Publication Ethics

Optimal Journal of Midwifery Research and Innovation (OJMRI) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and ensuring the integrity, transparency, and quality of all published articles. OJMRI follows internationally recognized principles of publication ethics based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and promotes responsible conduct among authors, editors, reviewers, and all parties involved in the publication process.

The Editorial Board of OJMRI is responsible for preventing publication misconduct and ensuring that all manuscripts are handled through a fair, transparent, and ethical process. Any form of unethical behavior, including plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, and other forms of academic misconduct, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Authors submitting manuscripts to OJMRI must ensure that their work is original, has not been published previously in any form or language, and is not under consideration by another journal. All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous peer-review process conducted by qualified reviewers with expertise relevant to the manuscript topic.

Editors, authors, and reviewers of OJMRI are expected to comply with ethical standards and fulfill their responsibilities according to the following principles:

Section A: Publication and Authorship

1. All manuscripts submitted to OJMRI undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process conducted by independent reviewers with relevant expertise in midwifery, maternal health, reproductive health, education, leadership, innovation, or related fields.
2. The review process evaluates manuscripts based on originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal scope, ethical compliance, clarity, and contribution to the advancement of midwifery science and practice.
3. Editorial decisions may include acceptance, acceptance with minor revisions, acceptance with major revisions, or rejection.
4. Manuscripts that require revision must be revised according to reviewers’ and editors’ comments. Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance.
5. Manuscripts submitted to OJMRI must represent original work and must not have been published previously or simultaneously submitted to another journal.
6. Authors must ensure that all sources of information, ideas, and data from other works are properly cited and acknowledged.
7. Authors must comply with ethical requirements related to research involving human participants, including ethical approval and informed consent when applicable.
8. Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the research concept, methodology, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript preparation.
9. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree with its submission to OJMRI.
10. OJMRI does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, data fabrication, or data falsification.

Section B: Authors’ Responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to OJMRI are responsible for:

1. Ensuring that submitted manuscripts are original and represent their own scientific contributions.
2. Confirming that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
3. Providing accurate, complete, and reliable research data and ensuring that all findings are reported honestly.
4. Following ethical standards in conducting research, particularly studies involving pregnant women, mothers, newborns, women’s health, and other human participants.
5. Obtaining appropriate ethical approval and informed consent when required by the research design.
6. Ensuring that all individuals listed as authors have made significant intellectual contributions to the manuscript.
7. Declaring any financial support, research funding, institutional support, or other sources that may influence the research.
8. Disclosing any potential conflicts of interest related to the research, authorship, or publication process.
9. Properly acknowledging all sources, references, and contributions from other individuals or institutions.
10. Participating in the peer-review process and responding constructively to reviewers’ comments.
11. Informing the Editorial Board immediately if significant errors are identified after publication and cooperating in the correction or retraction process when necessary.
12. Avoiding any form of manipulation of citations, authorship, or publication processes.

Section C: Reviewers’ Responsibilities

Reviewers of OJMRI are responsible for:

1. Maintaining confidentiality of all manuscript information received during the review process.
2. Conducting reviews objectively, fairly, and professionally without personal criticism toward authors.
3. Evaluating manuscripts based on scientific quality, originality, relevance, methodological accuracy, ethical considerations, and contribution to midwifery research and practice.
4. Providing clear, constructive, and evidence-based comments to assist authors in improving their manuscripts.
5. Identifying relevant published works that have not been cited by authors.
6. Informing the Editor-in-Chief of any suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, data manipulation, or significant similarity with other published works.
7. Declining to review manuscripts when they have conflicts of interest due to personal, professional, institutional, financial, or competitive relationships.
8. Completing reviews within the agreed timeframe and informing editors when additional time is required.

Section D: Editors’ Responsibilities

Editors of OJMRI are responsible for:

1. Ensuring that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly based on academic merit, originality, relevance, and contribution to midwifery research and innovation.
2. Maintaining the integrity, quality, and academic standards of the journal.
3. Selecting appropriate reviewers with relevant expertise and ensuring the confidentiality of the review process.
4. Making editorial decisions independently and objectively without discrimination based on authors’ gender, ethnicity, institutional affiliation, nationality, academic status, or other personal characteristics.
5. Ensuring that published articles comply with ethical standards and applicable research regulations.
6. Managing conflicts of interest among editors, authors, reviewers, and editorial board members.
7. Taking appropriate actions when ethical concerns, allegations of misconduct, plagiarism, or data irregularities are identified.
8. Publishing corrections, clarifications, expressions of concern, or retractions when necessary to maintain the accuracy of the academic record.
9. Protecting the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts and reviewer identities.
10. Ensuring that editorial decisions are not influenced by commercial interests, financial considerations, or external pressures.
11. Continuously improving journal policies, publication quality, and transparency in accordance with international publishing standards.

Section E: Research Ethics, Misconduct, and Retraction Policy

OJMRI recognizes the importance of ethical research practices, particularly in studies involving women, mothers, newborns, and healthcare-related interventions.

1.Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards and obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee when required.
2. Authors must protect participant confidentiality and privacy.
3. Suspected cases of research misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, unethical research practices, duplicate publication, or authorship disputes, will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.
4. If misconduct is confirmed after publication, OJMRI may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions depending on the severity of the issue.
5. The journal encourages authors, reviewers, and readers to report ethical concerns regarding published or submitted manuscripts.

Optimal Journal of Midwifery Research and Innovation (OJMRI) is committed to maintaining ethical publishing practices, protecting the integrity of scientific knowledge, and supporting the advancement of evidence-based midwifery research, education, and innovation at national and international levels.