Qubahan Journal of Medical Sciences is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, research integrity, transparency, and accountability.

The journal's policies are informed by internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly and medical publishing.

Originality and plagiarism

Manuscripts must represent original scholarly work.

Plagiarism, including unattributed copying of text, ideas, data, figures, images, or other material, is prohibited.

Similarity-detection software may be used as an editorial screening tool.

A numerical similarity score alone does not determine plagiarism. Editors evaluate the nature, source, extent, and context of textual overlap.

Fabrication and falsification

Fabrication or falsification of data, research procedures, results, participant information, citations, images, or other scholarly content constitutes serious misconduct.

Image integrity

Images must accurately represent the original data.

Image manipulation that obscures, removes, fabricates, or misrepresents scientific information is prohibited.

Original files may be requested during editorial assessment or investigation.

Duplicate publication

Authors must not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals.

Substantial republication of previously published work without proper disclosure, justification, permission, and citation is prohibited.

Authorship

Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution and accountability.

Guest authorship, honorary authorship, gift authorship, and ghost authorship are prohibited.

Human research

Research involving human participants, identifiable data, tissue, biological samples, or medical records must have appropriate ethics approval or documented exemption.

The manuscript must report the ethics committee or Institutional Review Board and approval/reference number where applicable.

Informed consent

Appropriate informed consent must be obtained from research participants where required.

Additional safeguards should be applied to vulnerable populations.

Consent for publication

Identifiable photographs, medical images, case information, or personal information must not be published without appropriate consent where identification is reasonably possible.

Animal research

Animal research must have appropriate institutional or national ethical approval and comply with recognized animal-welfare standards.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials must comply with applicable registration and reporting requirements.

Conflicts of interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial and non-financial interests that may influence or reasonably appear to influence their judgment.

Funding

All sources of financial and material support must be disclosed.

Data integrity

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their research data.

Research articles should contain a Data availability statement.

Research misconduct

Credible concerns involving plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, unethical research, inappropriate image manipulation, authorship misconduct, peer-review manipulation, citation manipulation, undisclosed conflicts, or other serious misconduct will be investigated.

Possible outcomes include:

• No further action
• Manuscript rejection
• Correction
• Expression of concern
• Retraction
• Notification of relevant institutions or authorities where justified

Investigations are based on available evidence and appropriate procedural fairness.