Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal (Pal. Med. Pharm. J.)

Publication Ethics Statement

Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal (PMPJ) trusts its editors, who in turn trust peer reviewers to provide fair assessments. Authors trust editors to select appropriate peer reviewers, and readers place their trust in the peer-review process. To uphold academic publishing standards, all parties must adhere to the following ethical guidelines.

1. Ideas and Expression

Our editors and readers have the right to expect that submitted work is original, has not been plagiarized, and does not breach copyright laws (e.g., reproducing figures or tables without permission where required).

2. Ethical Obligations

The Palestinian Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal (PMPJ) expects authors to uphold the highest ethical standards in research and publication.

2.1 Soundness and Reliability

The research being reported should:

• Be conducted ethically and responsibly, following relevant legislation.
• Be methodologically sound and carefully executed.
• Use appropriate data analysis and display methods.

Authors should:

• Ensure the accuracy of methods and findings at all stages of manuscript preparation.
• Carefully check calculations, data presentations, typescripts, and proofs.

2.2 Honesty

Researchers must:

• Present results truthfully, without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation.
• Avoid modifying research images (e.g., micrographs, X-rays, electrophoresis gels) in a misleading way.
• Follow applicable reporting guidelines.
• Provide sufficient methodological detail to allow replication.
• Accurately report and address problematic data.
• Include all relevant findings, even if they do not support the authors’ hypotheses.
• Alert the editor if errors are discovered post-publication and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions.
• Accurately cite and quote sources, avoiding citation of references they have not read.
• Identify potential hazards associated with the research.

      Special Notes:

• Researchers should not enter agreements allowing sponsors to control or veto publication (except under exceptional security-related circumstances).
• Studies involving human or animal subjects require documented approval from ethics committees and adherence to guidelines, including informed consent where necessary.
• Privately obtained information must not be used without explicit permission.

2.3 Balance

Researchers must:

• Contextualize findings within previous research.
• Ensure reviews and syntheses are complete, balanced, and include contradictory findings.
• Clearly differentiate opinion pieces from scholarly reviews.
• Address study limitations.
• Avoid personal criticisms while welcoming well-supported critiques of work.

2.4 Originality

Authors must:

• Submit original work that has not been published elsewhere without proper citation and acknowledgment.
• Comply with copyright laws, seeking permission for reproduced tables, figures, and extensive quotations.
• Cite and acknowledge previous work accurately, including their own.
• Not misrepresent others' work as their own, ensuring direct quotations are clearly marked.
• Inform editors of prior publications of similar findings or concurrent submissions.

Special Notes:

• Multiple publications from a single project must be clearly identified, with primary publications cited.
• Translations and adaptations must acknowledge the original source and adhere to copyright conventions.
• Authors should not fragment studies unnecessarily to maximize publication count.
• Submitting the same research to multiple journals is prohibited.

3. Respecting Confidentiality

Editors should only consider publishing information and images from individual subjects with explicit consent, except in cases of public health interest where legal or journal ownership guidance must be sought. Technical images must be de-identified before publication.

4. Supplements and Sponsored Publications

For funded publications (e.g., supplements or special issues), the following must be disclosed:

• Conflicts of interest for all contributors (authors, editors, co-editors).
• Acknowledgment of editorial assistance and affiliations.
• Editorial and peer-review processes used, particularly if different from standard journal procedures.
• Editorial board and journal affiliations.

Funded publications must adhere to journal standards. Editorial decisions must remain independent, and funding organizations cannot influence the selection, editing, or review process.

5. Human and Animal Rights

Authors must:

• Ensure compliance with national research standards and ethical approval requirements.
• Provide evidence of ethics committee approvals for human and animal studies.
• Obtain informed consent for human participants.
• Minimize pain or discomfort for animal subjects, detailing animal care procedures.

Editors should:

• Encourage peer reviewers to consider ethical concerns.
• Request additional information from authors if necessary.
• Reject manuscripts if ethical procedures are unclear.
• Use discretion when handling submissions from countries without ethics committees, providing transparency when publishing such manuscripts.
• Protect confidentiality in case studies, avoiding publication of potentially harmful or invasive personal information.

6. Plagiarism and Fabrication

Plagiarism includes using others’ ideas, phrases, or materials without proper acknowledgment. It applies to all sources, including:

• Text, illustrations, images, long quotations, and recordings.
• Content from websites, unpublished materials, lectures, theses, and presentations.

Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin). Suspected cases will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is identified post-publication, corrective actions (correction, restriction, or retraction) will be taken in consultation with the editorial board. We encourage reviewers, editors, and readers to report any suspected plagiarism.