The Journal of Multidisciplinary and Translational Research (JMTR) adheres to the highest standards of research integrity in accordance with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and all forms of publication misconduct.

JMTR solely accepts original work to be published. Authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words from other sources, this must be appropriately cited or quoted

Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use, misrepresentation, or misappropriation of ideas, text, data, or results. It includes the reproduction of another author’s work, either verbatim or nearly verbatim, without proper attribution, as well as the improper use of intellectual property Manuscripts containing any form of plagiarism will not be considered for publication.

The severity of plagiarism is assessed based on:

• The extent of copied material (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, or entire sections)
• The section of the manuscript affected (e.g., introduction, methodology, analysis, or conclusions)

The following actions are considered under the plagiarism policy.

Literal copying means copying a work literally, in whole or in part, without the original author's consent and acknowledgement. This is only permitted if you cite the original work and enclose the copied content in quote marks. In regard with this this situation, the author can,

• keep a record of the sources you utilized for your research and where you placed them in your article.
• be sure to properly credit and recognize the original source in your paper.
• insert quote marks around all words in the text and provide the appropriate references.

This might comprise tools, tables, procedures, and research supplies. The term "substantial" refers to both the quantity and quality of the copied material. Your work should be credited if it effectively summarizes the ideas of another author. In regard with this situation, the author can,

• Consider whether the original author's expertise and judgement have helped your work.
• Remember to give credit to the original author.

Paraphrasing is the process of reproducing ideas from other people without giving credit and permission to the original author, but without exactly replicating their work. It is only appropriate to paraphrase as long as you correctly cite the original source and ensure that you haven't altered its meaning. In regard with this this situation, the author should,

• Verify that you get the original meaning that the author means.
• Never grab words you don't completely grasp and paste them.
• Consider how the main principles of the source apply to your own work, until you can impart the knowledge to others without citing the source.
• Verify that you have maintained the intended meaning even if you have changed the terms by comparing your paraphrase with the original.

Text recycling means incorporating passages from an author's own work into a new article and submitting it for publication. In this regard, the author should,

• Include anything that is taken straight from a previously published article in quotations, even if you are just restating anything in your own words.
• Make sure you provide due credit to the original source.

Always seek advice from your lecturer, adviser, or any authority figure who can help you make the best decision when in doubt.

Duplicate publication refers to the submission or publication of the same or substantially similar work in more than one journal without proper acknowledgment or disclosure. This includes reusing significant portions of previously published work. In this regard, the author should,

• Ensure that the manuscript submitted is original and has not been published elsewhere.
• Clearly acknowledge and appropriately cite any prior publications that overlap with the submitted work.

JMTR actively identifies and investigates instances of plagiarism. All submitted manuscripts are routinely screened plagiarism using Turnitin and are assessed according to established editorial guidelines. When plagiarism is suspected or confirmed, the Editor-in-Chief will promptly investigate and take appropriate action, which may include rejection, correction, retraction, and notification of readers, depending on the severity of the case.

1. Submissions with more than 20% similarity index (excluding references and quotations) will be returned to authors for revision or rejected.
   The Editorial Board reserves the right to issue warnings and demand alterations to be made or outright reject papers, depending on where plagiarism occurs in the paper.
2. If plagiarism is detected in the respective parts: Introduction and Methodology, it will need to be revised in accordance with the peer reviewer’s comments. If the author fails to adhere to these corrections, the manuscript will be rejected.
3. If the Data Analysis and Conclusion of the research are found to be plagiarized, the manuscript will be promptly rejected.
4. If plagiarism is detected after the publication, we may publish a correction or retract the paper.
5. The journal takes claims of plagiarism solemnly. In such cases, thorough investigations will be carried out to protect the rights of the authors.
6. We are bound to protect the reputation of the journal against misconduct. Thus, the journal reserves the right to duly reject the plagiarized paper without further explanations and take appropriate legal action.
   JMTR is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record and will take all necessary measures, in line with international best practices, to address plagiarism, fabrication, and related misconduct.

The Journal of Multidisciplinary and Translational Research (JMTR) acknowledges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can support authors in enhancing clarity and efficiency in scientific writing and manuscript preparation. At the same time, the responsible, transparent, and accountable use of AI is critical to maintaining the integrity and credibility of scholarly publishing.

Authors must clearly disclose any use of AI tools in preparing their manuscript, including tasks such as language editing, figure preparation, drafting text, data analysis, or literature summarization. Manuscripts containing more than 30% AI-generated content without proper disclosure or meaningful human contribution may be returned for revision or rejected.

Authors are required to provide a clear AI Use Declaration upon submission. This declaration should either appear within the Acknowledgements section or as a dedicated section entitled AI Use Declaration, positioned immediately before the References. The declaration should be concise and specify:

• The name and version of the AI tool used (e.g., “OpenAI ChatGPT, GPT-5” )
• The purpose or task for which the AI was applied.
• The extent of AI usage, indicating whether it assisted with minor edits or substantive sections.
• A description of the human review and verification process, explaining how the authors examined, edited, and validated any content produced or assisted by AI before finalizing the manuscript.
• A statement confirming that all authors take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.

"OpenAI ChatGPT (version 5.0) was used solely to assist with language refinement and grammar correction. All analyses, interpretations, and conclusions presented in this manuscript were independently performed and verified by the authors, who take full responsibility for the content."

Use of AI tools does not exempt authors from responsibility. Authors remain fully accountable for the originality, accuracy, and scientific validity of all content, including AI-assisted material. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they are unable to assume accountability or responsibility. Fabrication of data, citations, or results using AI is strictly prohibited.

To comply with this policy, authors should:

• Review and verify all AI-generated content for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.
• Avoid using AI for critical intellectual contributions, such as forming hypotheses, analyzing complex data, or making scientific decisions.
• Check all references, citations, and data manually to ensure correctness.
• Ensure transparency by disclosing any AI-assisted work in the manuscript.
• Protecting data privacy, intellectual property, and third-party rights when using AI tools

JMTR strictly prohibits the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools at any stage of the peer review process. Reviewers are expected to base their evaluations solely on their own scholarly expertise and professional experience. All submitted manuscripts and peer review reports are treated as strictly confidential, and reviewers must not upload manuscripts, review reports, or any portion of them into any AI system or external platform.

Editors at JMTR also do not employ AI tools for manuscript evaluation or editorial decision-making. All decisions regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection are made exclusively by human editors. Limited use of AI may be permitted only for non-substantive purposes, such as grammar checking or similarity screening, provided that such use does not influence the scholarly assessment of the work.

During the peer review process, any declared use of AI by authors may be carefully considered by the journal. JMTR reserves the right to:

• Seek additional information or require revisions when AI-assisted content is insufficiently documented.
• Reject manuscripts if undisclosed or improper use of AI is found to affect the integrity of the work.
• Retract published articles if post-publication review uncovers undisclosed AI use that materially affects the accuracy or validity of the study.
• Inform the authors’ affiliated institutions in cases of serious ethical violations, in accordance with COPE guidelines.

All figures, images, and artwork submitted to JMTR must accurately reflect the research data. Minor adjustments, such as changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, are allowed only if they do not misrepresent or obscure any information. The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create, alter, or manipulate images, including adding, removing, or moving elements is not permitted. The journal may apply image screening tools to identify any irregularities in submitted figures.

AI or AI-assisted tools may be used only when they are an essential part of the study, such as in AI-based image analysis. In these cases, authors must clearly explain in the Methods section how the AI was applied, including the tool or model name, version, settings, and its role in generating or analyzing the images. Editors may also request access to the original, unedited image data to verify the results.

A graphical abstract is highly recommended for articles submitted to this journal to enhance the visibility and impact of the research.

The graphical abstract should consist of a single, original visual designed to attract the reader’s attention and, in conjunction with the manuscript title, convey a clear and immediate visual representation of the central theme and scope of the study, without presenting specific results or detailed findings. The graphic must be visually engaging, meaningful, and scientifically appropriate, while adhering to the standards of a scholarly publication, and should clearly reflect the work described in the manuscript through original imagery provided by the authors.

• The graphical abstract must be entirely original, unpublished artwork created by one or more of the co-authors.
• Any third-party material may only be used if appropriate permission has been obtained by the authors.
• The design should be simple, clear, and informative, with distracting or cluttered elements minimized to ensure clarity and readability.
• The use of colour is encouraged, provided it enhances clarity and visual impact.
• Postage stamps, currency from any country, and trademarked items, including company logos, branded images, or products, must not be included.
• The graphical abstract should not duplicate figures or illustrations that already appear in the manuscript.
• Any text or labels should be incorporated within the image file, without including headings such as “Graphical Abstract,” and unnecessary white space should be avoided to maintain clarity.
• The use of AI or AI-assisted tools must comply with JMTR’s generative AI policies, and authors remain responsible for originality and accuracy.

Image size : Please provide an image with a minimum of 1328 × 531 pixels (width × height) at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. If you submit a larger image, maintain the same 500 × 200 aspect ratio.

Preferred file types : TIFF, EPS, PDF, or MS Office files.

A basic visual template for the graphical abstract is provided below. Authors may refer to the following example for guidance on the preparation of an appropriate graphical abstract.

Example 1 :

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

JMTR follows the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing as recommended by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME.

• Responsibilities of Authors: Submit original work, avoid plagiarism, properly cite sources, and disclose conflicts of interest.
• Responsibilities of Reviewers: Maintain confidentiality, provide objective evaluations, and disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Responsibilities of Editors: Ensure fair peer review, make unbiased publication decisions, and prevent research misconduct.
• Publisher Responsibilities: Maintain integrity of the academic record and correct or retract papers when necessary.