Conflict of interest, human and animal rights, and informed consent
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST/ COMPETING INTERESTS
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest.
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Authors: Must declare funding sources, sponsorships, and personal/professional relationships that could bias the work.
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Reviewers: Must decline assignments where conflicts exist.
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Editors: Recuse themselves from decisions where conflicts are present.
Conflicts may include financial interests, personal relationships, institutional affiliations, or competing research.
Authorship & Contributions Policy
JAHM follows the ICMJE criteria for authorship:
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Substantial contribution to study conception/design, data collection, or analysis.
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Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
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Final approval of the version to be published.
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Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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Contributors not meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged.
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Ghostwriting and guest authorship are strictly prohibited.
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Author contribution statements (CRediT taxonomy) must be included.
HUMAN AND ANIMAL RIGHTS
- Human Rights
- Ethics Approval: All research involving human participants must receive prior approval from an ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB).
- Informed Consent: Participants must give voluntary, informed consent, understanding the risks, benefits, and purpose of the research.
- Protection of Privacy: Researchers must ensure confidentiality and protect the privacy of participants.
- Clinical trials must be registered in recognized registries (e.g., CTRI, ClinicalTrials.gov).
- Animal Rights
- Ethics Approval: Research involving animals must be approved by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or similar body.
- Animal research must comply with CPCSEA or equivalent guidelines.
- Humane Treatment: Animals must be treated ethically, minimizing pain and distress, and using alternatives to animal testing whenever possible.
- Compliance with Guidelines: Research should follow international guidelines like the Animal Welfare Act or the principles of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement).
- Journal Oversight
- Ethics Statements: Manuscripts must include statements confirming ethics approval for both human and animal studies.
- Editorial Review: Editors ensure that studies meet ethical standards and may reject papers that lack proper ethical compliance.
INFORMED CONSENT
- Consent Requirement: Studies involving humans must obtain informed consent and ethics board approval.
- Disclosure: Researchers must explain the study’s purpose, risks, and confidentiality measures clearly.
- Documentation: Written consent is required; special safeguards apply for vulnerable populations.
- Publication Consent: Explicit consent is needed for publishing identifiable information.
- Journal Oversight: Editors ensure manuscripts include proper ethical and consent documentation.