Editorial Policies

These policies set out the standards IJMIE applies to authorship, integrity, transparency, and the correction of the scholarly record. They complement our Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement and are based on the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), ICMJE, and the DOAJ best-practice principles.

Authorship & Contributorship

Authorship should be based on substantial contribution to (1) conception or design, or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; (2) drafting or critically revising the work; (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) agreement to be accountable for the work. Contributions are declared using the CRediT taxonomy. Individuals who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged. Any change to authorship after submission requires the written agreement of all authors.

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could be perceived to influence the work (e.g. employment, consultancies, funding, patents, personal relationships). Editors and reviewers must likewise declare and recuse themselves from competing interests. A conflict-of-interest statement is published with every article.

Funding Disclosure

All sources of funding for the research must be declared, including grant numbers where applicable. Funders have no role in editorial decisions.

Research Data & Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to make the data underlying their findings openly available in a recognized repository and to include a data availability statement in every article. Where data cannot be shared (e.g. for ethical or legal reasons), this must be stated and justified.

Research Ethics & Consent

  • Research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and have approval from an appropriate ethics committee; a statement of approval and informed consent is required.
  • Research involving animals must comply with relevant institutional and national guidelines (e.g. ARRIVE), with an ethics-approval statement.
  • For any identifiable individual, written informed consent for publication is required.

Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published record:

  • Correction (erratum/corrigendum) — issued for a significant error that does not invalidate the conclusions.
  • Retraction — issued for findings that are unreliable owing to misconduct or honest error, redundant publication, plagiarism, or unethical research. Retraction notices are linked to the original article, which is retained and clearly marked.
  • Expression of concern — issued where there is well-founded but unresolved concern about a published work.

All such actions follow COPE retraction guidelines and are published, free to access, and permanently linked to the article.

Allegations of Misconduct

Concerns about research or publication misconduct are investigated confidentially and impartially using the relevant COPE flowcharts, with the authors given an opportunity to respond. Where appropriate, the authors' institutions or funders may be informed.

Complaints & Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions and lodge complaints about process or conduct with the editorial office. Appeals are assessed by an editor not involved in the original decision; the outcome is final.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Any use of AI in the conception, drafting, analysis, or figure generation of a manuscript must be disclosed in the methods or acknowledgements. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content.

Preprints

Posting of a preprint on a recognized, non-commercial preprint server prior to submission is permitted and is not considered prior publication. Authors should disclose the preprint and cite it in the submitted manuscript.

Advertising & Sponsorship

The journal does not permit advertising or sponsorship to influence editorial decisions. Editorial content is kept clearly separate from any commercial content.