Introduction

The Nigerian Medical Journal is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of ethical practice and integrity in all its publications. All participants in the publication process—including authors, reviewers, and editors—are expected to comply with internationally recognized ethical guidelines. These include, but are not limited to, principles of honesty, transparency, and respect for patient confidentiality.

Responsibilities of Authors

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research is conducted ethically and with approval from relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees. They must disclose any potential conflicts of interest associated with their work. When reporting experiments involving human subjects, authors should state whether the procedures followed align with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (both institutional and national), as well as the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, revised in 2000. If there is uncertainty regarding compliance with the Helsinki Declaration, authors are required to explain their approach and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved any questionable aspects of the study. For research involving animal experiments, authors should indicate compliance with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.

Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

Plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification are strictly forbidden and may result in the rejection or retraction of work. The journal conducts plagiarism checks on all manuscripts before acceptance. Manuscripts with plagiarism scores exceeding 20% are sent back to authors, along with the plagiarism transcript, for revision. Any manuscript with a plagiarism score of 40% or higher is automatically rejected. Authors must carefully cite all sources used in their manuscripts. If plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct are discovered after publication, the journal reserves the right to issue an erratum, retract the article, or publish other appropriate statements. Authors are encouraged to perform plagiarism checks on their completed manuscripts before submission for peer review and possible publication.

Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to assess manuscripts objectively, maintain confidentiality, and disclose any conflicts of interest that could affect their judgment. Editors are responsible for ensuring a fair and unbiased review process and must address any ethical issues that arise during manuscript submission.

Addressing Malpractice

The Nigerian Medical Journal will investigate any suspected cases of malpractice and will take appropriate action, including retraction of published articles if misconduct is confirmed.

Agreement to Ethical Standards

By submitting to the Nigerian Medical Journal, authors agree to abide by these ethical standards. Any form of malpractice will be subject to disciplinary action as determined by the journal.