Ethical oversight

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences  follow the guidelines of COPE on Ethical oversight, namely “Ethical oversight should include, but is not limited to, policies on consent to publication, publication on vulnerable populations, ethical conduct of research using animals, ethical conduct of research using human subjects, handling confidential data and of business/marketing practices

Redundant/Overlapping Publication

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences does not consider manuscripts that substantially overlap with previously published works. Authors should not submit a manuscript that has been published, accepted for publication, or is under review elsewhere. Republishing a previously published work without proper acknowledgment or justification will be considered redundant publication and is not allowed.

Manipulation of Citations 

Authors whose submitted manuscripts are found to include citations whose primary purpose is to increase the number of citations to an author’s work/articles published in a particular journal may incur sanctions. Editors and reviewers must not ask authors to include references merely to increase citations to their own or an associate’s work, to the journal, or to another journal they are associated with.

Image manipulation, falsification, and fabrication

Where research data are collected or presented as images, changing these images can sometimes misrepresent the results obtained or their significance. There can be legitimate reasons for image modification, but authors should avoid changing images if this leads to the falsification, fabrication, or misrepresentation of their results.

Plagiarism

The Editorial Board of the journal considers plagiarism in articles unacceptable

The articles must not contain:

  • copied or published work executed by other scholars and presented as the author’s own findings.
  • word-for-word copying of fragments of any text (from a single phrase to several sentences) without proper quotation formatting;
  • slightly modified copied material (re-phrased sentences, changes in the word order, etc.) without proper quotation/reference formatting;
  • other people’s thoughts, ideas or texts rendered in the author’s own words without providing proper references to the sources.

Consent to Publication

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences requires authors to obtain appropriate consent from all individuals or entities mentioned in the research or involved in the study. This includes consent to publish identifiable information, images, or other personally identifiable data. Authors should provide documentation of consent when submitting their manuscripts.

 

Publication on Vulnerable Populations

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences is sensitive to research involving vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly individuals, mentally challenged individuals, or other marginalized groups. Authors should adhere to ethical guidelines when conducting research on such populations and should provide a clear justification for the inclusion of vulnerable participants.

Ethical Conduct of Research Using Animals

If the research involves the use of animals, authors must comply with all relevant ethical guidelines and regulations for animal research. Authors should clearly state in their manuscript that the study received ethical approval from the appropriate animal ethics committee or institutional review board.

Ethical Conduct of Research Using Human Subjects

For research involving human subjects, authors must obtain informed consent from all participants and follow relevant ethical guidelines, such as the Declaration of Helsinki or applicable national guidelines. The research protocol should receive approval from the institutional review board or ethics committee.

Handling Confidential Data

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences ensures the confidentiality and security of any confidential data provided during the submission and review process. Reviewers and editorial staff are required to treat all submitted materials with confidentiality and must not disclose any information regarding the submitted manuscripts to any unauthorized individuals.

Ethical Business/Marketing Practices

Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences is committed to ethical business and marketing practices. The journal does not engage in any practices that may compromise the integrity of the publishing process or mislead authors or readers. Indian Journal of Mental Health and Neurosciences does not support any form of predatory publishing, non-standards, or unethical marketing strategies.

Compliance and Reporting

Authors are expected to  comply with all aspects of this ethical oversight policy and provide full disclosure of any potential ethical concerns during the submission process. Failure to adhere to ethical guidelines may result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript, as well as other appropriate actions.