The Social Determinants of Health journal (SDH) adheres to the Core Practices and procedural flowcharts established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure integrity in scholarly publishing and to address potential misconduct. The journal also follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and upholds the principles outlined by the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).
All authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers involved in the publication process are expected to conform to these ethical guidelines.
1.1. Definition of Authorship
The SDH journal follows the ICMJE recommendations for defining authorship. To qualify as an author, individuals must meet all four of the following criteria:
All individuals who meet these criteria should be listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and have agreed to its submission.
1.2. Acknowledgment of Contributors
Contributors who do not meet all four authorship criteria should not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section—with their written permission. This section should also disclose:
- Financial support and funding sources
- Technical assistance
- Writing assistance or editing support
- Material or equipment contributions
- General institutional or departmental support
1.3. Changes to Authorship
Any changes to authorship (adding, removing, or reordering authors) after submission or acceptance must be approved by all authors (including those being added or removed) and the journal editor. A signed Authorship Change Request Form (available on the journal website) must be submitted with a clear explanation for the change.
1.4. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of AI tools or large language models (such as ChatGPT) in manuscript preparation must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments section. However, AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the content, integrity, or originality of the work. Authors are fully responsible for all aspects of their work, including any contributions from AI tools.
2.1. Handling Complaints
Complaints are handled in accordance with COPE guidelines. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for correspondence and resolution and will respond promptly via email. Complaints may relate to:
- Editorial decisions (rejection, revision requests)
- Delays in the review or publication process
- Ethical concerns about submitted or published articles
- Behavior of editors, reviewers, or staff
- Technical issues with the submission system
2.2. Appeal Process
Authors who wish to appeal an editorial decision should submit a formal appeal letter to the Editor-in-Chief at editor@sdh.sbmu.ac.ir within 30 days of the decision. The appeal letter must:
- Clearly state the reasons for the appeal
- Provide specific responses to reviewer and editor comments
- Include any new data or information that addresses concerns raised during review
The Editor-in-Chief will review the appeal, consult with editorial board members if necessary, and provide a final decision within 4-6 weeks. The decision on appeal is final.
2.3. How to File a Complaint
Complaints should be submitted in writing to:
Editor-in-Chief
Email: editor@sdh.sbmu.ac.ir
Subject Line: "Complaint – [Brief Description]"
All complaints will be acknowledged within 5 working days and resolved as quickly as possible.
3.1. Definition
A conflict of interest exists when there is a divergence between an individual's private interests and their professional responsibilities to the journal, such that an independent observer might reasonably question whether the individual's actions or decisions are influenced by their competing interests.
3.2. For Authors
All authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers must disclose any conflicts of interest—financial, academic, personal, professional, or otherwise. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Employment, consultancies, or advisory board positions
- Stock ownership or options
- Honoraria, speaking fees, or expert testimony payments
- Patents (pending or filed)
- Research grants from funding agencies or industry
- Personal relationships that could influence the work
- Political or religious affiliations relevant to the research
Authors are encouraged to complete the ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for each author and submit it with their manuscript. A summary statement of conflicts (or declaration of no conflicts) must also be included in the manuscript before the References section.
3.3. For Reviewers
Reviewers must decline review invitations if they have:
- Recent collaboration or co-authorship with any author
- Competitive or adversarial relationships with any author
- Financial interests affected by the manuscript's publication
- Personal relationships with any author
- Inability to provide an objective evaluation
If a reviewer identifies a potential conflict after agreeing to review, they must immediately notify the editorial office.
3.4. For Editors
Editors involved in manuscript decisions must recuse themselves if they have any competing interests related to the manuscript. In such cases, the manuscript will be assigned to another editor or handled by the Editor-in-Chief.
3.5. Disclosure in Published Articles
All published articles will include a Conflict of Interest statement, regardless of whether conflicts exist. If no conflicts exist, the statement will read: "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."
4.1. Data Availability
The SDH journal encourages authors to make their data available to other researchers, either through public repositories or by request, to promote transparency and reproducibility. Clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, IRCT.ir) and follow appropriate reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA).
4.2. Prohibited Practices
The SDH journal strictly prohibits:
Practice Definition
Data Fabrication: Inventing data or results and presenting them as genuine
Data Falsification: Manipulating, distorting, or selectively omitting data to misrepresent findings
Selective Reporting: Reporting only results that support the hypothesis while hiding contradictory findings
Duplicate Publication: Publishing the same data or findings in more than one journal without justification
Authors may be asked to provide original datasets during the review process to verify findings.
4.3. Image Manipulation
Image adjustments must be disclosed and must not mislead readers. Digital images (micrographs, gels, blots, photographs) must accurately represent the original data.
Acceptable modifications:
- Uniform adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance applied to the entire image
- Cropping for clarity, as long as all relevant data remains visible
Unacceptable practices:
- Altering, removing, or introducing elements within an image
- Selective enhancement of image features
- Reusing images from different experiments or publications without clear attribution
- Splicing or rearranging images to create misleading composites
The journal follows COPE's image manipulation guidelines and may request original, unprocessed files for verification.
4.4. Handling Suspected Misconduct
The following COPE flowcharts are followed for suspected misconduct:
- [Fabricated data in a submitted manuscript]: (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts)
- [Fabricated data in a published manuscript]: (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts)
- [Suspected manipulation of images]: (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts)
If misconduct is confirmed, appropriate actions will be taken, which may include rejection, retraction, and notification of relevant institutions.
5.1. Research Involving Human Subjects
All research involving human participants must comply with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki (most recent version) and must have received approval from an appropriate institutional ethics committee or review board.
Manuscripts must include in the Methods section:
- A statement confirming ethical approval (name of ethics committee and approval number)
- Confirmation that informed consent was obtained from all participants (or legal guardians)
- For vulnerable populations, a description of additional safeguards
5.2. Informed Consent
Written informed consent must be obtained from participants or legal guardians for:
- Participation in the research study
- Publication of identifiable information or images (in case reports, photographs, etc.)
Authors must be able to provide copies of consent forms upon request by the editor. Details should be included in the "Methods" section.
5.3. Research Involving Animals
Research involving animals must comply with international animal ethics guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE guidelines, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals). Manuscripts must include:
- A statement confirming ethical approval (name of ethics committee and approval number)
- Confirmation that all procedures followed relevant guidelines
- Details of animal care, housing, and experimental procedures
5.4. Clinical Trial Registration
The SDH journal follows the ICMJE recommendation that all clinical trials be registered in a public trials registry before or at the time of first patient enrollment. The trial registration number and registry name must be included in the manuscript abstract.
5.5. Vulnerable Populations
Research involving vulnerable populations (children, pregnant women, prisoners, refugees, indigenous peoples, individuals with cognitive impairments) requires additional ethical safeguards. Authors must describe how they protected participants' rights and welfare and obtained appropriate consent.
6.1. Copyright and Licensing
Authors retain copyright and grant the SDH journal the right of first publication under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) . All articles are published as open access under this license.
Under the CC BY 4.0 license, anyone may:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
Provided that:
- Appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source
- A link to the license is provided
- Indication is given if changes were made
6.2. Author Rights
Authors may:
- Share the published version in institutional repositories, personal websites, or books—with acknowledgment of the original publication in the SDH journal
- Post accepted manuscripts online (preprints or post-prints) to encourage early engagement and citation
- Use their articles for teaching and scholarly purposes
- Include their articles in theses or dissertations
6.3. Plagiarism
Plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. The SDH journal defines plagiarism as:
- Direct copying of text, data, or ideas from others without proper attribution and quotation marks where appropriate
- Extensive paraphrasing of others' work without acknowledgment
- Self-plagiarism: reusing substantial portions of one's own previously published work without citing the original source and without justification
The SDH journal uses plagiarism detection software (iThenticate) for all submitted manuscripts and follows COPE procedures when plagiarism is suspected. Authors must avoid copying previously published content unless properly quoted and cited.
7.1. Editorial Independence
The SDH journal is published by the Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, which provides financial and institutional support. However, the journal maintains full editorial independence.
- Manuscripts are evaluated solely on scholarly merit, originality, validity, and alignment with the journal's scope
- Editorial decisions are not influenced by the journal's publisher, owner, or any third parties
- The journal follows the principles outlined by the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) regarding editorial freedom and integrity
7.2. Editorial Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for:
- Fair and unbiased handling of all manuscripts
- Confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
- Timely publication of high-quality research
- Addressing ethical concerns promptly and in accordance with COPE guidelines
7.3. Advertising and Sponsorship
The SDH journal does not accept advertising. Any sponsorships or financial support are disclosed on the journal website and do not influence editorial decisions.
8.1. Peer Review Process
The SDH journal employs a single-blind peer review process, where reviewers are anonymous to the authors. All manuscripts undergo rigorous peer review by at least two independent expert reviewers.
Peer review ethics:
- Reviewers must provide constructive, fair, and timely assessments
- Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and not share manuscripts with others
- Reviewers must declare any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves if necessary
- The journal follows COPE guidelines to manage conflicts and complaints during peer review
8.2. Post-Publication Corrections
The journal may issue corrections, revisions, or retractions as needed:
- Corrections: For minor errors that do not affect the integrity of the work (e.g., typographical errors, author name misspellings)
- Errata: For publisher-introduced errors
- Addenda: For additional information that clarifies the work but does not contradict it
- Retractions: For major errors, ethical violations, or misconduct that invalidate the work
8.3. Retraction Policy
Retractions are handled according to COPE flowcharts:
- [Article retraction]: (https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts)
- [Retraction guidelines]: (https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction-guidelines.pdf)
A retraction notice will be:
- Published in the journal and linked to the original article
- Clearly identify the article being retracted and the reasons for retraction
- Be freely available to all readers
8.4. Post-Publication Discussion
Post-publication dialogue is welcomed via:
- Letters to the Editor: Brief, focused responses to published articles. Letters should be scholarly, constructive, and submitted through the journal's online system. Accepted letters will be published with a response from the original authors when appropriate.
- Comments: Readers may comment on articles through the journal's website (registration required). Comments are moderated for civility and relevance.
8.5. Handling Misconduct in Published Articles
If misconduct is suspected after publication, the journal will:
9.1. Reporting Ethical Concerns
Anyone who suspects unethical behavior, misconduct, or violations of this policy should report it to the Editor-in-Chief at ethics@sdh.sbmu.ac.ir. All reports will be handled confidentially and investigated promptly.
9.2. Cooperation with Investigations
Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to cooperate fully with any investigations into ethical concerns. Failure to cooperate may result in sanctions, including retraction of published articles and notification of relevant institutions.
9.3. Updates to This Policy
This Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement is reviewed periodically and updated as needed to reflect new guidelines, best practices, and COPE recommendations. The current version is always available on the journal website.
For questions or concerns regarding publication ethics, please contact “Editor-in-Chief: sdhj@sbmu.ac.ir”
*The SDH journal is committed to transparency, integrity, and the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. *