Healthia is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards for all parties involved in the publication process. To ensure the publication of high-quality and ethically sound scientific work, the publisher maintains close collaboration with journal editors, authors, and peer reviewers. This ethics statement is guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), available at https://publicationethics.org/guidance, and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), available at https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf, which offer a comprehensive framework for addressing all aspects of publication ethics, especially concerning research and publication misconduct.
Research involving human subjects must be conducted in accordance with the World Medical Association’s Code of Ethics as stated in the Declaration of Helsinki, accessible at https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/. Research involving animals must comply with the EC Directive 86/609/EEC, which can be accessed at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1986/609/oj.
Healthia also fully adheres to the ethical principles outlined in the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, fourth version (published on September 15, 2022), a joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME. These principles can be found at https://doaj.org/apply/transparency and https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.12.
By submitting a manuscript to Healthia, authors confirm that their work complies with these ethical standards and accept responsibility for upholding them throughout the review and publication process.
ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR EDITORS
Publication Decision
The Editor of Healthia: Journal of Community Engagement is responsible for deciding which submitted articles will be published. This decision is based on the manuscript’s validity and its contribution to researchers and readers. In performing this duty, the Editor is guided by editorial board policies and must comply with applicable legal requirements, such as those regarding defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor may consult with other editors or reviewers when making this decision.
Objective Assessment
Editors evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual content without discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, race, gender, nationality, or any other personal characteristics.
Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and members of the editorial board.
Conflict of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the written consent of the author(s). Information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors must recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the submission.
Cooperation in Investigations
Editors must take responsive action when ethical concerns are raised regarding a submitted or published manuscript. This may include contacting the author(s) and giving consideration to the complaint. Editors may also communicate with the author’s institution or research body. Once the complaint is resolved, necessary actions such as issuing corrections, retractions, statements of concern, or other notices should be considered.
ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR REVIEWERS
Contribution to Editorial Decisions
The peer-review process assists editors in making editorial decisions and may also help authors improve their manuscripts through editorial communication. Peer review is an essential component of formal scientific communication and the scientific method.
Timeliness
If a selected reviewer feels unqualified to review a manuscript or is unable to provide a timely review, the reviewer should promptly notify the editor.
Confidentiality
Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.
Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation or argument has been previously reported should be accompanied by a citation. Reviewers should also inform the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and other published work of which they are aware.
Conflict of Interest
Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer's own research without the written permission of the author(s). Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the manuscript.
ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR AUTHORS
Reporting Standards
Authors should present an accurate account of the research performed and an objective discussion of its significance. Data must be represented truthfully in the manuscript. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.
Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide the raw data of their study for editorial review and should be prepared to make the data publicly available if possible, and should retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.
Originality and Plagiarism
Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, these must be properly cited. Plagiarism includes: copying another’s manuscript, paraphrasing substantial portions of another’s work without acknowledgment, or claiming results from others' research. Self-plagiarism, where authors reuse their previously published work without citation, is also considered unethical.
Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.
Acknowledgement of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have influenced the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, such as in conversations or correspondence, should not be used or reported without explicit written permission from the source.
Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author should ensure that all co-authors are appropriately included and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission for publication.
Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
All authors should disclose any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript.
Fundamental Errors in Published Works
When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. If the editor learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, the author must cooperate with the editor to correct or retract the manuscript or provide evidence of the manuscript’s accuracy.