The Policy of Ethical Roles and Responsibilities of the Publisher

Publisher Responsibilities

As the official publisher of the Tobruk University Journal of Medical Sciences (TUJMS), the University of Tobruk recognises its responsibility to safeguard the integrity, transparency, and academic rigour of the scholarly publishing process. In alignment with internationally recognised ethical standards and best practices, including those of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the University undertakes the following responsibilities in its role as publisher.

Editorial Independence

The publisher fully supports the academic and editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board. All editorial decisions are made solely based on academic merit, scientific quality, and relevance, free from any commercial, political, institutional, or personal influence.

Integrity of the Academic Record

The University of Tobruk is committed to preserving the integrity of the scholarly record. It supports the transparent and timely publication of corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern, where necessary, in accordance with COPE guidance and established editorial procedures.

Support for Ethical Publishing Practices

The publisher supports ethical conduct throughout the publication process by ensuring that clear policies and guidance are in place for editors, reviewers, and authors. This includes support for:

  • Prevention of plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, and unethical authorship practices
  • Maintenance of robust, impartial, and confidential peer-review processes
  • Appropriate identification and management of conflicts of interest

Quality Assurance and Transparency

The publisher ensures that TUJMS maintains publicly accessible policies on authorship, research ethics, data availability, funding disclosure, and conflicts of interest. Editorial processes are designed to promote originality, methodological soundness, scientific rigour, and relevance to medical and health sciences.

Responsiveness to Research Misconduct

In cases of suspected or confirmed research misconduct, the publisher cooperates with the Editorial Board and, where appropriate, relevant institutions or authorities to support fair, confidential, and timely investigations. Actions may include corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other measures consistent with COPE recommendations and applicable legal requirements.

Accessibility, Preservation, and Archiving

The publisher is committed to ensuring that all published content remains accessible through reliable digital platforms. TUJMS content is preserved and archived through the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), a secure and distributed archiving system that ensures long-term availability, citation, and discoverability of the scholarly record.

Promotion of an Ethical Research Culture

The University of Tobruk promotes a research and publishing culture founded on honesty, accountability, respect, and fairness. As publisher, it supports initiatives that strengthen responsible research conduct and ethical scholarly communication at institutional, national, and international levels.

Alignment with International Standards

TUJMS aligns its editorial and publication practices with internationally recognised principles of transparency, ethical publishing, and scholarly integrity, and continuously reviews and updates its policies to reflect evolving best practices.