JBMH is committed to meeting and upholding standards of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process. We follow closely the industry associations, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), that set standards and provide guidelines for best practices in order to meet these requirements.

This section is designed to help everyone engaged in the journal publication process; namely, editors, authors, and manuscript reviewers and referees.  

We are confident that unambiguous and consistent guidelines will enhance the quality of published research, and ensure a process is in place to respond to a situation where ethics may have been transgressed.

Editors

We ask editors to make every reasonable effort to ensure the following criteria are taken into account for those submitted manuscripts they deem worthy of consideration by peer review.

1. Unbiased consideration should be given to each manuscript, judging each on its merits without regard to the race, religion, nationality, sex, seniority, or institutional affiliation of the author.
2. Manuscripts should be dealt with and processed with reasonable speed and efficiency.
3. Editors have sole responsibility for the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. While an editor may seek guidance via peer review, she or he may reject a manuscript without review if considered inappropriate for the journal.
4. The peer-review process must be confidential and rendered anonymous.
5. Conflicts of interest must be declared.
6. If an editor receives a challenge to the authenticity of a published article, she or he will consult with INS Journals, and where appropriate members of the editorial board, in confidence. Where the editor and INS Journals subsequently secure evidence that authenticity has been compromised, in any of the following ways – the main substance of a published article is erroneous; the article contains material which has not been properly acknowledged or cited; the article’s authorship is incorrect or incomplete; or the article contains a libel – the editor and USS Journals will facilitate publication of an appropriate correction, a Statement of Retraction, or, in extremis, the withdrawal and removal of the article.

Authors

1. Authors must present an accurate account of the research performed, and offer an objective discussion of its significance.
2. The article must contain sufficient detail and reference to public sources of information to permit the author’s peers to repeat the work.
3. Authors must cite all relevant references.
4. Authors must identify any hazards inherent in conducting the research.
5. Authors must declare conflicts of interest.
6. Authors must avoid fragmenting research to maximize the number of articles submitted.
7. Authors must not submit the same or similar articles to any other journal or publication medium.
8. While an experimental or theoretical study may sometimes justify criticism of the work of another scientist, in no circumstances is personal criticism appropriate.
9. “Co-authors” are defined as any person who has made a significant scientific contribution to the work reported, and who shares responsibility and accountability for the results.

We require that, prior to publication; authors sign a set of warranties to these effects via a Copyright Transfer Form. If appropriate, authors should also ensure that patient consent is sort and granted.

Referees and Peer Reviewers

We ask referees and peer reviewers to make every reasonable effort to ensure the following criteria are taken into account for those submitted manuscripts they have agreed to peer review:

1. without regard to the race, religion, nationality, sex, seniority, or institutional affiliation of the author.
2. Manuscripts should be dealt with and processed with reasonable speed and efficiency.
3. The quality of the manuscript, and its experimental and theoretical work, its interpretations, and its exposition, will be judged objectively.
4. The peer-review process will be kept confidential.
5. Conflicts of interest must be declared.
6. Referees’ judgments must be explained and supported. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported must be accompanied by the relevant citation, and unsupported assertions must be avoided.
7. While the review of a manuscript may justify criticism, even severe criticism, under no circumstances is personal or malicious criticism of the author appropriate or acceptable.

Post-publication correction policy

The moment an article is published (even if only online) it enters the scientific literature as the “version of scholarly record” and becomes a fixed-state document available for citation by other journal articles. In consequence, INS Journals does not allow amendments to articles after publication, other than by means of publishing an erratum or corrigendum.

If journal articles were to become subject to continued revision after initial publication they would no longer play the role of “the minutes of science”, which capture the authors’ conclusions at a specific point of time. 

There are some exceptions to this rule; particularly cases where we may consider it permissible to correct errors in an Early Online/Online First (ahead of print) article prior to its publication in a print issue. Examples include:

1. Spelling errors in the article metadata may be corrected, for example author names, article title or keywords.
2. Updates to the corresponding author’s contact information if it has changed since submission (although the affiliation line should still reflect the author’s institution at the point of submission).
3. Poor resolution or black & white figures may be replaced by high resolution or colour versions of the same graphic.
4. “In press” references can be updated with the final citation information.

Significant changes to Early Online articles will normally be accompanied by a Notice of Correction at the end of the reference section detailing post-publication amendments.

Once an article appears in an issue, the option for further amendments is closed off entirely and details such as the corresponding author’s contact information or “in press” reference citations are locked down permanently.

PEER REVIEW-

• Peer Review Policy – JBMH employ a rigorous peer-review process to confirm the
  validity and ensure scientific accuracy of published articles. Independent
  researchers with relevant expertise assess submitted manuscripts to help
  journal editors determine whether a manuscript should be published in their
  journal.
• Peer Review Type – Journal of Bones & Muscles Health uses a double-blind peer review system where the reviewers do not know the names of the authors, and the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript.
• Peer Review Process – The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board ensure a thorough and fair peer-review process with the highest scientific publishing standards. The editorial office performs preliminary checks on submitted manuscripts to ensure compliance with submission guidelines, editorial policies and ethical standards. After completion of internal checks, each submission is assessed by the Editor-in-Chief who decides whether to proceed with peer review and may assign a suitable handling Editor (Associate Editor, Editorial Board Member or Guest Editor). Handling Editors guide the peer-review process for manuscripts within their areas of expertise with the help of reviewers who are well qualified and up-to-date on the subject matter and/or methodology. All articles, except for Editorials and some Correspondence articles, are externally peer reviewed, typically by at least two individuals with expertise in the manuscript content area and/or research methods, before a final decision is made about acceptance for publication.

United Scientific Solutions (USS) has a transparent publications policy and adheres in principle to the Conflict of Interest policy recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). INS Journals  does not discriminate on the basis of the source of material submitted, provided full disclosure is provided and appropriate declaration of interest statements and acknowledgments are included in published manuscripts. Thus, we require that authors/submitters include comprehensive ‘Declaration of Interest’ and ‘Acknowledgements’ sections in submitted articles. All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. It is the sole responsibility of authors to disclose any affiliation with any organization with a financial interest, direct or indirect, in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (such as consultancies, employment, paid expert testimony, honoraria, speakers bureaus, retainers, stock options or ownership, patents or patent applications or travel grants) that may affect the conduct or reporting of the work submitted. All sources of funding for research are to be explicitly stated. If uncertain as to what might be considered a potential conflict of interest, authors should err on the side of full disclosure.

More specifically, we request for the following:

• All relevant potential conflicts of interest for each named author and/or a statement of no- conflicts if there are none relevant to the contents of the article for any author(s).
• Disclosure of how the article is funded, and specifically, the disclosure of any and all pharmaceutical company funding (partial or total) OR a statement that there was no involvement of a pharmaceutical/other company (if this is the case).
• Comprehensive explanation of the role of the sponsors in article preparation (if the article is sponsored in part or whole).
• Disclosure of any medical writing/editorial assistance with the preparation of the article (the medical communication agency and the individuals involved need to be named).

INS Journals also strictly requires that all individuals who meet authorship criteria as per ICMJE requirements are included as authors on an article.

Contributions from individuals who do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged in the ‘Acknowledgments’ section. This should include details (with professional affiliations) of any other contributor ship, such as data analysis, statistics, data collection, technical assistance, special thanks, personal assistance, and dedications.

The ‘Declaration of Interest’ and ‘Acknowledgements’ sections will be made available to reviewers and will appear in the published article. Please note that the Editor(s) or Publisher can make or suggest changes to these statements where necessary. If any potential conflicts of interest are found to have been withheld following publication, the journal will proceed according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

The intent of this policy is not to prevent authors with any particular relationship or interest from publishing their work, but rather to adopt transparency such that reviewers, editors, the publisher, and most importantly, readers can make objective judgements concerning the work product.

Once published, the article will be made free to read and reuse upon publication under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY NC) license 4.0

The published article can be distributed under the terms of the Creative Common Attribution License (CC BY NC). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permissions / Conflict of Interest policy / Copyright

Articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY- NC) license 4.0, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Copyright of Material

As the author of your manuscript, you are responsible for obtaining permissions to use material owned by others. Since the permission-seeking process can be time-consuming, it is wise to request permission as soon as possible.

United Scientific Solutions (USS) has a transparent publications policy and adheres in principle to the Conflict of Interest policy recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). INS Journals  does not discriminate on the basis of the source of material submitted, provided full disclosure is provided and appropriate declaration of interest statements and acknowledgments are included in published manuscripts. Thus, we require that authors/submitters include comprehensive ‘Declaration of Interest’ and ‘Acknowledgements’ sections in submitted articles. All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. It is the sole responsibility of authors to disclose any affiliation with any organization with a financial interest, direct or indirect, in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (such as consultancies, employment, paid expert testimony, honoraria, speakers bureaus, retainers, stock options or ownership, patents or patent applications or travel grants) that may affect the conduct or reporting of the work submitted. All sources of funding for research are to be explicitly stated. If uncertain as to what might be considered a potential conflict of interest, authors should err on the side of full disclosure.

More specifically, we request for the following:

• All relevant potential conflicts of interest for each named author and/or a statement of no- conflicts if there are none relevant to the contents of the article for any author(s).
• Disclosure of how the article is funded, and specifically, the disclosure of any and all pharmaceutical company funding (partial or total) OR a statement that there was no involvement of a pharmaceutical/other company (if this is the case).
• Comprehensive explanation of the role of the sponsors in article preparation (if the article is sponsored in part or whole).
• Disclosure of any medical writing/editorial assistance with the preparation of the article (the medical communication agency and the individuals involved need to be named).

INS Journals also strictly requires that all individuals who meet authorship criteria as per ICMJE requirements are included as authors on an article.

Contributions from individuals who do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged in the ‘Acknowledgments’ section. This should include details (with professional affiliations) of any other contributor ship, such as data analysis, statistics, data collection, technical assistance, special thanks, personal assistance, and dedications.

The ‘Declaration of Interest’ and ‘Acknowledgements’ sections will be made available to reviewers and will appear in the published article. Please note that the Editor(s) or Publisher can make or suggest changes to these statements where necessary. If any potential conflicts of interest are found to have been withheld following publication, the journal will proceed according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance.

The intent of this policy is not to prevent authors with any particular relationship or interest from publishing their work, but rather to adopt transparency such that reviewers, editors, the publisher, and most importantly, readers can make objective judgements concerning the work product.

Once published, the article will be made free to read and reuse upon publication under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY NC) license 4.0

The published article can be distributed under the terms of the Creative Common Attribution License (CC BY NC). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permissions / Conflict of Interest policy / Copyright

Articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY- NC) license 4.0, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Copyright of Material

As the author of your manuscript, you are responsible for obtaining permissions to use material owned by others. Since the permission-seeking process can be time-consuming, it is wise to request permission as soon as possible.