PUBLICATION ETHICS AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT:

The statements of publication ethics for NSMJ are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. All parties (Publisher (NSMJ & NPA), Reviewer, Editors, and Author) involved in the publication of articles should agree the below standards of ethical behavior.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NSMJ EDITOR

Accountability and Editorial Authority

The Editor of NSMJ is fully accountable for all published content, holding the authority to select which submitted articles proceed to publication. This decision-making process is guided by journal editorial policies and legal requirements pertaining to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor maintains the integrity of the academic record, ensuring that business considerations never compromise intellectual or ethical standards. The Editor is also responsible for issuing necessary corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies in a timely manner. The Editor may consult with other editors or reviewers as needed during the decision process.

Fairness and Confidentiality

The Editor must evaluate manuscripts based solely on intellectual content, without regard to the author's race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

The Editor and editorial staff must treat submitted manuscripts as strictly confidential. Information about a manuscript under consideration will not be disclosed to anyone other than the author(s), reviewers, potential reviewers, editorial board members, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Conflicts of Interest and Ethical Oversight

The Editor must not use unpublished material disclosed in a manuscript for their own research without the author's explicit written consent. Privileged information obtained through the peer-review process must be kept confidential and not used for personal gain.

The Editor is committed to a fair and appropriate peer review process, ensuring that commercial revenue (e.g., from advertising or reprints) does not influence editorial decisions.

Editors must recuse themselves from considering any manuscript where a conflict of interest exists, stemming from competitive, collaborative, or personal relationships with the authors or institutions connected to the paper. Furthermore, the Editor is responsible for requiring all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and for publishing corrections or taking appropriate action (such as retraction) if conflicts are discovered after publication.

Investigation and Integrity

The Editor is required to safeguard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions as necessary, and by actively pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct by authors, reviewers, or editorial staff. The Editor must take prompt, responsive measures when ethical complaints arise concerning any submitted or published paper.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF NSM REVIEWERS

Contribution and Timeliness

Reviewers play a critical role in the publication process by assisting the Editor in making informed editorial decisions and helping the author improve the quality of the manuscript through constructive feedback.

If an invited reviewer feels unqualified to assess the research or anticipates an inability to complete the review in a timely manner, they must notify the Editor immediately so that an alternative reviewer can be contacted promptly.

Confidentiality and Objectivity

All manuscripts received for review must be treated as strictly confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with unauthorized parties unless explicitly approved by the Editor.

Reviews must be conducted with the highest standards of objectivity. Personal criticism of the author is unacceptable. Reviewers are expected to clearly articulate their views and provide appropriate supporting arguments and evidence for their feedback.

Ethical Conduct and Disclosure

Reviewers must identify relevant published works that have not been cited by the authors, providing the corresponding citation for any previously reported observation, derivation, or argument. Reviewers should also alert the Editor to any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript and any other published data of which they have personal knowledge.

Conflict of Interest: Privileged information or ideas gained during the peer review process must be kept confidential and must not be used for personal or competitive advantage. Reviewers must decline to evaluate any manuscript where a conflict of interest exists, including those resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the submission.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUBLISHER

The Publisher is committed to safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record. In close collaboration with the NSMJ Editors, the Publisher will take all necessary measures to investigate and resolve confirmed cases of plagiarism, fraudulent publication, or scientific misconduct. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum or, for the most severe breaches, the complete retraction of the affected work.