Simanta Journal of Health Studies upholds the highest ethical standards in publishing, adhering to the principles and guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal is committed to ensuring integrity, transparency, and fairness in the publication process. All stakeholders, including authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers, are expected to follow these ethical standards. 

1. Responsibilities of Authors

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that their submissions are original works and have not been published or submitted elsewhere. Proper citation and acknowledgment of all sources are mandatory.
• Authorship: All listed authors should have made substantial contributions to the research and agree to the final manuscript. Guest or honorary authorship is not permitted.
• Data Integrity: Authors must provide accurate data and ensure that all findings are presented truthfully. Falsification, fabrication, or manipulation of data is strictly prohibited.
• Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Authors are required to disclose any financial or personal relationships that may influence their research.
• Ethical Approval: Research involving human participants or animals must comply with ethical guidelines, and authors must provide evidence of approval by relevant ethics committees.

2. Responsibilities of Editors

• Fair Review Process: The editorial team ensures that all manuscripts are reviewed based on their academic merit, free from discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics.
• Confidentiality: Editors must treat all submissions as confidential and must not disclose any information about a manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, or publisher.
• Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.
• Decision-Making: Editors are responsible for making fair and unbiased decisions about the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts, guided by the journal's policies and ethical standards.

3. Responsibilities of Reviewers

• Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of all manuscripts and should not use the information obtained for personal gain.
• Constructive Feedback: Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback to improve the quality of the manuscript.
• Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must decline to review manuscripts where conflicts of interest could compromise their judgment.

4. Responsibilities of the Publisher

• Ethical Oversight: The publisher works with editors to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines and to address any breaches of publication ethics.
• Corrections and Retractions: If ethical misconduct, errors, or inaccuracies are discovered, the journal will publish corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern as necessary.

5. Handling Misconduct

• Allegations of misconduct, such as plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical violations, will be thoroughly investigated by the editorial board.
• Appropriate actions, including manuscript rejection, retraction, or notification of relevant institutions, will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

By submitting to Simanta Journal of Health Studies, all authors agree to abide by these ethical standards. For further information, please refer to the COPE Guidelines.