Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Statement

The South East Asia Journal of Public Health (SEAJPH) is dedicated to maintaining the highest ethical standards for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, and the publisher. We are committed to ensuring that all published research is scientifically rigorous, ethically sound, and completely original.

1. Plagiarism Policy

SEAJPH strictly prohibits all forms of plagiarism. Plagiarism involves presenting the words, data, or ideas of others as your own without proper attribution.

  • Originality: By submitting a manuscript, authors certify that their work is entirely original.

  • Similarity Checking: All submitted manuscripts are subject to screening using plagiarism detection software before being sent for peer review.

  • Self-Plagiarism: Authors must not submit manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Re-using one’s own previously published words or ideas without adequate citation is also considered unacceptable.

  • Consequences: If plagiarism is detected during the peer-review process, the manuscript will be immediately rejected. If plagiarism is discovered after publication, SEAJPH reserves the right to issue a formal correction or retract the article entirely, and the authors' affiliated institutions may be notified.

2. Ethical Approval and Human/Animal Rights

Given the journal's focus on public health and healthcare, ethical compliance regarding human and animal subjects is strictly enforced.

  • Ethics Committee Approval: All research involving human participants, human data, human tissue, or animals must have been approved by an appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee. The name of the ethics committee and the approval reference number must be stated in the manuscript.

  • Informed Consent: For research involving human subjects, authors must obtain informed consent to participate in the study. Furthermore, if identifying information (such as personal data, photographs, or case histories) is included, written informed consent for publication must be obtained from the patient(s) or their legal guardian(s).

  • Declaration of Helsinki: Research involving human subjects must comply with the ethical standards outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and its subsequent amendments.

3. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship should be strictly limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.

  • All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.

  • Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

  • The corresponding author must ensure that all appropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

  • AI tools (such as ChatGPT or other LLMs) cannot be listed as authors. If AI tools were used in data analysis, writing, or editing, their use must be transparently disclosed in the methodology or acknowledgments section.

4. Conflict of Interest (Competing Interests)

Authors must transparently disclose any financial or personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honouraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.

  • A "Conflict of Interest" statement must be included in the manuscript, even if the authors have no conflicts to declare (e.g., "The authors declare no conflict of interest.").

  • Reviewers and editors are also required to declare any conflicts of interest regarding the manuscripts they are evaluating and must recuse themselves if a conflict exists.

5. Data Fabrication and Falsification

Data fabrication (making up research data) and data falsification (manipulating research data, imagery, or processes to misrepresent results) are severe ethical violations. Authors must retain raw data related to their submissions and should be prepared to provide it to the editorial board upon request. Image manipulation that alters the scientific meaning of a figure is prohibited.

6. Peer Review Integrity

SEAJPH utilizes a double-blind peer-review process to ensure objective evaluation.

  • Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively, maintaining confidentiality regarding the paper and the review process. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

  • Editors evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit (importance, originality, study's validity, clarity) and relevance to the journal's scope, without regard to the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy, or institutional affiliation.

7. Corrections and Retractions

SEAJPH is committed to maintaining the integrity of the academic record.

  • Corrections (Errata/Corrigenda): If a significant error or inaccuracy is discovered in a published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper in the form of an Erratum.

  • Retractions: Articles may be retracted if there is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation). Retractions will also be issued for cases of redundant publication or plagiarism.

8. Reporting Allegations of Misconduct

Anyone who believes that research published in SEAJPH has not been carried out in line with these ethical guidelines should raise their concern with the Editor-in-Chief via the Contact page. All allegations of misconduct will be taken seriously and investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines.