Publication Ethics & Peer-Review Policy

MJHIMIR is committed to the highest standards of publication ethics, guided by the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The policies below apply to authors, reviewers, and editors alike.

Double-blind peer review

Every manuscript that passes initial editorial screening is reviewed under a double-blind process: reviewers do not know the identity of the authors, and authors do not know the identity of the reviewers. Authors must therefore submit a blinded manuscript with names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and self-identifying citations removed; identifying details are supplied separately on the title page. At least two independent reviewers assess each manuscript for originality, methodological soundness, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope. The editor's decision — accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject — is based on the reviewers' reports, and the journal strives to return reviewers' comments to authors within four weeks.

Plagiarism

Every submission is screened for originality with similarity-detection software before it enters review. Plagiarism in any form — including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, self-plagiarism, and duplicate or redundant publication — is unacceptable. Manuscripts with an unacceptable similarity index are returned without review; where plagiarism is discovered after publication, the article is subject to retraction as described below. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources are properly cited and that any reproduced material is used with permission.

Conflicts of interest

All parties must disclose relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest. Authors must declare financial support, employment, consultancies, or personal relationships bearing on the work at the time of submission. Reviewers must decline manuscripts where they have collaborative, institutional, financial, or personal ties to the authors, or where they cannot judge the work impartially. Editors recuse themselves from decisions on manuscripts in which they have an interest, including their own submissions, which are handled independently by another member of the editorial board. Declared conflicts are published alongside the article where relevant.

Retraction and corrections

MJHIMIR follows COPE guidance on correcting the scholarly record. Corrections are published for honest errors that do not invalidate the findings. Retraction is applied where there is clear evidence of unreliable findings, fabrication or falsification of data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, undisclosed major conflicts of interest, or unethical research conduct. Retracted articles remain online, clearly watermarked as retracted, with a linked retraction notice explaining the reason; retraction decisions are made by the editor-in-chief in consultation with the editorial board, and the authors are informed and given the opportunity to respond.

Concerns

Readers, reviewers, or authors who suspect misconduct in a submitted or published article should contact the editorial office at mjhimir@gmail.com. All concerns are investigated confidentially.