Ethics & Research Integrity

Impact Health Publishing Group is committed to maintaining high standards of ethical conduct and research integrity across all journals in its portfolio. Ethical publishing is fundamental to the credibility of the scholarly record, the protection of research participants, and the trust placed in academic communication by clinicians, researchers, and the wider public.

The publisher’s ethics and research integrity framework is aligned with internationally recognised guidance, including the principles articulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and relevant international standards governing biomedical research. These principles inform the policies and procedures applied consistently across all journals published by Impact Health Publishing Group.

Research ethics and regulatory compliance

Research submitted to journals published by Impact Health Publishing Group is expected to comply with applicable ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements. This includes review and approval by an appropriate institutional review board, research ethics committee, or equivalent authority where required.

For studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that research was conducted in accordance with recognised ethical standards and that informed consent was obtained where applicable. For research involving animals, authors must confirm compliance with institutional, national, and international guidelines for animal welfare and ethical use.

Editors may request documentation of ethical approval, consent processes, or regulatory compliance as part of the editorial assessment and reserve the right to reject submissions that do not demonstrate adequate ethical oversight.

Authorship and contributorship

Authorship is expected to reflect substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported work. Journals published by Impact Health Publishing Group apply authorship principles consistent with internationally accepted standards.

All listed authors must approve the final version of the manuscript prior to submission and agree to be accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the work. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately. Disputes regarding authorship or contributorship are addressed in accordance with recognised ethical guidance and, where appropriate, referred to authors’ institutions for investigation and resolution.

Conflicts of interest and transparency

Authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived to influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of research. Declared conflicts of interest are assessed by editors as part of the editorial decision-making process and are disclosed in published articles where relevant. Transparency regarding funding sources, institutional affiliations, and relevant relationships is considered an essential component of responsible scholarly publishing. Failure to disclose relevant conflicts of interest may result in corrective action, including publication of corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions where appropriate.

Data integrity, availability, and reproducibility

Authors are expected to present research data honestly, accurately, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation. The selective reporting or omission of relevant findings is considered inconsistent with responsible research practice.

Where appropriate, authors should provide access to underlying data or include data availability statements describing how supporting data can be accessed. Editors may request raw data, protocols, or supporting materials where concerns arise regarding data integrity or reproducibility. Concerns relating to data reliability are assessed carefully and may result in editorial action to protect the integrity of the published record.

Plagiarism and redundant publication

Manuscripts submitted to journals published by Impact Health Publishing Group are expected to represent original work that has not been published elsewhere in a substantially similar form. Plagiarism, including unattributed use of others’ work or inappropriate reuse of an author’s own previously published material, is not acceptable.

Redundant or duplicate publication, including inappropriate fragmentation of research findings, undermines the clarity and integrity of the scientific literature. Editors may use plagiarism detection tools and other checks to identify potential concerns.

Confirmed cases of plagiarism or redundant publication are handled in accordance with recognised ethical guidance and may result in rejection, correction, or retraction, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

Allegations of misconduct

Allegations of research or publication misconduct are taken seriously and are handled in a structured, confidential, and proportionate manner. Concerns may be raised by reviewers, readers, editors, or other stakeholders.

Editors and the publisher follow established ethical processes when investigating allegations, including engagement with authors and, where appropriate, referral to relevant institutions or regulatory bodies. The primary objective of any investigation is to protect the integrity of the scholarly record while ensuring fair and transparent handling of all parties involved.

Ethical oversight and continuous improvement

Impact Health Publishing Group recognises that ethical challenges in scholarly publishing evolve over time as research methods, regulatory expectations, and publishing technologies change. Ethical standards therefore require active oversight rather than reliance on static policy statements.

The publisher reviews its ethics and research integrity framework periodically to ensure continued alignment with internationally recognised guidance and emerging best practice. Where updates are required, policies and procedures are revised in a documented and transparent manner.

Editors and publishing staff are encouraged to engage with ongoing education and professional guidance related to publication ethics and research integrity, supporting consistent application of ethical standards across the publishing programme.