Research Ethics

The International Review of Multidisciplinary Research adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and principles from the Declaration of Helsinki. This statement applies to authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must present original, unpublished work with accurate data representation and sufficient methodological detail for replication.

  • All sources properly cited; plagiarism, data fabrication, or falsification unacceptable
  • Multiple publications from same study require clear disclosure
  • All authors contribute significantly and approve final version; ghost/guest authorship prohibited
  • Conflicts of interest (financial or otherwise) must be declared
  • Human participant research requires IRB/IEC approval and informed consent per RA 10173
  • Animal studies follow institutional guidelines

Editor and Editorial Team Duties

  • Publication decisions based on peer review, scholarly merit, journal scope—independent of commercial pressures
  • Protect confidentiality of submissions
  • Ensure unbiased, double-blind review processes
  • Investigate ethical concerns following COPE flowcharts
  • Right to retract/correct articles transparently
  • No submitted materials used in editors' own research without consent

Reviewer Obligations

Reviewers provide objective, constructive feedback based on expertise:

  • Decline if conflicts exist
  • Treat manuscripts confidentially
  • Report suspected misconduct promptly
  • Assess validity, originality, ethical compliance without personal bias

Publisher Role

Vertex International Research and Consultancy Corp. supports:

  • Editorial independence
  • Archiving via GitHub/Zenodo
  • Correction/retraction policies
  • Appeals follow COPE guidelines
  • Sanctions from warnings to publication bans for violations

Violations trigger investigation per COPE procedures. This policy, effective January 1, 2026, aligns with Scopus indexing standards for transparency and integrity.