1. Editorial Policies

IJMRI follows a transparent, fair, and rigorous editorial policy to ensure the publication of high-quality scholarly research. Key principles include:

• Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are based solely on the academic merit, originality, relevance, clarity, and methodological rigor of the manuscript. Decisions are made without discrimination and are free from commercial, institutional, or personal influence.
• Structured Editorial Process: All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening to assess scope, format, and ethical compliance, followed by double-blind peer review.
• Transparency: Authors are informed of editorial decisions and reviewer feedback at each stage of the review process.
• Integrity and Accountability: The editorial team ensures originality, ethical compliance, proper citation practices, and adherence to scholarly standards.
• Independence from Commercial Influence: Advertising, sponsorship, or financial considerations do not influence editorial decisions.

2. Plagiarism Policy

IJMRI maintains a strict policy against plagiarism and unethical similarity. All manuscripts are screened using industry-standard plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate or equivalent tools). The journal checks for:

• Direct plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Mosaic plagiarism
• Data plagiarism
• Redundant or duplicate publication

Acceptable Similarity Index: ≤10–15% (excluding references).

Any manuscript exceeding the limit or showing unethical similarity patterns will be rejected or returned for correction. Serious violations will result in blacklisting the authors for future submissions.

3. Peer Review Policy

IJMRI follows a double-blind peer-review system, ensuring anonymity of both authors and reviewers. The peer-review process includes:

1. Initial editorial screening for scope, formatting, and ethical compliance.
2. Assignment to two or more subject experts.
3. Evaluation based on originality, significance, methodology, clarity, and contribution to the field.
4. Sharing of reviewer comments with authors.
5. Revision rounds (minor or major revisions, as required).
6. Final decision by the Editor-in-Chief.

Additional reviewers may be appointed in cases involving methodological complexity or potential conflicts of interest. Manipulation of the peer-review process, including the use of fabricated reviewer identities, is strictly prohibited.

4. Conflicts of Interest (COI)

All participants in the publication process must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence objectivity.

• Authors: Must disclose financial, institutional, personal, or professional relationships that may influence their work.
• Reviewers: Must decline review assignments where conflicts exist.
• Editors: Must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts.

All disclosures are treated confidentially and managed in accordance with ethical standards.

5. Retraction, Correction, and Post-Publication Actions

IJMRI may take post-publication actions in cases of:

• Proven plagiarism.
• Fabricated, falsified, or manipulated data
• Unethical research practices
• Duplicate publication
• Authors’ failure to disclose major conflicts of interest
• Significant methodological errors affecting conclusions

• Retraction
• Corrigendum
• Erratum
• Editorial note
• Expression of concern

Retracted articles remain accessible with a clear and transparent retraction notice to preserve the scholarly record.

6. Policy on In-House Manuscript Submissions

IJMRI permits manuscript submissions from:

• Editors
• Reviewers
• Members of the editorial board

To ensure fairness and transparency:

• Such manuscripts are handled by a guest editor or external editor with no affiliation to the authors.
• The peer-review process remains strictly double-blind.
• Editorial board members are excluded from all decision-making related to their own submissions.
• Full conflict of interest disclosure is mandatory.

7. Ethical Oversight and Research Integrity

a. Allegations of Misconduct

IJMRI investigates allegations of misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, authorship manipulation, or unethical research practices. Investigations are conducted in accordance with COPE procedures. Outcomes may include rejection, correction, retraction, or other appropriate actions.

b. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship is limited to individuals who meet all of the following criteria:

• Significant intellectual contribution to the research
• Drafting or critically revising the manuscript
• Approval of the final version
• Accountability for all aspects of the work

Guest authorship, gift authorship, and ghostwriting are strictly prohibited. A contributorship statement is required for all submissions.
A contributorship statement must accompany each submission.

c. Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions with valid justification. Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing a justified written explanation. Complaints related to editorial handling, peer review quality, or ethical concerns are reviewed impartially by the editorial board

d. Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose conflicts that could influence objectivity. Undisclosed conflicts may result in rejection or retraction.

e. Data Integrity and Reproducibility

Authors must:

• Ensure transparency in research methodology
• Provide access to raw data upon reasonable request
• Maintain research data and records for at least five years after publication
• Follow principles of reproducible research

f. Ethical Approval for Human Research

Research involving human participants, surveys, interviews, or sensitive data must include:

• An ethical approval statement from a recognized Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC)
• Details of informed consent, where applicable

g. Intellectual Property Rights

Authors must ensure they hold the necessary rights for all content used in their manuscripts. Permission must be obtained for any copyrighted text, figures, tables, or datasets included in the submission.

h. Journal Management and Confidentiality

IJMRI ensures:

• Clearly defined editorial roles and responsibilities
• Structured and documented editorial workflows
• Protection of personal data and confidentiality
• Periodic review of editorial performance

i. Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections

Readers may report errors, ethical concerns, or replication issues. The journal will investigate and publish appropriate actions, including corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions. The journal will publish:

• Corrections
• Clarifications
• Expressions of concern
• Retractions

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools

Authors must disclose the use of AI-assisted tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, or image-generation tools) in manuscript preparation. AI tools may be used only for language editing or formatting support and must not be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the content. The use of AI for data fabrication, image manipulation, or generation of misleading content is strictly prohibited.

9. Data Availability Statement

All research articles must include a Data Availability Statement specifying whether the supporting data are:

• Available in a public repository
• Available upon reasonable request
• Not applicable

Failure to provide data when reasonably requested may result in rejection or post-publication action.

10. Copyright, Licensing, and Archiving

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain the copyright of their work and grant IJMRI the right to publish the article. Licensing terms (e.g., Creative Commons licenses) are clearly stated on the journal website.

Archiving and Preservation

IJMRI ensures long-term digital preservation and accessibility of published content through secure archiving and backup mechanisms.

11. Responsibilities of Stakeholders

a. Editors

• Ensure fair, unbiased, and timely editorial decisions
• Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts
• Select qualified reviewers
• Address ethical complaints promptly
• Uphold publication integrity

b. Authors

• Submit original, unpublished work
• Accurately report data and methods
• Cite sources appropriately
• Disclose conflicts of interest
• Adhere to ethical standards
• Avoid simultaneous or duplicate submissions

c. Reviewers

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews
• Maintain confidentiality
• Declare conflicts of interest
• Identify ethical and methodological issues

d. Publisher

• Support editorial independence
• Ensure long-term content accessibility
• Maintain transparency on the journal website
• Prevent commercial influence on editorial decisions
• Assist in investigations of misconduct

12. Sanctions and Penalties

a. Duplicate Submission

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals simultaneously is unethical. Consequences may include:

• Immediate rejection
• Temporary restriction on future submissions

b. Duplicate Publication

Publishing substantially similar content in multiple venues without proper disclosure is unethical. Consequences may include:

• Retraction of the published article
• Long-term or permanent restriction on future submissions

In cases of serious and substantiated misconduct, relevant institutions or bodies may be informed in accordance with COPE guidelines.

This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is periodically reviewed and updated to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.