Editorial Policies

Rigorous standards ensuring quality, integrity, and ethical excellence in clinical microbiology research publication.

IJCM employs single-blind peer review for all submissions. Each manuscript receives evaluation from at least two independent clinical microbiology experts with relevant subject knowledge. Reviewers assess scientific validity, methodological rigor, diagnostic relevance, and originality. Editorial decisions consider reviewer recommendations alongside editorial judgment about contribution to clinical laboratory science.

All submissions must comply with established research ethics standards. Studies involving human subjects require appropriate institutional review board approval with documented informed consent. Clinical trials must be registered in public registries before participant enrollment. Authors must report all relevant conflicts of interest and funding sources for clinical microbiology research.

Authorship should reflect substantial contributions according to ICMJE criteria. All listed authors must have contributed meaningfully to conception, execution, or interpretation and must approve the final manuscript. Changes to authorship after submission require documentation and agreement from all parties involved in clinical microbiology research.

IJCM employs plagiarism detection software on all submissions. Manuscripts demonstrating significant textual overlap, data fabrication, image manipulation, or other forms of research misconduct will be rejected or retracted. We follow COPE guidelines in investigating and responding to suspected misconduct with appropriate notifications to institutions when warranted.

Authors must ensure accuracy of reported data and provide underlying data when requested for verification. Statistical methods should be appropriate and clearly described. IJCM reserves the right to request raw data during review or post-publication if concerns arise about reported clinical microbiology findings.

If significant errors are discovered post-publication, IJCM publishes corrections or retractions as appropriate. Authors should notify the editorial office promptly if they identify errors in published work. Retraction decisions follow COPE guidelines with clear documentation and transparency regarding reasons.