International Journal of Clinical & Medical Images

Publication ethics & malpractice statement

International Journal of Clinical and Medical Images strictly adheres to the publication ethics and would likewise initiate lawful audit if required on a case-by-case basis. The journal guarantees in reflecting the research outcome of the authors without any fear or favour and the decisions of the editors remain final.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

The peer review process remains as the heart of journal publishing. Below are certain roles and responsibilities the reviewer must follow to maintain the high publication standards of the journal

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Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain strict confidentiality related to the information shared with them in the manuscripts, which may contain data, text, images and videos, Revisers should not share any information from an assigned manuscript with outsiders without the prior permission of the Editor. Reviewer should not retain the data from an assigned manuscript.

Competence: Reviewer with fair expertise should complete the review. Assigned Reviewer with inadequate expertise should feel responsible and may decline if the reviewer presumes that He/she lacks the expertise in the respective field.

Constructive assessment: Reviewer’s comments should appreciate positive aspects of the work, identify the weak areas constructively, and indicate the same to improve the quality of the manuscript. Reviewer should explain and support his or her judgment clearly so that editors and authors can understand the basis of the comments.

The reviewer should ensure that the authors are strictly adhering to the citation of the source of the information. The reviewer should alert the editor if he/she finds the study is already in existence to avoid any duplicate publication.

A reviewer should not use any kind of abusive language while commenting on an article. Judgment of each article should be done without any bias and personal interest by the assigned reviewer.

Impartiality and Integrity: Reviewer’s decision should be made based on the scientific merit and relevance of the study and should be able to examine whether it fits into the scope of the journal rather than the financial, racial, ethnic origin etc., of the authors.

Disclosure of conflict of interest: To the extent feasible, the reviewer should minimize the conflict of interest. In such situation, reviewer should notify the editor describing the conflict of interest. Conduct the review objectively and avoid any personal criticism of the author. Express views clearly with supporting arguments. Inform the Editor of any substantial similarity between the manuscript and any other paper of which they have personal knowledge, whether published or concurrently under review elsewhere. Inform the editor of suspected research misconduct (e.g., data fabrication).

Timeliness and responsiveness: Reviewers should morally abide by the time mentioned to provide the review comments by honouring the deadlines and should respond quickly to the queries raised by the editor if any.

Responsibilities of Editor and Editorial Board

Editor must comply with the policy guidelines provided by the publisher and fulfil the responsibilities bestowed upon them. They have the responsibility to maintain the integrity of the published literature by publishing the errata or corrections, if any when any significant retractions or expressions of concern are identified.

Review process: Editors are responsible for monitoring and ensuring the fairness, timeliness, thoroughness, and civility of the review process. They are responsible for the management of the entire editorial team that comprises panel of experts as reviewers and associate editors. Editors provide timely suggestion to the respective journals for covering the relevant and significant topic essential for the growth of the journal.