The Journal of Medical Internet Research is a member of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics). The entire publication process from submission, review, to publication in all JMIR Publications manuscripts, adheres to COPE guidance.
Suspected cases of scientific, research, or publication misconduct (e.g., including plagiarism) will be investigated using COPE flowcharts. Authors are expected to review COPE guidelines to ensure their studies and publications adhere to guidance therein.
Research and publication misconduct encompasses unethical behaviors in scholarly research and its publication, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate authorship, and duplicate publications. For example, citation manipulation "involves editors or journal affiliates pressuring authors to include citations from their journal to artificially boost citation rates and impact factors," or alternatively, "behaviors intended to inflate citation counts for personal gain such as excessive self-citation of an authors' own work" according to COPE. Data fabrication involves “making up data or results”; data falsification entails “manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record," according to the US Office of Science and Technology Policy.
JMIR Publications adheres to the Principles of Transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing. How does JMIR Publications adhere to the COPE/OASPA/WAME "Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing"?
In cases involving research integrity or misconduct, JMIR Publications reserves the right to withhold investigation details to protect procedural integrity.
Ethical Issues
JMIR Publications also provides guidance on authorship, retractions, corrigenda, and publishing malpractices (such as misconduct). If it is deemed necessary to publish a corrigendum, expression of concern, or retraction related to a published article, these notices are published in association with the original article; that is, the original article contains a clear indicator of the associated published document. All published articles and notices by JMIR Publications journals are published open access.
In addition, all JMIR Publications journals adhere to the guidelines stated in the WMA Helsinki Declaration and follow relevant COPE flowcharts to investigate possible cases of misconduct. Complex cases may be referred to COPE.
The JMIR Publications Research Integrity Manager is responsible for directing the handling of ethical or potential misconduct issues that may arise before or after manuscript publication. The Scientific Editorial Director can adjudicate or engage appropriate parties to address complaints about journal processes that cannot be resolved internally. Relevant scientific experts, editors, and/or staff may be consulted, informed, or otherwise engaged during investigations of possible cases of misconduct.
Relevant additional links:
- (for authors) Institutional Research Board / Research Ethics Board and Informed Consent
- JMIR's Publication Ethics and Malpractice statement (JMIR website)
- JMIR policy: Ethical Issues and Considerations (JMIR website)
For more information on JMIR Publications' ethics policies, please visit our Knowledge Base (KB), here.
Post-publication review
Reader concerns may be directed to the JMIR Publications Editorial Office at ed-support@jmir.org, with a description of the concern and noting the relevant published manuscript(s).
Readers are advised to refer to COPE guidance on post-publication reviews. JMIR Publications adheres to COPE guidance and the Research Integrity Manager would respond accordingly based on the nature of the issue identified.
Example relevant COPE flowcharts might include:
- Responding to anonymous concerns
- Dealing with concerns about the integrity of published research
- Responding to concerns from complainants who submit multiple issues
- Responding to concerns raised directly
- Responding to concerns raised via social media
- Scientific rigour of published data: dealing with concerns
JMIR Publications recognizes that post-publication debate or discussion may be initiated through submission of a Letter to the Editor, social media posts, or even on independent sites (e.g., PubPeer). While such sites are periodically monitored, readers may contact JMIR Publications staff also through ed-support@jmir.org with attention to the journal Managing Editor or Research Integrity Manager.
Organizations or institutions may contact JMIR Publications staff also through ed-support@jmir.org with attention to the journal Managing Editor or Research Integrity Manager.
Where indicated based on investigations according to COPE guidance, corrigenda, expressions of concern, and/or retractions may be possible editorial actions, if applicable to a particular care.
- How to submit a corrigendum (correction) or addendum
- Procedure for Retractions of Published Articles
Decisions to retract a published article, issued by the Research Integrity team in consultation with and formally acknowledged by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, are final. See: Procedure for Retractions of Published Articles
Conflicts of Interest
A Conflict of Interests section is mandatory for all manuscripts. For further information please read the JMIR Publications Knowledge Base article on How does JMIR define a Conflict of Interest (COI)?
Readers (of published manuscripts) or peer reviewers (of in-review manuscripts) are invited to bring cases of undisclosed COIs in manuscripts to our attention (ed-support@jmir.org). We will follow COPE guidance on investigating and handling such matters:
Plagiarism
According to COPE, plagiarism is defined as “When somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were his/her own and without proper acknowledgment”. JMIR Publications policy on plagiarism is available here: How does JMIR Publications define plagiarism?
Duplicate Material/Publication
(for authors) Policy on submissions already published on another platform, including Proceedings
What should be included in a cover letter?
Peer Review
Unethical behaviors or peer reviewer misconduct would be investigated by JMIR Publications and follow-up actions taken in accordance with COPE guidance.
(for reviewers) How to write a high-quality peer review
Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers (COPE guidance)
See also:
Author Instructions for each journal are also available on each journal website, for example, see: Journal of Medical Internet Research Author Instructions.
How does the editorial oversight process and workflow look like at JMIR journals?
How to submit a corrigendum (correction) or addendum
Procedure for Retractions of Published Articles