Conflicts & Transparency

Policies on Conflict of Interest, Human and Animal Rights, and Informed Consent

Commitment to Ethical Integrity

The Insights - Journal of Medical and Dental Research (IJMDR) is dedicated to maintaining transparency and upholding the highest ethical standards in all published research. To ensure integrity, we require authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest (COI) and adhere to established guidelines for human and animal research ethics and informed consent.

Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy

Defining Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest occurs when personal, financial, or professional relationships may unduly influence—or appear to influence—a person’s objectivity in conducting, reviewing, or publishing research. Transparency in such matters is crucial to maintaining trust in scientific publications.

Disclosure Requirements

  • For Authors: Any financial interests (e.g., employment, consultancies, funding, stock ownership, intellectual property rights) or personal affiliations that could impact the research findings must be disclosed.
  • For Reviewers & Editors: Individuals involved in peer review or editorial decisions must declare any conflicts that may compromise their impartiality in handling a manuscript.

Disclosures must be made at the time of submission and will be evaluated by the editorial team to determine necessary actions.

Managing Conflicts of Interest

  • Disclosed conflicts may be published alongside the article for transparency.
  • In cases where a significant conflict exists, steps such as assigning independent reviewers, recusing conflicted editors, or issuing editorial statements may be taken to uphold objectivity.

Human and Animal Research Ethics

Human Research Compliance

All studies involving human participants must adhere to international ethical guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant institutional ethical review board approvals. Requirements include:

  • Securing ethical approval from a recognized review board.
  • Ensuring that research participants provide voluntary, informed consent before participation.

Animal Research Compliance

Research involving animals must comply with internationally recognized animal welfare regulations aimed at minimizing harm and ensuring humane treatment. Authors must:

  • Obtain ethical clearance from an accredited institutional animal ethics board.
  • Follow the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) to limit animal use and suffering.

Authors should explicitly state compliance with human and animal research ethics in their manuscript.

Informed Consent Policy

Consent for Research Participation & Publication

  • Mandatory informed consent is required for all studies involving human subjects, particularly where identifiable information is shared.
  • Authors must confirm in their manuscript that they have obtained participant consent for research involvement and publication of any personal data, images, or case details.

Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality

  • All personal data must be handled in accordance with legal and ethical privacy standards.
  • Identifying details should only be included if necessary and with explicit participant approval.

Implementation & Compliance

Submission & Verification Process

  • During Submission: Authors must provide COI disclosures, ethics approvals, and informed consent confirmations alongside their manuscript.
  • Editorial Review: The IJMDR editorial team will assess compliance with these policies before advancing manuscripts in the peer review process.
  • Non-Compliance: Failure to meet these ethical requirements may lead to manuscript rejection or requests for modifications.

Publication Transparency

Accepted articles will explicitly mention adherence to these ethical policies, ensuring transparency for readers and reinforcing IJMDR's commitment to ethical research.

This framework ensures that Insights - Journal of Medical and Dental Research upholds integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility in all its published work.