PUBLICATION ETHIC

1. Ethical Standards

Media Husada Journal of Nursing Sciences (MHJNS) is committed to maintaining ethical standards and research integrity in scholarly publishing. The journal is guided by the principles and recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

All authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to uphold honesty, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and respect for research participants. Manuscripts must comply with applicable research ethics requirements and the journal's editorial policies.

MHJNS does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate authorship, undisclosed competing interests, or other forms of research and publication misconduct.

2. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical conduct of the work they submit to MHJNS.

Authors must:

Originality and exclusive submission. Submit original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal at the same time. Any relevant prior publication, preprint, conference abstract, or overlapping work must be disclosed to the editor.
Citation and plagiarism. Properly acknowledge the ideas, words, data, images, and other materials obtained from other sources. Plagiarism and inappropriate reuse of previously published material are unacceptable.
Research integrity. Report research methods, data, and findings accurately. Fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation of images or data, and selective reporting that misrepresents the findings are prohibited.
Authorship criteria. Ensure that all listed authors meet the four ICMJE authorship criteria described in Section 3 below. Individuals who do not meet all four criteria should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged for their contributions, where appropriate.
Ethical approval and informed consent. Provide accurate information about research ethics approval, informed consent, and other applicable ethical requirements for studies involving human participants, identifiable personal data, or animals.
Disclosure of competing interests. Declare relevant financial and non-financial relationships or activities that could influence, or be perceived to influence, the research or its interpretation.
Funding transparency. Disclose the sources of funding and explain the role of funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit the work for publication, as applicable.
Corrections and accountability. Cooperate with the editor in responding to questions about the manuscript and promptly notify the journal if a significant error is identified after publication.
Use of artificial intelligence. Disclose the use of AI-assisted tools when required by the journal's policy. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, proper attribution, and integrity of all submitted content.
No simultaneous submission. Do not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it is being considered by MHJNS.

3. Authorship Criteria and Contributorship

MHJNS follows the authorship criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authorship is based on substantial intellectual contributions to the work and entails responsibility and accountability for the published content.

Authorship Criteria

To qualify as an author, an individual must meet all four of the following criteria:

Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
Draft the manuscript or critically revise it for important intellectual content.
Approve the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals designated as authors must meet all four criteria. All contributors who meet these criteria must be identified as authors and given the opportunity to participate in the manuscript preparation, critical revision, and final approval processes.

Non-Author Contributors

Individuals who contribute to the work but do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. Contributions such as funding acquisition, general supervision, administrative support, language editing, and proofreading do not independently qualify an individual for authorship. Such contributions may be appropriately acknowledged, with permission from the individuals concerned.

Author Contributions and Order of Authorship

All authors should agree on the author list and the order in which their names appear before manuscript submission. The order of authorship should be determined collectively by the authors based on their respective contributions. MHJNS encourages transparent disclosure of individual author contributions.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the editorial office throughout the submission, peer-review, and publication processes. The corresponding author must ensure that all authors have approved the final manuscript, agreed to the author list and author order, and provided the required declarations and disclosures. The corresponding author should also remain available to respond to editorial inquiries after publication.

Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove, or rearrange authors after manuscript submission must be supported by a clear explanation and written agreement from all authors involved, including any author being added or removed. MHJNS reserves the right to suspend the editorial process while such requests are being assessed. Suspected authorship disputes or inappropriate authorship practices will be handled in accordance with applicable Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

Authorship Accountability

All authors share responsibility for the integrity of the published work. Each author should understand their own contribution and have confidence in the integrity of the contributions made by their co-authors. Authorship must not be granted solely on the basis of position, seniority, institutional affiliation, or financial support.

4. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosure

A conflict of interest, also referred to as a competing interest, may arise when financial or non-financial relationships or activities could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, professional judgment concerning a manuscript.

Authors must disclose relevant competing interests, including employment, consultancies, honoraria, research funding, intellectual property interests, personal relationships, academic competition, or other interests relevant to the submitted work.

Funding sources must be identified clearly. Authors should also state whether funders had any role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or the decision to submit the manuscript. If funders had no such involvement, this should be stated where applicable.

Reviewers must disclose relationships or activities that could compromise their impartiality and decline a review assignment when a relevant conflict cannot be appropriately managed. Editors must recuse themselves from decisions in which their own competing interests could compromise their judgment and arrange for an independent editor to handle the manuscript.

Disclosure of a competing interest does not automatically disqualify a manuscript from publication. The information will be evaluated to determine whether it requires editorial management or disclosure to readers.

MHJNS may request a completed conflict-of-interest disclosure form or additional documentation when necessary.

5. Research Ethics and Protection of Participants

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable laws, regulations, and recognized ethical standards, including the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki where relevant.

Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board when required. The manuscript should identify the approving body and provide the approval reference number where applicable. Authors must be prepared to provide supporting documentation if requested by the editor.

Informed consent must be obtained from participants or their legally authorized representatives, as appropriate, unless a valid waiver has been granted by an authorized ethics committee in accordance with applicable requirements.

For research involving children or other participants requiring additional protection, authors must comply with applicable requirements for parental or legally authorized representative permission and participant assent, where appropriate.

Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants. Identifiable information, photographs, or other materials that could reveal a participant's identity must not be published without appropriate consent and a legitimate scientific justification.

Research involving animals must comply with applicable legislation and recognized standards for animal welfare. Authors must provide relevant information regarding ethical approval when required.

The editor may request clarification or supporting documents and may reject a manuscript if compliance with relevant ethical requirements cannot be established.

6. Publication Misconduct

MHJNS considers research and publication misconduct a serious breach of publication ethics. Misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

Plagiarism: Presenting another person's words, ideas, data, or materials as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment.
Duplicate or redundant publication: Publishing substantially overlapping work without appropriate disclosure or justification.
Data fabrication: Inventing data or research results.
Data falsification: Manipulating research materials, data, images, or results in a way that misrepresents the findings.
Improper authorship: Listing individuals who do not qualify as authors, omitting eligible contributors, or manipulating authorship without appropriate agreement.
Undisclosed competing interests: Deliberately failing to disclose relevant relationships or activities.
Manipulation of peer review: Attempting to influence the review process through false reviewer identities, fabricated information, or other improper means.

Manuscripts may undergo similarity screening as part of the editorial assessment. Similarity scores are considered alongside the nature, source, and context of the matching material; a similarity score alone does not establish plagiarism.

When potential misconduct is identified, MHJNS may request an explanation or supporting evidence, suspend the editorial process, reject the manuscript, or take other appropriate action. Serious concerns may be referred to the relevant institution or other appropriate body. If misconduct is identified after publication, the journal may issue a correction, an expression of concern, or a retraction, depending on the circumstances.

7. Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are evaluated fairly, objectively, and confidentially. Editorial decisions must be based on scientific quality, originality, relevance to the journal's scope, ethical compliance, and the applicable peer review process.

Editors must:

Evaluate manuscripts without discrimination based on the authors' personal characteristics, nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, political beliefs, seniority, or institutional affiliation.
Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and editorial communications.
Manage competing interests and ensure that manuscripts are handled independently when an editor has a relevant conflict of interest.
Consider reviewer recommendations objectively and make independent editorial decisions.
Investigate credible concerns about research or publication misconduct in accordance with relevant ethical guidance.
Handle complaints and appeals fairly and confidentially.
Take appropriate action to correct the scholarly record when significant errors or ethical violations are identified.
Protect editorial independence from inappropriate commercial, institutional, or personal influence.

8. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must provide objective, constructive, and timely assessments of manuscripts within their expertise.

Reviewers must:

Maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and review materials.
Disclose competing interests and decline assignments when impartiality may be compromised.
Identify relevant published work that has not been cited and alert the editor to potential plagiarism, duplicate publication, or other research integrity concerns.
Avoid using unpublished information obtained through peer review for personal or professional advantage.
Provide respectful, evidence-based comments and avoid personal criticism of authors.
Not disclose or distribute manuscript content without appropriate authorization.

MHJNS applies a double-blind peer review process. Authors and reviewers must respect the confidentiality and anonymity required by this process.

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools and chatbots cannot be listed as authors or co-authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of scholarly work.

Authors who use AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation or other relevant research activities must disclose such use in accordance with the journal's policy. Authors remain fully responsible for verifying AI-generated content, ensuring the accuracy of citations and factual statements, protecting confidential information, and avoiding plagiarism or misrepresentation.

Editors and reviewers must protect confidential manuscript information. They must not upload manuscripts or review materials to AI tools or external systems where confidentiality cannot be assured. AI tools must not replace the independent judgment and accountability required for editorial decisions and peer review.

10. Complaints, Appeals, and Corrections

MHJNS takes complaints, appeals, and allegations of research or publication misconduct seriously.

Authors may appeal an editorial decision by submitting a reasoned explanation and relevant supporting information through the journal's official communication channels. Appeals will be evaluated by the editor or an appropriately designated independent editor.

Complaints about editorial conduct, peer review, or publication ethics will be assessed fairly and confidentially. Where necessary, the journal may request further information, consult appropriate advisers, or refer the matter to the relevant institution.

If a published article contains a significant error or raises credible concerns about its integrity, MHJNS will assess whether a correction, expression of concern, or retraction is necessary. Any action will be documented transparently to preserve the accuracy and traceability of the scholarly record.

11. Retraction, Corrections, and Expressions of Concern

MHJNS is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record and follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling concerns regarding published articles.

Retraction

MHJNS may retract a published article if there is clear evidence of unreliable findings, significant errors, plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, serious research ethics violations, redundant publication, or other forms of misconduct that compromise the integrity of the article.

Corrections

Corrections may be published when errors or omissions are identified in a published article but do not invalidate its main findings or conclusions. Corrections will be clearly identified and linked to the original article.

Expressions of Concern

MHJNS may publish an expression of concern when credible questions arise regarding the integrity or reliability of a published article, but further investigation or evidence is required before a final decision can be made.

Editorial Procedure

The Editor-in-Chief will assess the available evidence, provide the authors with an opportunity to respond, and determine the appropriate editorial action in accordance with COPE guidance. Retraction notices, corrections, and expressions of concern will be published transparently and linked to the original article, as appropriate. Retracted articles will generally remain accessible but will be clearly marked as retracted to preserve the scholarly record.

12. Publisher's Responsibility

The publisher supports the journal's publication operations while respecting editorial independence. The publisher must not interfere with editorial decisions concerning the scientific quality, ethical compliance, or suitability of manuscripts for publication.

The publisher and editorial team share responsibility for maintaining transparent policies, protecting confidential information, and supporting appropriate action when research or publication misconduct is suspected.