Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

JICHI is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. Our ethic statements are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. For detailed procedures regarding plagiarism detection, please refer to our Plagiarism Policy. Regarding corrections, retractions, and withdrawals, JICHI adheres to the specific guidelines outlined in our R-W-C Policy.

A. Duties of Authors

  1. Reporting Standards: Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
  2. Originality and Plagiarism: The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Please refer to our Plagiarism Policy for specific thresholds and handling procedures.
  3. Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication: An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication.
  4. Authorship of the Paper: Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
  5. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
  6. Fundamental Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.

B. Duties of Editors

  1. Publication Decisions: The editor is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.
  2. Fair Play: An editor evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.
  3. Confidentiality: The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

C. Duties of Reviewers

  1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper.
  2. Promptness: Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.
  3. Standards of Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
  4. Acknowledgement of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation.
  5. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

D. Handling of Research Misconduct

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication, or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification, or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the affected work. The journal follows the COPE flowcharts for handling such allegations.

E. Ethical Oversight

E.1 Human and Animal Rights

Since JICHI covers the domain of Health Informatics, many studies may involve human subjects, patient data, or medical records. Authors conducting such research must state that their work was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised in 2013). Approval from a local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Medical Ethics Committee is mandatory for studies involving human participants. The name of the ethics committee and the approval code/reference number must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

E.2 Informed Consent and Privacy

For research involving human participants, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Authors must also ensure complete anonymity and confidentiality of patient data. Any identifying information (names, hospital ID numbers, specific dates) must be removed or masked to protect privacy, complying with standards such as HIPAA (for US data) or GDPR (for EU data), or local equivalent regulations.

E.3 Use of Generative AI

JICHI maintains a strict policy regarding AI tools. Generative AI cannot be listed as an author. Authors must disclose the use of any AI tools for writing or image generation in a dedicated section. For full details on permitted uses and prohibited manipulations, please refer to our separate [Generative AI Policy].

Complaints and Appeals

Authors who wish to appeal a rejection or make a complaint should contact the Editor-in-Chief directly. The journal is committed to addressing all complaints politely, investigating them thoroughly, and responding in a timely manner.