Ethics Committee

Standard Operating Procedure of Ethical Committee

Definitions

• Ethics Hub: Central platform at JNMA for promoting ethical practices and resolving ethical concerns.

• Ethics committee: Dedicated team to manage allegations, conflicts of interest, and policy enforcement.

• International guidelinesCOPE, ICMJE, WAME: Follow International guidelines for ethical publication practices mainly Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Roles and Responsibilities of JNMA ethical committee

Coordinator

• Oversees the Ethics Hub, ensures compliance, reports to Editor-in-Chief.

Member Secretary

• Receives complaints, manages documentation, coordinates investigations.

Ethics Subcommittee Members

• Review complaints, conduct investigations, recommend resolutions.

Focal Person for Complaints

• Member secretary is a primary contact for ethical complaints: jnma.ethicalcommittee@gmail.com

The Member Secretary will ensure that all board members are updated whenever there are changes or updates to author and peer reviewer guidelines. Guidelines cover responsibilities of authors and reviewers, disclosure of conflicts of interest, plagiarism, data transparency, and adherence to research ethics.

Handling Allegations of Misconduct or Complaints

• Submission of Complaint: All complaints or allegations of research, publication, or review misconduct should be sent to jnma.ethicalcommittee@gmail.com.

• Acknowledgement: The Ethics Subcommittee acknowledges receipt within one week.

• Preliminary Assessment: Conducted by the Ethics Subcommittee within two weeks.

• Investigation and Resolution: Full resolution completed within six weeks, following COPE flowcharts.

• Actions: Depending on findings, actions may include corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, or other recommendations. The decision will be sent to editorial board for endorsement.

Journal Management

The Ethics Committee oversees and ensures transparency in journal management, including:

●      Copyright/licensing

●      Author and reader fees

●      Publication frequency

●      Peer review model

●      Proper archiving and long-term digital preservation of journal content

Pre-pPublication Oversight

The Member Secretary monitors submissions for:

●      Authorship compliance

●      Submission of ethical approval letters

●      Plagiarism checks

●      Data transparency

●      Conflict of interest disclosure

●      Any suspected breach of ethical principles is reported to the full Ethical Committee for further action.

Post-Publication Review

●      Post-publication discussions, letters to the editor, or concerns submitted to jnma.ethicalcommittee@gmail.comare reviewed and reported to the Ethics Committee.

●      The committee evaluates whether corrections, expressions of concern, or other measures are necessary to maintain integrity.

Documentation and Record-Keeping

●      Maintain confidential records of all complaints, investigations, and resolutions.

●      Retain documentation for a minimum of five years.

●      All resolutions to be communicated to the complainant and relevant parties.

Review and Revision

●      The SOP to be reviewed annually or as required based on changes in COPE, ICMJE, WAME guidelines. Amendments to be approved by the Editor-in-Chief and Ethics Subcommittee Coordinator.