Editorial policies

Journal: Clinical Research in Internal Medicine (CRIM)
Publisher: ResearchMore Publications

These editorial policies define the principles, standards, and procedures that govern the editorial and publishing practices of Clinical Research in Internal Medicine (CRIM). The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity, transparency, and ethical publishing, in alignment with international best practices and the requirements of major indexing and abstracting services.

1. Editorial Independence

All editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor-in-Chief and the editorial board. ResearchMore Publications does not interfere with the evaluation, selection, or editing of submitted manuscripts. Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, ethical soundness, and relevance to internal medicine.

2. Aims and Scope

CRIM publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed research that advances clinical practice, research, and policy in internal medicine and its subspecialties, including but not limited to cardiology, endocrinology, pulmonology, nephrology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, neurology, rheumatology, geriatrics, hematology, critical care, and clinical epidemiology.

3. Editorial Structure and Responsibilities

3.1 Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the journal’s editorial content and is responsible for:

  • Setting editorial policy and scope

  • Overseeing peer review and final publication decisions

  • Ensuring ethical compliance and editorial quality

3.2 Co-Editors and Associate Editors

Co-Editors and Associate Editors:

  • Manage manuscripts within their areas of expertise

  • Select and oversee peer reviewers

  • Provide recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief

3.3 Section Editors

Section Editors oversee specific subject areas and article types, ensuring subject relevance, reviewer expertise, and consistency with journal standards.

4. Peer Review Policy

CRIM follows a double-blind peer review process.

  • Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent expert reviewers.

  • Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise and absence of conflicts of interest.

  • Editorial decisions include: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

Peer review is conducted in accordance with guidelines from COPE and ICMJE.

5. Ethical Standards and Research Integrity

CRIM adheres to internationally accepted ethical standards, including:

  • COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)

  • ICMJE recommendations

  • Declaration of Helsinki

5.1 Human and Animal Research

Authors must confirm:

  • Approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB)

  • Informed consent from human participants

  • Compliance with ethical guidelines for animal research

6. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must comply with ICMJE criteria. All listed authors must:

  • Have made substantial contributions to the work

  • Approve the final manuscript

  • Accept responsibility for the content

Contributor roles should be clearly described.

7. Conflicts of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests that could influence the work. Disclosures are published with the article when relevant.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The use of AI tools must be transparently declared. AI tools may not be listed as authors and must not replace critical human judgment. Authors remain fully responsible for the content.

9. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to:

  • Provide data availability statements

  • Share datasets and analytical methods where possible

  • Follow FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)

10. Plagiarism and Misconduct

CRIM uses plagiarism detection tools to screen submissions. The journal has zero tolerance for:

  • Plagiarism

  • Data fabrication or falsification

  • Duplicate or redundant publication

Confirmed misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, or notification of institutions.

11. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

  • Corrections are issued for honest errors that do not invalidate findings.

  • Retractions are issued for major errors or misconduct.

  • Expressions of concern may be published during investigations.

All actions follow COPE retraction guidelines.

12. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their work. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original work is properly cited.

© The Author(s). Published by ResearchMore Publications.

13. Open Access Policy

CRIM is an open-access journal. All articles are freely available immediately upon publication without subscription barriers.

14. Indexing and Compliance

These editorial policies are designed to meet the technical and ethical requirements of:

  • SCOPUS

  • PubMed / MEDLINE

  • DOAJ

  • EMBASE

  • Crossref

15. Advertising and Sponsorship

Advertising and sponsorship do not influence editorial decisions. All advertisements are clearly separated from editorial content.

16. Privacy and Data Protection

CRIM respects user privacy. Personal data are collected and used solely for journal operations and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

17. Policy Updates

Editorial policies may be updated periodically to reflect best practices, regulatory changes, and indexing requirements. Updated versions will be published on the journal website.

Publisher: ResearchMore Publications
Journal: Clinical Research in Internal Medicine (CRIM)