Publication Ethics

These guidelines are consistent with the COPE Principles of Transparency, Best Practice Guidelines, and the COPE Code of Conduct (https://publicationethics.org).

We encourage the best standards of publication ethics and take all possible principles of transparency and measures against publication malpractice. The publisher plays its role of guardianship over all processes of publishing seriously, and we perform our ethical and other tasks.

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Authors' responsibilities

• To ensure they contributed significantly to the research, they cited all related references and acknowledged financial support from funding agencies.
• To maintain accurate records of data associated with their submitted manuscript and supply or provide access to these data on reasonable request.
• To confirm that the submitted manuscript is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere.
• To acknowledge and cite sources whose contents overlap with the submitted paper.
• Provide the editor with a copy of any submitted manuscript(s) that might contain similar, closely related or overlapping content.
• To ensure that studies involving human or animal subjects conform to national, local and institutional laws and requirements.
• To confirm that approval has been sought and obtained where appropriate, get written permission from human subjects, and respect their privacy.
• To declare any potential conflicts of interest.
• To promptly inform the journal editor or publisher if a significant error in their publication is detected and submit an erratum, addendum, or corrigendum notice to be published or retract the paper altogether if necessary.
  
• To avoid multiple, redundant, or concurrent submissions, and ensure that previously published work is not submitted again without proper disclosure.

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Reviewers' responsibilities

• To review the manuscript objectively and timely, inform the editor of a suitable decision and uphold the quality of articles published in the Journal.
• To maintain strict confidentiality of any information supplied to the reviewer in the editor or author's review process and ensure that the manuscript is for the reviewer's eyes only and no copies are transmitted or kept.
• To inform the editor of suspected plagiarism or absence of relevant published work which has not been cited.
• To disclose to editors any relationships or activities that could bias their opinions of the manuscript. 

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Editors' responsibilities

• To act in an objective, balanced, and fair way while carrying out expected duties, without discrimination on the grounds of gender, religious or political beliefs, or ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.
• To avoid any commercial influence and conflicts of interest, evaluate all submissions solely on academic and scientific merit.
• To address complaints of any nature and follow reasonable procedures according to the Journal's policies.
• To give authors a full opportunity to respond to complaints.
• To investigate a complaint regardless of the approval date of publication of an article.
• To document, compile, and file all complaints.

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Corresponding Author's Responsibilities

• The corresponding author takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal during manuscript submission, peer review, and publication.
• Ensures that all documentation and submission requirements are complete, and that all co-authors agree with the content and submission.
• Must be available throughout the submission and peer review process to respond promptly to editorial queries.
• Remains responsible post-publication to respond to critiques and cooperate with requests from the journal for data or additional information.
• Represents all co-authors throughout the publication process and ensures they are informed about, and agree to, any changes during revisions and final proof approval.

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Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the work, review, or editorial decision. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Financial relationships (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony)

• Personal relationships or rivalries

• Academic competition

• Intellectual property interests

Authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest at the time of manuscript submission. This information will be published alongside the article if relevant.

Reviewers must inform the editor if a potential conflict arises that could bias their review and recuse themselves from reviewing if necessary.

Editors must avoid any conflict of interest in handling manuscripts, including situations where a close personal, professional, or financial relationship with the authors exists.

Failure to disclose a relevant conflict of interest may result in the manuscript being withdrawn, rejected, or retracted, depending on the severity of the issue.

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Usage of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in Writing Policy

Where authors use AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, these technologies should only be used to improve the readability and language of the work and not to replace key authoring tasks such as producing scientific, pedagogic, or medical insights, drawing scientific conclusions, or providing clinical recommendations.

Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies and a statement will appear in the published work.

Authors should not list AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author, nor cite AI as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans.

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Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global knowledge exchange.

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Archiving Policy

All published issues in the Journal of Pharmacy are archived in the PKP Preservation Networks.

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Repository Policy

Authors are allowed to deposit submitted, accepted and published versions in an institutional or another repository of the author’s choice without embargo.

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Advertising Policy

The Journal of Pharmacy does not accept any advertising.

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Procedures for Dealing with Unethical Behaviour

Identification of Unethical Behaviour

• Suppose any misconduct or unethical behaviour is reported to the editor or publisher at any time. The information and identity of the complainant shall be treated with strict confidentiality.
• In case of any report of misconduct or unethical behaviour, sufficient information and evidence should be provided to conduct an investigation. All allegations shall be taken seriously and treated fairly.

Investigation

• The editor shall make an initial decision and may consult with or seek advice from the publisher, editorial board, or other experts if appropriate.
• Evidence shall be gathered while maintaining the strictest confidentiality at all times.

Minor Breaches

• Minor misconduct may be dealt with directly by the editor, who will provide the author with an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

Serious Breaches

• In case of serious misconduct, the editor, in consultation with the publisher/editorial board/experts, should decide on a suitable action, depending on the severity of the offence.

Possible Outcomes

The following actions may be applied, separately or in combination, in increasing order of severity:

• Informing or educating the author or reviewer in cases of misunderstanding of acceptable standards.
• Issuing a formal warning letter to the author or reviewer found guilty of misconduct.
• Publishing a formal notice detailing the misconduct.
• Publishing an editorial outlining the details of the misconduct.
• Sending a formal letter to the head of the author’s or reviewer’s institution or funding agency.
• Formal retraction or withdrawal of a publication from the Journal altogether, including informing Abstracting & Indexing services and the publication's readership.
• Barring contributions from an author or reviewer for a defined period.
• Reporting the case and outcome to a professional organisation or higher authority for further investigation.

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Complaints

Any complaints regarding the JOP’s content, procedures, policies, or the conduct of our editorial team should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. We view such feedback as an opportunity to identify shortcomings and to continuously improve. All complaints will be addressed courteously, constructively, and in a timely manner.