Ethics and good publishing practices

Ethics and Best Editorial Practices

While authors are entirely responsible for the content of their manuscripts and for ensuring that submitted works are original, unpublished, and not simultaneously submitted elsewhere, the Revista Mexicana de Investigación Médica maintains high ethical standards—such as those recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)—to uphold content quality and academic integrity. The journal urges authors, reviewers, and staff to be guided by the highest standards of intellectual and scientific integrity.

In cases of suspected unethical practices—such as plagiarism, misuse of collected information, gift authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, among others—the Editorial Committee follows COPE recommendations.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Committee:

  • Receive submissions that align with the journal's aims and scope.

  • If the preliminary review is positive, send articles for double-blind peer review. Both in the preliminary and formal review processes, reviewers' observations and suggestions are shared with the authors.

  • Select appropriate reviewers for manuscripts accepted for double-blind review.

  • Issue certificates of recognition to reviewers for each completed evaluation.

  • Keep authors informed regarding the current stage of the editorial process for their submission.

Responsibilities of Authors:

  • Submit original, unpublished articles that are not being simultaneously considered by other publications.

  • Clearly cite and reference excerpts from other works as well as the author’s own previous texts.

  • Ensure the submitted manuscript contains no references to their identity to facilitate anonymous evaluation.

  • Refrain from submitting the work to any other publication while it is under review by the Revista Mexicana de Investigación Médica.

  • Accept and follow all journal policies, criteria, and procedures.

  • If accepted for publication, correct, expand, or improve the text based on the reviewers' feedback.

  • Submit revised versions within the agreed timeframe.

Responsibilities of Reviewers:

  • Provide critical evaluations aimed at helping authors improve their work.

  • Consider the journal’s policies and criteria when conducting evaluations.

  • Declare any conflicts of interest before performing a review.

  • Respect the confidentiality of the data within the evaluated article.

  • Abstain from using the article's content for personal gain prior to publication.

  • Do not delegate or transfer the reviewer role to other researchers.

  • Submit evaluation results within the agreed timeframe.