The Razi International Medical Journal (RIMJ) acknowledges the critical importance of ensuring the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record to uphold trust in its publications. Published articles shall remain accessible, accurate, and unaltered to the extent possible. However, certain circumstances may necessitate corrections, retractions, or removals.

Editorial Responsibility and Scholarly Communication

The editor of a scholarly journal is solely and independently responsible for deciding which submitted articles are published. This decision is guided by the journal's editorial policies and is subject to applicable legal requirements, including those related to libel, copyright infringement, and privacy concerns. This autonomy reinforces the role of the scholarly record as a permanent and historical account of academic endeavors. When corrections to the scientific record are required, they are made through notices permanently linked to the original article, ensuring transparency.

Policy Review and Updates

This policy outlines RIMJ’s approach to maintaining the accuracy of the scientific record and is periodically reviewed to align with evolving standards and best practices.

Procedures for Addressing Errors and Misconduct

Reporting Errors

Authors who identify errors in their published articles must contact the journal promptly using the contact information provided on the journal’s website. Typically, the corresponding author is responsible for communicating the details of the error to the editorial office. The editor or a designated representative, with subject matter expertise, will review the correction request and may subject it to additional peer review. The editor determines the appropriate corrective action in consultation with the editorial team if needed.

Article Corrections

• Corrigenda: Authors may publish a corrigendum for errors that do not compromise the article's integrity or findings. The corrigendum, prepared by the authors and agreed upon by all co-authors, is linked to the original article.
• Errata: Errors introduced during publication are addressed through an erratum issued by the journal and linked to the article.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued under the following conditions:

• Inconclusive evidence of research or publication misconduct.
• Investigations into alleged misconduct that are incomplete, biased, or inconclusive.
• Extended delays in reaching investigative conclusions.

Temporary expressions may be replaced with further notices, including permanent expressions, retractions, or editor’s notes outlining investigation outcomes.

Article Withdrawal

Articles-in-Press, representing early versions of accepted articles, may be withdrawn prior to final publication under these circumstances:

• Discovery of errors or duplication.
• Breach of RIMJ publishing policies (e.g., plagiarism, fraudulent data).
  Withdrawn articles are replaced with a notice indicating the withdrawal and linking to the relevant policy.

Article Retraction

Articles may be retracted to address:

• Unreliable findings due to errors or research misconduct (e.g., data fabrication, plagiarism).
• Legal issues such as copyright infringement.
• Ethical violations involving human or animal research.

A retraction notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title],” signed by the editor and, where appropriate, the authors, is published in a subsequent issue. The notice is linked to the retracted article, which remains accessible but is marked as retracted.

Article Removal: Legal Constraints

Article removal is rare and occurs only under circumstances such as:

• Defamation or infringement of legal rights where retraction is insufficient.
• Court orders mandating removal.
• Serious health risks posed by the article.

Metadata (title and authors) are retained, while the text is replaced with a notice citing legal reasons for removal.

Article Replacement

If an article poses significant health risks, it may be retracted and replaced with a corrected version. The replacement follows the retraction process and includes links to the revised article and a record of changes.

Official Archives

RIMJ's archives, maintained in the PKP PN repository, retain all versions of published articles, including those retracted or removed, to preserve the historical record.

Consent Requirements for Case Details and Personal Information

Authors must obtain appropriate consents, permissions, and releases when including case details, personal information, or images of patients or other individuals in submissions to the RIMJ. This requirement ensures compliance with all applicable privacy and data protection laws, including but not limited to:

• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other U.S. federal and state laws governing privacy and security of personally identifiable information.
• The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 and member state legislation.
• Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
• India’s Information Technology Act and related Privacy Rules.

These regulations are collectively referred to as "Data Protection and Privacy Laws."

Author Responsibilities

RIMJ does not provide a standardized consent form due to jurisdictional and institutional variations. Authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with the following requirements:

1. Informed Consent
   Each individual, or their legal guardian or representative, who is identifiable in any form (e.g., videos, recordings, photographs, images, illustrations, or case reports), must:
• Be informed beforehand that such materials are being created and their potential purposes, including disclosure to RIMJ and its use in publications or promotional materials.
• Understand that individual materials may be discoverable via search engines.
• Provide explicit, written, and fully informed consent.
2. Conditional Consent
   If consent includes conditions (e.g., anonymization to prevent identification), RIMJ must be informed of these conditions in writing. Individuals must be made aware that consent is irrevocable once the material is published.
3. Documentation of Consent
   Authors must retain written consent forms and provide them to RIMJ upon request. These forms should not be submitted unless specifically requested in writing.
4. Compliance with Data Protection Laws
   Consent forms must meet all requirements of applicable Data Protection and Privacy Laws. Particular attention should be paid to:
• Avoiding coercion, particularly for vulnerable groups (e.g., children, cognitively impaired individuals, or others at risk of exploitation).
• Ensuring respect for personal dignity in the portrayal and captioning of individuals.
5. Parental or Guardian Consent
   For children, if parents or guardians disagree on the use of the child’s images, consent is deemed not to have been granted, and the images must not be used.
6. Respectful Representation
   Even with consent, authors must ensure the portrayal and captions are respectful and avoid potential denigration of the individual.
7. Cases with Extensive Media Coverage
   Special care must be taken in cases likely to receive significant media attention to ensure individuals are informed of potential publicity and can make an informed decision regarding their participation.

Special Considerations

1. Exclusion of Personal Identifiers
   Authors must avoid including names, initials, hospital or social security numbers, birthdates, or any other identifying information in submissions.
2. Essential Use of Images
   Patient or research subject images should only be used if essential for scientific purposes and explicit permission has been granted. Even when consent is provided, non-essential identifying details must be excluded.
3. Alterations for Anonymity
   If identifying features are altered to ensure anonymity, authors must confirm that such changes do not compromise the scientific accuracy or integrity of the data.

Use of Non-Identifiable Images

Formal consent is not required for anonymized images (e.g., x-rays, ultrasound scans, pathology slides, or laparoscopic images) that cannot be linked to an individual. These images must not include identifying marks or be accompanied by text that could reveal the subject’s identity. While formal consent is unnecessary in such cases, informing the patient of the intended use is recommended as a professional courtesy.

Research Data Policy

Introduction

The sharing of research data enhances the efficiency of the scientific process by enabling the reuse of experimental results and facilitating the generation of new findings based on previous work. It also fosters transparency, reproducibility, and trust in scientific research.

While some research data are disseminated within journal articles, a significant portion remains unpublished. This policy addresses research data that underpin research articles but exist independently of them. Publishers play a crucial role in making such hidden data discoverable, and the RIMJ has developed a framework to support and engage in this important endeavor.

The definition of research data varies across disciplines but generally includes observations or experimental results that substantiate research findings and are not already incorporated into journal articles. Examples of research data include raw data, processed data, software, algorithms, protocols, methods, and materials.

Principles

RIMJ's research data policy is guided by the following principles:

1. Accessibility and Minimal Restrictions
   Research data should be freely accessible to all researchers wherever possible, with minimal restrictions on reuse.
2. Researcher Autonomy and Recognition
   Researchers retain control over the access and use of their data. Their efforts in creating and sharing research data should be acknowledged and valued.
3. Disciplinary Variability
   Expectations and practices concerning research data vary between disciplines, and discipline-specific requirements must be respected.
4. Collaboration and Efficiency
   Effective reuse of research data requires collaboration among all stakeholders to avoid duplication of effort and to maximize efficiency.
5. Enhancing Discoverability and Reusability
   Platforms, publications, tools, and curation services should enhance the discoverability, usability, reusability, and citation of research data.
6. Recognition of Contributions
   Efforts to enhance research data for reuse, particularly those that incur significant costs, should be acknowledged and valued.

Policy Commitments

In alignment with the above principles, RIMJ commits to the following actions:

1. Promoting Early Data Sharing
   Encourage and support researchers to share their data at the earliest opportunity, such as through improved submission processes.
2. Standardizing Data Guidelines
   Align and simplify author data guidelines to help researchers understand how and where to store and share their data for optimal access and reuse.
3. Facilitating Compliance
   Provide support for data management requirements, such as enabling data availability statements to enhance transparency.
4. Developing Tools and Services
   Create tools and services to help researchers discover, use, and reuse data effectively, including facilitating two-way linking of datasets and publications through permanent standard identifiers.
5. Encouraging Data Citation
   Promote proper data citation practices to ensure researchers receive credit for sharing data and can appropriately credit others.
6. Establishing Data Review Practices
   Collaborate with the scientific community to establish data review practices that validate, document, and support the reuse of published research data.
7. Supporting Data as a Peer-Reviewed Output
   Facilitate the publication of research data as a separate, peer-reviewed output to enhance reusability and provide additional avenues for researchers to receive recognition.
8. Providing Infrastructure for Data Management
   Support researchers, institutions, and funders by offering the necessary structures, workflows, and technologies to manage data effectively, thereby streamlining institutional and researcher workflows.

 

Research Ethics

Aims and Scope

Authorship Criteria

Conflict of Interest

Editorial Board

Appeals