JSOMER is guided by honesty, accuracy, transparency, accountability, editorial independence, fairness, confidentiality, respect for persons and communities, research integrity, responsible openness, correction of the scholarly record, proportionality, and due process.

• Research methods, data, analyses, findings, contributions, disclosures, and editorial records must be represented truthfully.
• Claims must reflect the available evidence without exaggerating certainty, significance, or generalizability.
• Editorial decisions must rest on scholarly merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
• Participants, communities, confidential materials, intellectual property, and protected editorial information must be respected.
• Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, deceptive manipulation, and other practices that undermine reliability are unacceptable.
• Material errors and substantiated integrity concerns must be addressed promptly and transparently.

These principles protect the research and publication process and are not intended to impose punitive action without fair assessment.

This framework applies to authors, contributors, the Editor-in-Chief, handling editors, Editorial Board members, Guest Editors, reviewers, the publisher, journal staff, professional writers, translators, statisticians, consultants, technical providers, and others involved in preparing, evaluating, publishing, or reviewing JSOMER content.

• provide complete, accurate, and nonmisleading information;
• disclose relevant conflicts of interest and funding relationships;
• respect confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property, and participant rights;
• avoid manipulation of authorship, peer review, citations, data, analysis, or editorial decisions;
• cooperate with legitimate editorial and research-integrity inquiries;
• preserve relevant research and editorial records;
• report material errors and credible integrity concerns promptly;
• communicate respectfully and professionally; and
• follow the specific JSOMER policies applicable to the role or issue.

Academic title, affiliation, reputation, editorial position, reviewer service, or relationship with the journal does not confer preferential treatment or exemption from policy.

JSOMER separates editorial decision-making from ownership, financial support, technical administration, indexing objectives, and personal or institutional interests. The publisher supports infrastructure and continuity but does not direct acceptance or rejection of individual manuscripts.

Editorial decisions are based on scope, originality, scholarly significance, methodological appropriateness, transparency, ethical compliance, reporting quality, reliability of evidence, independent peer review, and correspondence between evidence and conclusions.

Editors, Board members, reviewers, Guest Editors, and the publisher must not participate when they have a relevant conflict. Manuscripts authored by persons associated with the journal must be handled independently under the applicable governance, conflict-of-interest, peer-review, and publication-process safeguards.

JSOMER’s policies apply throughout research design and conduct, manuscript preparation, submission, screening, editorial assessment, peer review, revision, acceptance, production, publication, dissemination, and post-publication review.

More than one policy may apply to a single matter. When a specific policy addresses the issue, that policy governs the applicable requirements and procedure without weakening the journal’s overarching ethical commitments.

When no policy addresses a matter explicitly, JSOMER considers the evidence, participant and community protection, research and publication integrity, editorial independence, procedural fairness, confidentiality, privacy, proportionality, institutional and legal requirements, and recognized standards of responsible scholarly publishing. Qualified academic, methodological, statistical, clinical, ethical, technical, integrity, or legal advice may be obtained confidentially.

Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, ethics committees, funders, repositories, publishers, regulators, or other parties. Anonymous concerns may be considered when they contain specific, credible, and verifiable information.

• identify the manuscript or published article;
• describe the concern clearly;
• provide relevant evidence or documentation;
• distinguish known facts from interpretations or allegations; and
• explain how the issue may affect the research or publication process.

Submission of a concern does not establish misconduct. JSOMER may request clarification, pause evaluation or publication, obtain independent advice, reassign the matter, request supporting records, contact a competent organization, or take another proportionate action. Affected individuals will normally have a reasonable opportunity to respond when appropriate.

Failure to comply with journal policy may result in proportionate action based on seriousness, timing, available evidence, and potential effect.

• request information, clarification, correction, revision, or documentation;
• decline external review, suspend evaluation, replace a reviewer or editor, reject, or administratively withdraw a manuscript;
• withdraw acceptance before publication;
• refer a matter to an institution or another competent body;
• discontinue reviewing or editorial invitations;
• publish a correction or Expression of Concern;
• retract an article or remove content exceptionally for legal or safety reasons; or
• take another action necessary to protect research participants and the scholarly record.

Actions are not determined by academic position, affiliation, reputation, nationality, professional relationships, or influence. Matters involving the Editor-in-Chief, editors, Board members, Guest Editors, reviewers, or publisher must be transferred to independent handling.

Authors must notify JSOMER promptly when they discover a material error or omission in submitted, accepted, forthcoming, or published work. Reviewers, editors, and readers are encouraged to report credible concerns affecting reliability, accuracy, ethics, or transparency.

The version of record will not be changed silently. Material post-publication changes are documented through an appropriate public notice. Author disagreement, failure to respond, or refusal to approve a notice does not prevent necessary editorial action.

JSOMER does not tolerate retaliation against persons who raise good-faith concerns, disclose conflicts, report errors, decline improper requests, participate in legitimate inquiries, or exercise rights under journal policy. Knowingly false allegations, threats, harassment, or misuse of procedure may be addressed separately.

JSOMER periodically reviews its policies to ensure consistency with actual practice, mutual compatibility, the journal’s interdisciplinary scope, developments in research and publishing, recognized scholarly standards, and relevant indexing, abstracting, and directory requirements.

Material revisions are dated and disclosed transparently. The most recently published version of a specific policy applies from its stated effective or update date unless the policy provides otherwise.