Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

Heart Research Open Journal

Heart Research Open Journal (HROJ) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and takes all possible measures against publication malpractice. The journal follows the principles and recommendations established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and internationally accepted ethical publishing standards.

Duties of Authors

Authors submitting manuscripts to HROJ must ensure that:

  • The submitted work is original and has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to another journal.
  • Proper acknowledgment of the work of others is provided through accurate citation and referencing.
  • Data presented in the manuscript are genuine, accurate, and free from fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation.
  • All listed authors have significantly contributed to the research and approved the final manuscript.
  • Any conflicts of interest, financial support, or funding sources are clearly disclosed.
  • Research involving human participants or animals has received appropriate ethical approval from relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees.
  • Patient confidentiality and informed consent requirements are strictly maintained where applicable.
  • Authors promptly notify the journal editor if a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered after publication.

Plagiarism in any form, duplicate publication, data fabrication, citation manipulation, or unethical research practices are considered serious ethical violations and will result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

Duties of Editors

Editors of HROJ are responsible for:

  • Evaluating manuscripts solely on academic merit, scientific quality, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
  • Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and reviewer identities.
  • Ensuring a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process.
  • Taking appropriate action when ethical concerns or misconduct allegations arise.
  • Avoiding conflicts of interest in editorial decisions.
  • Issuing corrections, clarifications, retractions, or apologies when necessary.

Editors shall not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than corresponding authors, reviewers, editorial advisors, and the publisher as appropriate.

Duties of Reviewers

Peer reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of manuscripts.
  • Maintain confidentiality of all manuscript information.
  • Identify relevant published work not cited by the authors.
  • Inform editors of any suspected plagiarism, ethical concerns, or substantial similarities with other published work.
  • Decline review assignments where conflicts of interest exist.

Reviewers must not use unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript for personal research or advantage.

Ethical Oversight

Research involving human subjects, clinical trials, or animal experiments must comply with recognized ethical standards including the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional ethical guidelines. Authors should provide approval numbers or ethics committee references where applicable.

Handling of Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of publication misconduct seriously. Suspected cases of plagiarism, redundant publication, authorship disputes, fabricated data, unethical research, or undisclosed conflicts of interest will be investigated according to COPE guidelines. Appropriate actions may include:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Publication correction
  • Retraction of published articles
  • Notification to authors’ institutions or funding agencies

Copyright and Open Access

All articles published in HROJ are distributed under an open-access license, allowing unrestricted access, distribution, and reproduction provided the original work is properly cited