Publication Ethics

Journal of Occupational Health and Community (JOHC) is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. This journal follows the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Authors

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts are original works, have not been published previously, and are not under consideration elsewhere. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must be given, and all sources must be appropriately cited. Any form of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or redundant publication is considered unethical and unacceptable.

Duties of Editors

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions based on the manuscript’s academic merit, originality, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Editors must ensure a fair, unbiased, and confidential peer-review process and avoid conflicts of interest in handling manuscripts.

Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers assist editors in making editorial decisions through objective, constructive, and timely evaluations. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, declare any potential conflicts of interest, and refrain from using unpublished materials for personal advantage.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human participants must comply with ethical standards and relevant regulations, including informed consent where applicable. Any potential ethical issues must be clearly stated in the manuscript.

JOHC is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record and will take appropriate action in cases of ethical misconduct, including manuscript rejection or retraction.

POLICY ON THE USE OF GENERATIF AI IN PUBLICATIONS

1. Duties of Authors

Authorship:
Generative AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors, as AI systems cannot assume responsibility for the integrity, accountability, and validity of scholarly work.

Disclosure:
Authors are required to disclose the use of generative AI during the manuscript preparation process through a written statement at the time of submission. This statement must clearly specify the name of the AI tool used and the purpose of its use.

Content Responsibility:
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript. All AI-generated content must be carefully reviewed and verified by the authors, including the accuracy of references and data, to prevent fabrication, misinformation, or bias.

Images and Illustrations:
The use of generative AI to create or modify images or illustrations in manuscripts is not permitted, unless such use constitutes an essential part of the primary research methodology and is transparently described in the Methods section.

2. Duties of Editors and Reviewers

Confidentiality:
Editors and reviewers are strictly prohibited from uploading manuscripts under review to any generative AI system for any purpose. This prohibition is intended to protect author confidentiality and intellectual property rights.

Human Evaluation:
Editorial decisions and assessments of a manuscript’s scientific quality must be based on human critical judgment and must not be replaced or determined by automated systems or AI technologies.

3. Exceptions

This policy does not cover the use of basic tools for grammar checking, spelling correction, or reference management, provided that such tools do not independently generate new ideas, interpretations, or substantive content.