Social Determinants of Health (SDH) is owned by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
The Owner is responsible for providing the strategic direction, administrative support, and financial sustainability necessary for the long-term operation of the journal while respecting the journal's editorial independence.
The Owner does not influence editorial decisions regarding the acceptance, rejection, or publication of manuscripts.
SDH is published by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Social Determinants of Health Research Center).
The Publisher is responsible for the production, publication, online hosting, preservation, and dissemination of the journal's scholarly content.
The Publisher supports the implementation of international publishing standards and promotes transparency, research integrity, and ethical scholarly communication.
Editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.
The acceptance or rejection of manuscripts is based solely on:
Editorial decisions are made without regard to:
Neither the journal owner, publisher, sponsors, nor advertisers influence editorial decisions.
The governance of SDH is based on clearly defined responsibilities shared among the journal's stakeholders.
The Owner is responsible for:
The Publisher is responsible for:
The Editor-in-Chief has full responsibility for:
The Editor-in-Chief acts independently and in accordance with internationally recognized editorial and ethical standards.
The Editorial Board provides scientific leadership by:
Editorial Board members are selected based on their academic expertise, research achievements, editorial experience, and commitment to ethical publishing.
The Editorial Office coordinates the day-to-day management of manuscript submissions and communications.
Its responsibilities include:
The Editorial Office does not make independent editorial decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection.
Financial support for the journal, regardless of its source, does not influence editorial decision-making.
Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on their scientific merit, ethical integrity, methodological quality, and relevance to the journal.
The journal maintains a clear separation between editorial functions and financial or administrative activities.
Where applicable, any sponsoring organizations provide financial or administrative support only.
Sponsors do not participate in:
Any sponsorship arrangements are disclosed transparently on the journal website.
If advertising is accepted by the journal, advertisements are clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
Advertising has no influence on editorial decisions, peer review, or publication outcomes.
The journal reserves the right to reject advertisements that conflict with its mission, ethical standards, or editorial policies.
SDH is committed to maintaining transparent governance and editorial accountability.
The journal clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Owner, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, and Editorial Office to ensure that editorial decisions remain independent, objective, and free from inappropriate influence.
This governance framework supports the journal's commitment to research integrity, ethical publishing, and the dissemination of high-quality scientific knowledge