Publication Policies

Publication Policies for the International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation (IJHR_ORG)

Section 1: Access, Licensing, and Preservation Policies
This section outlines the core policies governing how the journal's content is accessed, shared, archived, and maintained, ensuring its long-term availability, integrity, and alignment with principles of ethical, equitable, and sustainable scholarly publishing.

1. Open Access Policy
The International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation (IJHR_ORG) is a full and immediate open-access journal. All peer-reviewed research articles are freely available to read, download, copy, distribute, and re-use immediately upon publication, without subscription fees or registration barriers. This is made possible by publishing all content under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are properly credited. This policy maximizes the visibility, impact, and global exchange of knowledge in health and rehabilitation sciences.

2. Archiving and Preservation Strategy
IJHR_ORG is committed to the permanent preservation and long-term accessibility of its scholarly record. To ensure this, the journal utilizes the Public Knowledge Project Preservation Network (PKP-PN). This system provides a distributed, community-based preservation network, creating multiple, geographically separate archival copies of all published content. This strategy guarantees that the journal's articles remain accessible to the research community for future generations, safeguarding against data loss.

3. CrossMark Policy Statement
To maintain the integrity and permanence of the scholarly record, each published article is assigned a unique, persistent identifier. The journal supports the CrossMark initiative to provide readers with clear, immediate information about the current status of an article. By applying the CrossMark logo, IJHR_ORG commits to notifying readers of any significant updates, corrections, or retractions post-publication. Clicking the CrossMark logo on an article will display its current publication status and any linked correction or retraction notices, ensuring readers always access the most accurate and definitive version of the work.

4. Repository Policy (Self-Archiving)
IJHR_ORG supports the broad dissemination of research and encourages author self-archiving. Authors are permitted to deposit the following versions of their manuscript in an institutional or subject-based repository (e.g., PubMed Central, arXiv) at any time:

• Preprint: The original submitted version, prior to peer review.

• Author's Accepted Manuscript (AAM): The final peer-reviewed version, as accepted for publication but before the publisher's copyediting and typesetting.

• Version of Record (VoR): The final, published version as it appears on the journal's website.
  For all deposited versions, authors must include a full citation and a link to the final published article on the IJHR_ORG website.

5. Advertisement Policy
IJHR_ORG may accept advertisements that are of professional interest to its readership in health and rehabilitation. All advertisements are subject to prior review and approval by the journal's management, which reserves the unconditional right to reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. The following guidelines apply:

• Approval & Endorsement: The acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement by IJHR_ORG, its editors, or its publisher, Health And Research.

• Liability: Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements and must indemnify the journal against any claims arising from them.

• Distinction: Advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from the journal's editorial content.

• Compliance: Advertisements, particularly for pharmaceutical or medical devices, must comply with all relevant local and international laws and regulations.

• Digital Use: Use of the journal's name, logo, or copyrighted material in digital advertising requires explicit prior written permission.

• Cancellation: Specific terms for cancellation are outlined in individual advertiser agreements.

6. Privacy Statement
Please refer to the dedicated and comprehensive Privacy Statement document, which details our commitment to protecting the personal data of all users (authors, reviewers, readers). In summary, personal information is collected and used solely for the operational purposes of the journal, is kept confidential, and is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes, in compliance with our ethical obligations.

7. Author Fees and Waivers Policy
To support the costs associated with open-access publishing—including manuscript processing, professional copyediting, XML production, online hosting, and long-term archiving—IJHR_ORG charges an Article Publication Fee only upon formal acceptance of a manuscript. The current fee is PKR 30,000 for national authors (Pakistan) and USD 150 for international authors. No fees are required for submission or peer review.
The journal is committed to equity and offers full or partial fee waivers to corresponding authors who can demonstrate genuine financial hardship or who are based in low- and lower-middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank. Waiver requests must be made at the time of initial manuscript submission and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the editorial office.

8. Diversity and Inclusion Statement
IJHR_ORG is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the global health and rehabilitation research community. We actively encourage submissions from scholars of all backgrounds, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or institutional affiliation. We are committed to ensuring our editorial boards and reviewer pools reflect this diversity. Furthermore, we welcome research that addresses health disparities, inclusive practices, and the needs of underserved populations, contributing to a more equitable scholarly discourse.

9. Accessibility Statement
IJHR_ORG strives to ensure its digital content and online platform are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We are committed to following relevant web accessibility standards to improve usability with assistive technologies. Ongoing efforts include providing alternative text for images, ensuring proper heading structures for screen readers, and offering content in accessible PDF formats. We welcome feedback on accessibility issues to help us continually improve the user experience.

10. Environmental Policy
As a digital-only, open-access journal, IJHR_ORG operates with a conscious commitment to environmental sustainability. Our primary mode of operation eliminates paper use and reduces the carbon footprint associated with printing and physical distribution. We promote remote collaboration for editorial and peer-review work to minimize travel-related emissions. Furthermore, we encourage submissions on topics related to environmental health, sustainable healthcare practices, and the intersection of planetary and human well-being.

11. Article Types and Specific Requirements

Note: All manuscripts must use the Vancouver citation style (numbered) for references and in-text citations.

Editorial and Ethical Policies

1. Publication Frequency
The International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation (IJHR_ORG) operates on a monthly publication schedule. This regular frequency allows for the timely dissemination of new research findings to the global health and rehabilitation community. Articles are published online in a continuous volume and issue sequence as soon as they are ready, ensuring rapid accessibility of accepted work.

2. Publication Ethics and Policy Guidelines
IJHR_ORG is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics. We expect all parties involved—authors, reviewers, editors, and the publisher—to adhere to the core principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability. Our policies are aligned with guidelines from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

• Authorship and Contributions: Authorship must be based on substantial intellectual contributions as defined by the ICMJE criteria. All contributors who do not meet these criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. A declaration of each author's specific contributions is required upon submission.

• Conflict of Interest: All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, or institutional relationships that could be perceived as unduly influencing their work. A conflict of interest declaration is mandatory for all submissions and published alongside accepted articles.

• Human and Animal Research Ethics: Research involving human participants or animal subjects must have been conducted in accordance with relevant ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional/national guidelines for animal care and use. A statement of ethical approval (with committee name and approval number) must be included in the Methods section.

3. Informed Consent Policy
For any research involving human participants, obtaining informed consent is an absolute requirement.

• Requirement: Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants (or their legal guardians) for their involvement in the study.

• Consent for Publication: Where a manuscript contains detailed case reports, personal data, or identifiable images (e.g., photographs, clinical images, videos), specific, explicit consent for publication in an open-access journal must be obtained and documented. Patients'/participants' anonymity must be protected unless this consent for identifiable publication has been granted.

• Documentation: Authors are required to state within the manuscript that informed consent was obtained. The journal may request to see the consent documentation at any stage of the editorial process.

4. Plagiarism Policy
IJHR_ORG maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism in any form, including verbatim copying, paraphrasing without attribution, self-plagiarism (redundant publication), and misappropriation of ideas.

• Screening: All submitted manuscripts undergo screening using text-similarity detection software (e.g., iThenticate/Turnitin). A preliminary similarity report is generated.

• Threshold and Assessment: While a similarity index below 20% is generally expected, the editorial team conducts a qualitative assessment of any flagged matches. Overlap with the authors' own published work (self-plagiarism), properly quoted material, and standard methodological descriptions are evaluated contextually. Unattributed copying or redundant publication is unacceptable.

• Actions: Manuscripts with confirmed plagiarism will be rejected immediately. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, the article will be formally retracted according to COPE guidelines, and the authors' institutions may be notified. Serious cases may result in a ban on future submissions from the involved authors.

5. Appeals and Complaints Processes
IJHR_ORG has a formal process to address appeals and complaints fairly and confidentially.

• Appeals of Editorial Decisions: Authors may appeal a rejection decision only if they believe a significant procedural error occurred during review (e.g., a factual error in the review). Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief via orgjournaljhr@gmail.com within 30 days of the decision, detailing the specific grounds for the appeal. The appeal will be reviewed by an independent editorial board member not involved in the original decision, whose judgment is final.

• Complaints about Conduct: Complaints regarding the conduct of journal staff, editors, or reviewers, or allegations of ethical misconduct, should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. All complaints will be investigated promptly, thoroughly, and confidentially in line with COPE flowcharts. Outcomes will be communicated to the complainant.

6. Authorship Criteria and Contributor Policies
IJHR_ORG strictly follows the ICMJE Recommendations for defining authorship. Each author listed must meet all four of the following criteria:
1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all co-authors meet these criteria, approving the final manuscript, and managing all communication with the journal. Changes to authorship (addition, removal, reordering) after submission require written consent from all authors and editorial approval.

7. Double-Blind Peer Review and Editorial Process
IJHR_ORG employs a rigorous double-blind peer-review system to ensure impartial evaluation.

• Process: Submitted manuscripts are first assessed for scope and compliance by the editorial office. Suitable manuscripts are anonymized and assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers. Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other.

• Criteria: Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, significance of findings, and clarity of presentation.

• Decision: The handling editor makes a decision (Accept, Minor/Major Revision, Reject) based on the reviewers' reports and their own assessment. The typical time from submission to first decision is 4-8 weeks.

8. Manuscript Withdrawal Policy
Authors may request withdrawal of their manuscript from consideration at any stage before formal acceptance.

• Pre-Acceptance: A written request from the corresponding author is required, stating the reason for withdrawal.

• Post-Acceptance (Pre-Publication): Withdrawal after acceptance is strongly discouraged and permitted only in exceptional circumstances (e.g., discovery of a critical error or ethical issue). Unjustified post-acceptance withdrawals may result in administrative charges and could affect future submissions from the authors.

• Post-Publication: Published articles constitute the permanent scholarly record. Corrections are issued via errata; retractions are considered only in cases of proven serious error or misconduct, following COPE guidelines.

9. Data Sharing and Transparency Policy
To promote research reproducibility and transparency, IJHR_ORG strongly encourages authors to share the data underlying the results of their study.

• Expectation: Authors are expected to deposit de-identified data in a suitable public, discipline-specific repository (e.g., Figshare, Dryad, OSF, clinical trial registries) and provide the Data Availability Statement and access link within the manuscript.

• Statement: A Data Availability Statement is required in all manuscripts, describing where and how the data supporting the findings can be accessed, or explaining any restrictions (legal, ethical, commercial) on data sharing.

• Citations: Datasets must be cited in the reference list with their own persistent identifiers (DOIs).

10. Preprint Policy
IJHR_ORG supports the early sharing of research via preprint servers.

• Permitted: Submission of manuscripts previously posted on non-commercial preprint servers (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN) is allowed and not considered prior publication.

• Declaration: Authors must declare the preprint details (server name, DOI, date) during the submission process and include a citation to the preprint in the reference list.

• Post-Acceptance: Upon formal publication in IJHR_ORG, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a link to the final Version of Record.