Policies

Open Access Policy

IJCTM follows a full open-access publishing model. All articles are freely available online immediately upon publication without subscription barriers, embargo periods, or paywalls.

•       Articles are published under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and adaptation provided appropriate credit is given.

•       Authors retain copyright and grant IJCTM a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to publish, reproduce, and distribute the article under CC BY 4.0.

•       Authors may archive the accepted manuscript or final published version in institutional or subject repositories (e.g., PubMed Central, institutional repositories) with appropriate citation.

Peer Review Process

IJCTM operates a rigorous, transparent double-blind peer review system to ensure the scientific quality and integrity of all published articles.

Initial Editorial Screening

•       All manuscripts are submitted through the online submission system; email submissions are not accepted.

•       The Editor-in-Chief assigns the manuscript to a Section Editor for initial evaluation within 24–48 hours of receipt.

•       Initial screening assesses relevance to scope, scientific quality, originality, compliance with guidelines, and ethical standards.

•       Manuscripts not meeting quality thresholds are returned promptly, allowing authors to revise or submit elsewhere.

Double-Blind Peer Review

•       Manuscripts passing initial screening are assigned to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers, with a third reviewer sought for complex or interdisciplinary work.

•       Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise, prior review quality, and absence of conflicts of interest.

•       Reviewers are requested to complete evaluation within 2–4 weeks; highly specialised manuscripts may require 6–8 weeks.

•       Reviewer identities are never disclosed to authors; author identities are concealed from reviewers throughout.

Reviewer Evaluation Criteria

•       Scientific validity and originality of the research question and findings

•       Appropriateness, reproducibility, and rigour of study design and methodology

•       Statistical soundness and accuracy of data analysis

•       Ethical compliance and research integrity (ethics approvals, informed consent)

•       Compliance with the relevant reporting guideline (CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, COREQ, SRQR, etc.)

•       Clinical relevance, significance, and contribution to existing knowledge

•       Quality, recency, and completeness of references (Vancouver/ICMJE format)

•       Standard of academic English and overall presentation quality

•       Quality and resolution of figures, tables, and supplementary materials

Editorial Decision

Based on reviewer recommendations, the Editor-in-Chief issues one of the following decisions:

•       Acceptance without revision

•       Minor revision (to be returned within 2 weeks)

•       Major revision (to be returned within 4–6 weeks)

•       Revise and resubmit (substantial revision; undergoes full re-review)

•       Rejection

 Authors receive the decision letter with anonymised reviewer comments. Authors may submit one formal appeal per manuscript, with a detailed point-by-point rebuttal.

Editorial Independence & Conflict of Interest

Manuscripts submitted by editors or editorial board members are handled with complete independence, subject to the same peer-review standards as all submissions. Editorial board members are excluded from review and decision-making for any manuscript in which they have a potential conflict of interest.

 All reviewers and editors are required to disclose financial or non-financial competing interests and recuse themselves accordingly. Independent editors oversee submissions with competing interests to maintain impartiality.

Corrections, Retractions & Publication Ethics

IJCTM adheres strictly to COPE guidelines for maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Published articles are considered the Version of Record (VoR); post-publication changes are handled transparently through:

•       Correction Notices — for factual errors that do not affect conclusions

•       Expressions of Concern — where investigation is ongoing

•       Retractions — where findings are unreliable due to misconduct or major error

•       Article Removal — only in exceptional legal or safety circumstances

 Each action is permanently linked to the original article with full documentation to ensure accountability.

Advertising Policy

IJCTM does not accept commercial advertisements. Sponsorship of supplements or special issues may be considered on a case-by-case basis with full disclosure. All editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, entirely independent of commercial considerations.

Communication Code of Conduct

All interactions between authors, reviewers, editors, and readers must be conducted with mutual respect, integrity, and professionalism. IJCTM strictly prohibits harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or unprofessional conduct. The editorial office may suspend communication or report violations to affiliated institutions where serious or repeated breaches occur.

Ethics & Consent Policies

Ethical Approval

All research involving human participants, biological materials, or identifiable data must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and be approved by an appropriate Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB). Authors must include the name of the approving ethics committee, the approval/reference number, and a statement confirming compliance with ethical standards. If ethical approval was waived, a clear justification must be provided.

Informed Consent to Participate

All participants must provide written informed consent prior to inclusion in the study. For vulnerable populations (minors, prisoners, cognitively impaired individuals), additional ethical scrutiny applies. The manuscript must include an explicit statement confirming informed consent was obtained.

Consent for Publication

For manuscripts involving identifiable patient data, clinical photographs, or case-specific details, authors must obtain written informed consent for publication from the individual, or from a parent/legal guardian in the case of a minor. The manuscript must include a statement confirming consent for publication was obtained.

Authorship Policy

Authorship in IJCTM is based on the ICMJE criteria. All criteria must be met. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgements with their contribution specified.

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international ethical guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE 2.0) and must be approved by an appropriate ethics committee. Authors must provide ethical approval details, confirm adherence to accepted animal welfare standards, and avoid non-standard or unethical procedures. For privately owned animals, written consent from owners is required.

Research Involving Plants & Biological Specimens

Studies involving plant materials must comply with relevant legal and institutional guidelines. Authors must provide documentation of permissions for specimen collection and deposit voucher specimens in recognised repositories where applicable.

Standards of Reporting

IJCTM requires authors to follow internationally recognised reporting guidelines. The appropriate checklist must be completed and submitted alongside the manuscript. Adherence to these standards is assessed during peer review and is mandatory for acceptance.

Guideline	Study Type	Mandatory Checklist
CONSORT 2010	Randomized controlled trials	Yes
SPIRIT	Clinical trial protocols	Yes
PRISMA 2020	Systematic reviews & meta-analyses	Yes
PRISMA-P	Systematic review protocols	Yes
STROBE	Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)	Yes
CARE	Case reports	Yes
COREQ	Qualitative research (focus groups, interviews)	Yes
SRQR	Qualitative research (broader scope)	Yes
STARD	Diagnostic accuracy studies	Yes
TRIPOD	Prediction / prognostic models	Yes
CHEERS	Health economic evaluations	Yes
AGREE II	Clinical practice guidelines	Yes
ARRIVE 2.0	Animal research	Yes

Completed reporting checklists must be uploaded as a separate file with page and section numbers indicating where each item is addressed in the manuscript. Visit www.equator-network.org for all reporting guidelines and checklists.

Publication Processes

Publication Frequency

IJCTM is published quarterly, with four issues annually:

•       Issue 1: On or before 31 March

•       Issue 2: On or before 30 June

•       Issue 3: On or before 30 September

•       Issue 4: On or before 31 December

Articles are also published online ahead of print to ensure timely dissemination. Ahead-of-print articles are officially published and may be cited using their DOI.

Ahead of Print Policy

Articles accepted and published online before assignment to a specific issue are considered the Version of Record (VoR). No changes will be made to the VoR except through formal post-publication processes (Correction Notices, Expressions of Concern, or Retractions) in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Digital Archiving Policy

IJCTM is committed to long-term digital preservation and accessibility of its published content. Membership applications to internationally recognised preservation services — Portico and CLOCKSS (Controlled Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) — have been initiated and will be confirmed prior to first publication.

•       Portico: Maintains a secure archival version; content is released on defined trigger events (e.g., journal discontinuation).

•       CLOCKSS: Decentralised preservation enabling participating libraries worldwide to maintain independent archival copies.

Research Data Sharing Policy

IJCTM strongly encourages authors to share research data supporting published findings to enhance transparency, reproducibility, and collaborative research. Authors are encouraged to:

•       Deposit datasets in recognised open-access repositories (e.g., Dryad, Zenodo, Figshare, PANGAEA)

•       Provide dataset identifiers (DOI) within the manuscript and cite datasets in the reference list

•       Link datasets directly to the published article where possible

•       Ensure compliance with ethical, legal, and institutional data-sharing requirements

 A Data Availability Statement is mandatory for all submissions, whether or not data are shared publicly.

Policy on Withdrawal of Manuscripts

Authors may request withdrawal of a manuscript by submitting a formal written request to the editorial office with justification. Withdrawal requests are evaluated by the editorial office. Approved withdrawals are communicated to all stakeholders; manuscripts are removed from the publication process if not yet published.

Withdrawal requests arising from misconduct or ethical concerns may trigger an internal investigation in accordance with COPE guidelines. The editorial board reserves the right to withdraw manuscripts to protect journal integrity. Withdrawn manuscripts may be resubmitted only after addressing prior concerns and will undergo a full peer-review process.

Special Issues & Collections

IJCTM encourages the dissemination of high-impact scientific knowledge through curated collections and special issues, which may originate from academic institutions, scientific conferences, research collaborations, and thematic initiatives in clinical and translational medicine.

 Special issues may include original research articles, review papers, conference abstracts, presentation materials, and other scholarly outputs relevant to the journal's scope. All submissions to special issues are subject to the same rigorous peer-review process and editorial standards as regular submissions.

Institutions or conference organisers must submit proposals at least 4–6 weeks prior to the intended publication date. Guest editors involved in special issues must declare any potential conflicts of interest; manuscripts with competing interests are reassigned to independent editors.

Legal Disclaimer & Privacy

Legal Disclaimer

The content published in IJCTM is intended for healthcare professionals, researchers, academicians, and students of medical and allied health sciences. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, reliability, and scientific validity — particularly regarding drug dosages, clinical recommendations, and therapeutic approaches — the ultimate responsibility for clinical decision-making rests with the treating physician or qualified healthcare professional.

Information published in this journal is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Authors, reviewers, and editors contribute to scientific accuracy within the scope of academic research; such contributions do not constitute individualised medical guidance. Readers are strongly advised to consult current clinical guidelines, official prescribing information, and manufacturer documentation before applying any therapeutic intervention.

IJCTM, its editorial board, and publisher disclaim liability for damages, adverse outcomes, or legal claims resulting from the use or misuse of published information, including investigational drugs or substances under clinical evaluation.

Plagiarism Prevention

IJCTM employs iThenticate or equivalent advanced plagiarism detection systems to screen all submitted manuscripts. Similarity analyses are conducted at submission and may be repeated post-publication if concerns arise. Editors interpret similarity scores contextually, distinguishing between legitimate citation, methodological overlap, and potential misconduct. Confirmed plagiarism, duplication, or unethical practice is handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Privacy Policy

Author and reviewer information is used solely for journal operations and is protected under strict privacy policies. IJCTM does not share personal data with third parties except as required by law or as necessary for editorial processing (e.g., CrossRef, indexing bodies). Authors provide consent for publication of their names, affiliations, and ORCID iDs with their submitted manuscripts.

Informed Consent & Author Responsibility

Authors are required to submit signed declarations confirming ethical compliance, authorship responsibility, and consent for publication. The corresponding author bears responsibility for ensuring all co-authors agree to the submission and publication terms and that all declarations are accurate.