Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

The Journal of Pharmacy and Halal Studies (JPHS) is a double-blind, peer-reviewed journal committed to publishing high-quality research in pharmacy and halal studies. JPHS applies a full open-access policy and publishes under a Creative Commons license as stated on the journal website.

JPHS is committed to upholding the integrity of the scholarly record and expects all parties involved in the publication process authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher to adhere to high standards of ethical conduct consistent with international publication ethics principles, including guidance developed within the COPE ecosystem for editors and journals.

1) Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication

Publication in a peer-reviewed journal is a core mechanism for building a trustworthy scientific record. JPHS therefore maintains ethical standards to ensure that editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope, and are not influenced by commercial interests.

2) Peer-Review Process

Double-blind peer review: identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other during review.
Fairness and objectivity: submissions are evaluated for intellectual content without discrimination.
Confidentiality: manuscripts and reviewer reports are treated as confidential documents.
Conflicts of interest: editors and reviewers must recuse themselves when conflicts exist.

These principles align with established journal editorial and reviewer responsibilities articulated in pharmacy journal policies and COPE-based editor standards.

3) Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be limited to those who made substantial contributions to the conception/design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the study.
All co-authors must approve the final version and agree to submission.
Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged appropriately (e.g., technical support, language editing).
JPHS does not accept ghost authorship, guest/gift authorship, or manipulated authorship.

These authorship standards are consistent with established pharmacy journal editorial policies.

4) Originality, Plagiarism, and Redundant Publication

Submitted manuscripts must be original, not previously published, and not under review elsewhere.
Plagiarism in any form (including self-plagiarism, text recycling without attribution, and unattributed translations) is unacceptable.
Duplicate/redundant publication, “salami slicing,” and citation manipulation are considered unethical.
JPHS may screen submissions for originality and similarity and may request clarifications or raw materials as needed.

These requirements reflect standard publication ethics expectations applied in pharmacy journals and COPE-based guidance.

5) Data Integrity, Reporting Standards, and Reproducibility

Authors must present an accurate account of the work performed and an objective discussion of its significance.
Fabrication, falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, or selective reporting intended to mislead constitutes misconduct.
Authors should retain primary data for a reasonable period and provide data/materials for editorial review when requested.
Where appropriate, authors should follow relevant reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT for clinical trials) and provide sufficient methodological detail for reproducibility.

These principles align with COPE good publication practice guidance and pharmacy journal policies that emphasize responsible reporting and data retention.

6) Conflicts of Interest, Funding, and Transparency

All authors must disclose financial and non-financial competing interests that could be perceived to influence the work.
All sources of funding and the funders’ roles (if any) must be stated.
Editors and reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves when needed.

These requirements are consistent with ethics statements used by pharmacy journals and COPE-based editor standards.

7) Ethical Oversight (Human Participants, Animals, and Sensitive Data)

Human research: manuscripts must include ethics approval (committee name and approval/consent number) and confirm informed consent when applicable.
Privacy: identifying personal data must be minimized; patient confidentiality must be protected; consent is required for identifiable information.
Animal research: studies must comply with animal welfare and ethical standards; manuscripts must state ethics approval details.
Hazards: unusual hazards related to chemicals/procedures/equipment must be clearly identified.
Editors may reject manuscripts if ethical safeguards are unclear or inadequate.

These expectations are consistent with pharmacy journal policies emphasizing informed consent, ethics committee approval, animal welfare, and hazard disclosure.

8) Pharmacy-Specific Integrity Considerations

Clinical and community pharmacy research: authors should ensure appropriate oversight for interventional studies, medication-use evaluations, and patient-related outcomes.
Pharmacology/toxicology: ethical handling of experimental models and transparent reporting of adverse events and safety outcomes are required.
Natural products and traditional medicines: authenticity of materials, quality control, and reproducible extraction/standardization methods should be described.
Product and analytical studies: validated methods, appropriate controls, and transparent uncertainty/limitations should be reported.

9) Halal-Specific Integrity Considerations

Halal-related claims must be evidence-based and clearly scoped (e.g., ingredient origin, processing aids, contamination risks, supply-chain assurance, or certification status).
Authors must avoid misleading statements and should provide verifiable supporting information where feasible (e.g., analytical verification, documented material traceability, or certification references).
Where halal compliance intersects with sensitive cultural/religious contexts, JPHS expects respectful, precise, and scientifically grounded language.

10) Allegations of Misconduct (Investigation and Outcomes)

JPHS takes allegations of misconduct seriously. When concerns arise (e.g., plagiarism, data manipulation, unethical research, authorship disputes, or compromised peer review), the editorial team will conduct an initial assessment and may request explanations, raw data, ethics documentation, or institutional clarification. Cases may be handled in line with COPE-oriented processes and editor responsibilities to protect the integrity of the record.

Possible outcomes include (as appropriate): rejection, request for revision/clarification, publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction. Editors will act proportionately and transparently to maintain the scholarly record.

11) Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by providing a clear, evidence-based justification (e.g., addressing reviewer comments point-by-point).
Complaints about editorial handling, peer review, or publication processes will be assessed fairly, documented, and addressed with due process.
Where appropriate, an independent editor or editorial board member may be asked to review the complaint or appeal.

These complaint-and-appeal elements reflect established practice in pharmacy journal ethics statements.

12) Post-Publication Discussion, Corrections, and Retractions

JPHS welcomes post-publication critique conducted in a professional and evidence-based manner.
Substantive errors that affect interpretation will be corrected promptly and with appropriate visibility.
Retractions or expressions of concern may be issued when findings are unreliable or misconduct is substantiated.

These actions are consistent with COPE-based editor duties to maintain the integrity of the academic record and to publish corrections/retractions when needed.

13) Duties of Editors

Make publication decisions based on validity, originality, clarity, and relevance to JPHS.
Ensure a fair, unbiased, timely peer-review process and safeguard confidentiality.
Manage conflicts of interest and prevent commercial considerations from influencing editorial decisions.
Take reasonable steps to identify and address suspected misconduct and preserve the integrity of the published record.

These duties align with COPE-based editor standards and established journal ethics statements in pharmacy publishing.

14) Duties of Reviewers

Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews that support editorial decisions and improve manuscript quality.
Maintain confidentiality and do not use unpublished information for personal advantage.
Declare conflicts of interest and decline review when a conflict exists or expertise is insufficient.
Identify relevant uncited literature and alert editors to suspected overlap, plagiarism, or ethical concerns.

These duties are consistent with established reviewer responsibilities in pharmacy journal ethics statements.

15) Duties of Authors

Ensure honest reporting, accurate citation, and transparent disclosure of funding and competing interests.
Secure required ethics approvals and informed consent; protect participant confidentiality.
Avoid plagiarism, redundant publication, and unethical authorship practices.
Cooperate with editors in providing data/clarifications and in issuing corrections when significant errors are identified.

These duties reflect common standards in pharmacy journal publication ethics statements and COPE-oriented good practice.

16) Intellectual Property and Licensing

Copyright and licensing follow the journal’s stated policy on the JPHS website. Users may reuse content according to the applicable Creative Commons license terms, with appropriate attribution.

17) Use of AI-Assisted Tools (Author Responsibility and Disclosure)

AI tools may be used only to support language editing or formatting, and must not replace the authors’ intellectual contribution, judgment, or accountability.
Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and proper citation of all content.
Use of AI tools should be transparently disclosed when it materially affects writing, analysis, figure generation, or data interpretation.

Note: By submitting a manuscript to JPHS, authors confirm that they have read and agreed to comply with this Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.