication notices will be clearly linked to the original article and made freely accessible to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

JoMI is committed to maintaining a transparent and permanent record of all post-publication updates. Corrections, concerns, and retractions will remain part of the published record and will be clearly indicated in both the online article and associated metadata.

While the journal supports open discussion, it does not endorse defamatory, unsubstantiated, or non-scientific claims. Comments that violate ethical standards or professional conduct may be disregarded during editorial evaluation.

Through this policy, JoMI reinforces its commitment to accountability, continuous scholarly review, and the advancement of reliable scientific knowledge. Post-publication discussion, including engagement through PubPeer, is recognized as an essential component of maintaining the quality and credibility of the scientific literature.

The Journal of Medico Informatics (JoMI) is committed to upholding the highest standards of originality, integrity, and ethical publishing. In accordance with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, jointly developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), JoMI enforces clear policies regarding preprints and concurrent submissions to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and ensure a fair peer review process.

In alignment with this Open Access principle, JoMI permits the submission of manuscripts that have been previously posted on recognized preprint servers (such as medRxiv, bioRxiv, arXiv, or equivalent platforms), provided that the following conditions are met:

► Authors must disclose the existence of the preprint at the time of manuscript submission, including the preprint server name, preprint DOI or URL, and the date of posting.

► The preprint must not have been formally published in a peer-reviewed journal prior to submission to JoMI.

► Upon acceptance and publication, authors are required to update the preprint record to include a link to the final published version, using the article DOI, in accordance with standard cross-referencing best practices.

► The preprint must not have undergone substantive changes that are inconsistent with the version submitted to JoMI. Any significant differences between the preprint and the submitted manuscript must be clearly disclosed.

► Authors must ensure that posting the preprint does not conflict with any applicable institutional, funder, or third-party policies.

Manuscripts that have been formally published in any peer-reviewed journal, conference proceedings, or equivalent outlet prior to submission will not be considered and will be rejected without further review.

JoMI enforces a strict prohibition on concurrent or multiple submissions. The types of manuscripts the journal will consider for publication must be clearly stated, and multiple or redundant publication is not allowed. Manuscripts submitted to JoMI must not be simultaneously under consideration, under review, or accepted for publication by any other journal, conference, or publication platform. Authors are required to confirm, as part of the submission process, that their manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere. If a manuscript is found to be under simultaneous consideration by another outlet, it will be rejected immediately. In cases of serious or repeated violations, the journal reserves the right to impose appropriate sanctions, including temporary or permanent restrictions on future submissions by the authors involved.

► At the time of submission, authors must provide a formal declaration confirming:

► Whether a preprint version of the manuscript exists, and if so, the relevant server, DOI, and posting date.

► That the manuscript is not currently under review or accepted for publication elsewhere.

► That all co-authors are aware of and in agreement with the submission conditions.

The corresponding author bears full responsibility for the accuracy of this declaration. Any breach will be treated as a violation of publication ethics and may be subject to further corrective or disciplinary action.

JoMI actively monitors submissions for potential breaches of originality and exclusivity using editorial checks and plagiarism detection tools. Violations of this policy are considered serious ethical misconduct and may result in rejection, retraction where identified post-publication, notification to affiliated institutions, and restriction of future submissions by the authors concerned.

This policy is designed to protect the novelty, credibility, and integrity of published research while supporting open science principles, including the responsible use of preprint servers. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit and must not be affected by the origins of the manuscript. By maintaining clear and transparent guidelines on preprints and concurrent submissions, JoMI upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing in accordance with internationally recognized best practices.

JoMI publishes four issues a year, in the quarters January to March, April to June, July to September, and October to December. Accepted articles are published online in the current issue as soon as production is complete; the journal does not hold accepted work for issue closure.

Every article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier at publication and registered with Crossref. Articles carry a volume number, an issue number, page numbers, and the dates on which the manuscript was received, revised, accepted and published online.

The version of record is the version published on the journal website carrying its DOI. Where an article is later corrected, the corrected version becomes the version of record and the change is recorded in a published notice.

The journal does not practise postponement of publication for commercial reasons, and does not charge for expedited handling.

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the reporting guideline appropriate to the study design, and the completed checklist supplied as a supplementary file at submission. Editors may return manuscripts that do not meet this requirement before review.

Guidelines for other designs can be identified through the EQUATOR Network. Where no guideline fits the study, authors must describe the design in sufficient detail for a reader to judge its validity and reproducibility.

JoMI is published by Aayvu Publications Private Limited. The journal's costs are met by the publisher and, where applicable, by article processing charges as set out in the APC Policy.

Business management is kept separate from editorial decision-making. No source of revenue, whether from charges, advertising, sponsorship, reprints or institutional support, influences the assessment of any manuscript or the decision to publish it.

Waivers and discounts, where granted, are decided independently of the editorial assessment, and editors are not informed of an author's payment or waiver status while a manuscript is under consideration.

The journal does not charge readers, does not charge for submission, and does not charge for peer review.

A manuscript under review is a confidential document. Reviewers must not share it, discuss it with third parties other than the handling editor, upload it to any external service including generative AI tools, retain it after review, or use any information in it for their own research or commercial advantage before publication.

Reviewers should accept only those assignments for which they have sufficient expertise and time. They must declare any conflict of interest before accepting, including recent collaboration, shared institutional affiliation, personal relationship, or direct competition, and decline where their objectivity could reasonably be questioned.

Reviews must be constructive, specific, evidence-based and courteous. Personal criticism of authors, and comment on the authors rather than the work, are not acceptable. Reviewers must not require authors to cite the reviewer's own work in order to secure a favourable recommendation.

Reviewers who identify possible misconduct, including plagiarism, image manipulation, duplicate submission or ethical irregularity, should raise it with the editorial office rather than address it in comments to the authors.

The journal operates single-blind review; reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors. Reviewers may record their contribution through recognised reviewer-credit services with the journal's confirmation, without disclosing the identity of the manuscript.

Because JoMI publishes under CC BY 4.0 and authors retain copyright, authors may deposit any version of their article, at any time, with no embargo period.

When depositing, authors should cite the version of record and include its DOI, and should state the licence under which the article is available.

These terms satisfy the open access requirements of funders and institutions, including immediate deposit mandates and requirements for a CC BY licence on the version of record. The journal will confirm these terms in writing to a funder or institution on request.

JoMI follows the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the corresponding ICMJE recommendations.

Authors must report the sex and, where relevant, the gender of participants, and the sex of animals, cells and tissues used in the research, and must state how sex and gender were determined. Where a study was conducted in one sex only, the reason must be given.

The terms sex and gender must be used accurately and consistently: sex refers to biological attributes, gender to socially constructed roles, behaviours and identities. The two must not be used interchangeably.

Data must be disaggregated by sex and gender wherever the study design and sample allow, and any sex or gender differences in the results must be reported, including where none were found. Where disaggregation was not possible, the limitation must be acknowledged in the Discussion.

Supplementary material supports the article but is not essential to understanding its findings; anything necessary to follow the argument belongs in the main text. Supplementary files are published alongside the article, are covered by the same CC BY 4.0 licence, and are preserved with it.

Files must be supplied in open, widely readable formats, must be cited in the main text at the point where they are relevant, and must be numbered with an S prefix, such as Table S1 or Figure S1. Large datasets, code and video must be accompanied by documentation or usage notes sufficient for a reader to use them.

Supplementary material is made available to reviewers and is assessed as part of the manuscript, but is not copy-edited or typeset. It is published as supplied, and authors are responsible for its accuracy.

Supplementary files form part of the version of record and are not altered after publication except through a published correction. Where data are better placed in a subject repository, authors should deposit them there and cite the accession number rather than supply them as supplementary files.

Every article published in JoMI carries a Sustainable Development Goals statement within its disclosure statements. Authors identify the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to which their work contributes, listing each by its number and official title, for example “SDG 3 — Good Health and Well-being”.

The statement is supplied by the authors at submission and is checked at proof stage. Where the work does not address any of the Goals, the statement records that it is not applicable; this is an acceptable and expected answer for much methodological and basic research.

A Goal should be listed only where the research makes a substantive contribution to it, through its subject matter, its findings, or the use to which the findings can be put. Listing Goals on the strength of a passing mention, or in the hope of broadening a paper’s apparent reach, misrepresents the work and will be queried by the handling editor.

Authors are encouraged to name a small number of Goals accurately rather than a long list loosely. Where a contribution is indirect, say so in the statement.

SDG statements are published with the article and included in the metadata deposited with indexing, discovery and preservation services. They help readers, funders and institutions locate research relevant to the 2030 Agenda, and allow the journal to report on the areas its content addresses.

The Goals a manuscript addresses, and the number of them, have no bearing on editorial decisions. Acceptance rests solely on scholarly quality, validity, ethical soundness and fit with the scope of the journal, as set out in the Editorial Independence Policy.

The seventeen Goals and their official titles are those adopted in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Authors should use the official wording rather than paraphrasing a Goal’s title.

All articles published in JoMI are available under CC BY 4.0, which permits text and data mining by any person for any purpose, including commercial purposes, provided attribution is given.

No separate permission, licence or fee is required in order to mine the journal's content, and the publisher does not impose technical measures that prevent it.

Full text and metadata are deposited with Crossref and made available to indexing and discovery services in machine-readable form. Bulk access for research purposes can be arranged on request to the editorial office.

Persons mining the content should attribute each article to its authors and to the journal, cite the DOI, and indicate where content has been adapted. Third-party material identified within an article as excluded from the open licence is not covered by this permission.