IMJ follow the guidelines on editorial independence as mentioned by World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and the code on good publication practice produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors  (ICMJE), and checklists and advice for good research reporting of the EQUATOR network.

 IMJ’s relationship with our Editorial team:

The role of the Editor is to publish and produce the best quality research by providing necessary support as a team member. IMJ encourages editorial freedom and agrees to fully support editorial decisions and potentially controversial expressions of opinion by the Editorial team provided they are evidence-based.

At the time of their appointment, all Editorial team members are provided with a written agreement that clearly states their responsibilities, rights, authority, general terms of their appointment, and mechanisms for resolving conflict. The Editors are required to uphold and maintain the Code of Conduct at all times. The purpose of our Code is to ensure that we, and all those with whom we collaborate closely, work well together towards our shared vision of a healthier world. In order to achieve this vision, it is vital that our Editors remain true to ethical values, and take shared responsibility for protecting the journal’s reputation and trust.

Editorial freedom:

IMJ abides by the ‘WAME  statement on editorial freedom, duties and responsibilities, which defines editorial freedom as Editors holding full authority over all editorial content for their journal and the timing of publication of that content. So there is no interference in the evaluation, selection, scheduling, or editing of individual articles either directly or by creating an environment that strongly influences their decisions.

The IMJ is supported by an independent editorial advisory board team that assists the Editor in chief on editorial policy and content as well as helps to establish and maintain the editorial policy. Our Editorial team agrees to seek and engage a broad and diverse array of authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and readers.

Confidentiality:

We understand that manuscripts submitted to journals are privileged communications that are the author’s private, confidential property, and authors may be harmed by premature disclosure of any or all of a manuscript’s details. As such, the IMJ Editorial team and publication staff, are required to keep all information about a submitted manuscript confidential, sharing it only with those involved in the evaluation, review, and publication processes.

IMJ Editorial team maintains the confidentiality of authors and peer-reviewers in accordance with ICMJE policy. Editors agree to take all reasonable steps to check the facts in journal commentary and to adhere to best journalistic practices. Editors will not publish or publicize peer review comments without the permission of the reviewer and author. In cases of breach of confidentiality by those involved in the peer-review process, the Editorial team agrees to contact the involved parties and follow up on such cases until they are satisfactorily resolved.

 Peer review and timeliness:

The editorial team agrees to ensure that reviewer comments are properly assessed and interpreted in the context of their declared conflicts of interest. Articles authored by a member of a journal’s editorial team are independently peer-reviewed; an editor will have no input or influence on the peer review process or publication decision for their own article. They will do all they can to ensure the timely processing of manuscripts. If the journal has no intention of proceeding with a manuscript during the initial or peer-review process, the Editors will endeavor to reject the manuscript as soon as possible to allow authors to submit it to a different journal.

 Competing interests:

IMJ Editorial team agrees to ensure all editorial decisions based on the relevance of a manuscript to the journal and on the manuscript’s originality, quality, and contribution to evidence. They agree to ensure that those decisions will not be influenced by commercial interests or conflicts of interest.

IMJ ensures the independence and integrity of published content. As such, prior to appointment, all of our editorial team members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest in accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ uniform declaration of competing interests.

Updated February 17, 2022