PAMA Journal’s Publication Ethics

The Institute Laboratory of Research and Statistics Centre publishes the peer-reviewed Public Health and Medicine Journal (PAMA Journal) publication. PAMA Journal is firmly devoted to respecting publication ethical norms and avoiding all actions that cause publication malpractice to occur. All authors submitting articles to the PAMAJournal for publication as original articles must demonstrate that the submitted material is their own and has not been copied or plagiarized in whole or in part from other articles. Based on Elsevier's Principles and Ethics and COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, this statement has been formulated.

Rules for Journal Publishing Ethics.

Publication of a paper in the peer-reviewed publication PAMA Journal is essential for the growth of a cohesive and valuable knowledge network. This is indicative of the calibre of the authors and the institutions that support them. The scientific method is supported and embodied by peer-reviewed articles. Therefore, it is essential that all parties engaged in the publishing process—authors, journal editors, peer reviewers, publishers, and the general public—agree on ethical behaviour standards.

As the publisher of the PAMA Journal, the Institute Laboratory of Research and Statistical Center executes its custodial obligations over all stages of publication with care and diligence and acknowledges and carries out its ethical and other responsibilities.

Author’s Duties

1. The author of reports on original research must include an accurate description of the work conducted and an objective discussion of its relevance. The underlying data must be accurately presented. Papers must contain enough information and citations for others to reproduce the work. False or deliberately inaccurate statements represent unethical conduct and are unacceptable.
2. Data Access and Retention: Authors are requested to provide raw data pertaining to the paper for editorial review, and must be prepared to provide public access to such data (in accordance with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases) if feasible, and should, within six months of publication, retain such data. In any case, be prepared to preserve such information for a reasonable period of time following publishing.
3. Originality and Plagiarism: The author must guarantee that their work is entirely unique. If the author has used the work or words of another, they must be correctly cited. Plagiarism can take several forms, including 'passing off' another person's paper as one's own, copying or paraphrasing major portions of another person's paper (without acknowledgement), and/or claiming conclusions from research conducted by another person. All forms of plagiarism are unethical and forbidden in publication.
4. Publishing Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent: In general, an author may not publish submissions reporting essentially the same study in more than one primary journal or publication. Sending the same manuscript to multiple journals at once is an unethical and improper publication practice.
5. Source Acknowledgement: The work of others should always be properly acknowledged. Authors should cite influential publications to determine the nature of the work reported.
6. Authorship of Papers: Authorship should be confined to those who have contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. Everyone who has contributed significantly should be listed as a co-author. Others must be acknowledged or listed as contributors when they have contributed to certain substantive areas of a research study. Corresponding authors must ensure that all eligible co-authors are named in the work and that no inappropriate co-authors are included, and that all co-authors have viewed and approved the final version of the paper and approved its submission for publication.
7. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest All authors must state in their article any financial or other substantial conflicts of interest that could be regarded as having an impact on the outcome or interpretation of their manuscript. The disclosure of all sources of financial assistance for the project is required.
8. When an author discovers a fundamental error or inaccuracy in his published work, it is his responsibility to promptly tell the editor of the journal or publisher and collaborate with the editor to retract or correct the paper.
9. Dangers and Human or Animal Subjects: If the work involves chemicals, techniques, or equipment with unusual inherent dangers, the author must fully describe them in the text.

Editor's Duties

1. A paper is always evaluated based on its intellectual content, regardless of the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic background, nationality, or political ideology.
2. Confidentiality: The editor and editorial staff are prohibited from disclosing any information regarding submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the relevant authors, reviewers, prospective reviewers, other editorial advisers, and publisher, as applicable.
3. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest: Unpublished material revealed in a submitted paper may not be used in an editor's own study without the author's explicit written permission.
4. The editorial board of a journal is responsible for determining which of the articles submitted for publication will be published. The validity of the work and its significance to researchers and readers should always be the driving force behind such choices. The policies of the journal's editorial board and applicable legal requirements involving defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism may lead editors. The editor may consult with other editors or reviewers before deciding.
5. Review of Manuscripts The editor must ensure that each manuscript is initially assessed for originality. Editors must organize and employ peer review with fairness and prudence. In the material for authors, editors should describe their peer review procedure and indicate which sections of the journal are peer-reviewed. Editors should employ qualified peer reviewers for articles under consideration for publication, selecting individuals with sufficient competence and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Reviewer’s Duties

1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions: Peer review aids editors in making editorial decisions, and through editorial discussion with authors, it can also aid authors in enhancing their articles.
2. Accuracy: Any short-listed reviewer who feels unqualified to evaluate the research provided in a paper or is aware that a speedy evaluation is not possible must notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.
3. Objective Standards: Reviews must be handled objectively. Personal attacks on the author are improper. Reviewers must articulate their opinions clearly, logically, and with citations to back them.
4. Confidentiality: All submitted manuscripts must be handled as confidential documents. Unless granted permission by the editor, they may neither exhibit nor discuss the information.
5. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: Confidential information or ideas gained through peer review must be kept confidential and not exploited for personal gain. Reviewers should not evaluate manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest due to competition, collaboration, or other relationships or associations with the paper's author, company, or institution.
6. Acknowledgment of Sources: Reviewers should identify relevant published work that the authors have not cited. Any claim that an observation, derivation, or argument has previously been reported must be accompanied by an appropriate citation. Reviewers should also bring to the editor's attention any notable parallels or overlaps between the submitted article and previously published works of which they are personally aware.

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