Editorial Policies

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Author Responsibilities

• Submit original work.
• Avoid plagiarism and duplicate publication.
• Accurately present research findings.
• Properly acknowledge all sources.
• Disclose conflicts of interest.
• Obtain ethical approvals where required.
• Ensure all listed authors have contributed substantially.

Reviewer Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality.
• Provide objective and constructive feedback.
• Declare conflicts of interest.
• Identify uncited relevant literature.
• Complete reviews within agreed timelines.

Editor Responsibilities

• Evaluate manuscripts solely on academic merit.
• Ensure confidentiality.
• Prevent conflicts of interest.
• Maintain editorial independence.
• Take corrective actions when ethical concerns arise.

Authorship Criteria

• Significant contribution to the work.
• Drafting or revising the manuscript.
• Approval of the final version.
• Accountability for all aspects of the work.

Individuals who contribute but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged.

Ethical Oversight

The journal reserves the right to:

• Request ethics approval documentation.
• Request raw data.
• Investigate allegations of misconduct.
• Issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written explanation to the Editorial Office. Appeals will be reviewed independently by the Editorial Board.

Review Model

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research follows a double-blind peer review system.

Initial Editorial Screening

Submitted manuscripts are evaluated for:

• Journal scope
• Formatting compliance
• Ethical compliance
• Scientific quality
• Originality

Manuscripts failing these criteria may be rejected before peer review.

Reviewer Assignment

Suitable manuscripts are assigned to at least two independent experts.

Editorial Decisions

Possible outcomes include:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision.

Revision Process

Authors should submit:

• Revised manuscript
• Point-by-point response to reviewers

Failure to adequately address reviewer comments may result in rejection.

Confidentiality

All submitted manuscripts are confidential documents. Reviewers and editors must not disclose manuscript information to third parties.

Copyright

Authors retain the copyright of their published work in the Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research (JIRR). Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the article in all forms and media.

Authors are permitted to:

• Share their published articles on personal websites.
• Deposit articles in institutional repositories.
• Use published content for teaching and academic purposes.
• Reuse portions of their work in future publications with proper citation.

Licensing

All articles published in JIRR are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, readers may:

• Share and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
• Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material.
• Use the material for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source.

Author Warranties

• The submitted work is original.
• The work does not infringe any copyright or intellectual property rights.
• Necessary permissions have been obtained for copyrighted material included in the manuscript.

The responsibility for copyright compliance remains with the authors.

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research is committed to promoting the unrestricted dissemination of scientific knowledge. The journal currently publishes all accepted manuscripts free of charge.

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research respects the privacy of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers.

Collection of Information

The journal may collect:

• Names
• Institutional affiliations
• Email addresses
• ORCID identifiers
• Manuscript-related information

Use of Information

Collected information is used solely for:

• Editorial processing
• Peer review management
• Publication activities
• Communication regarding submissions and publications

Data Protection

The journal shall take reasonable measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

Confidentiality

Personal information provided to the journal will not be sold, rented, or shared with third parties except where required by law or necessary for publication services.

Reviewer Confidentiality

Reviewer identities and review reports remain confidential unless disclosure is explicitly authorized.

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record by preventing and addressing all forms of research misconduct — including plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, and authorship misconduct — thereby ensuring the highest standards of scientific accuracy, transparency, ethical conduct, and academic integrity in scholarly publishing.

Investigation Process

When concerns are raised, the journal may:

1. Conduct a preliminary assessment.
2. Contact the authors for clarification.
3. Request original data and supporting documents.
4. Consult independent experts if necessary.
5. Inform affiliated institutions when appropriate.

Outcomes

Depending on the findings, actions may include:

• Rejection of manuscript
• Publication of correction
• Expression of concern
• Retraction of article
• Notification of relevant institutions or funding agencies

The journal follows COPE recommendations when addressing allegations of misconduct.

General Principles

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may assist authors in preparing manuscripts; however, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of submitted work.

Permitted Uses

Authors may use AI tools for:

• Language editing
• Grammar correction
• Improving readability
• Formatting assistance
• Literature organization

Disclosure Requirement

Authors must disclose substantial use of AI tools within the manuscript. Suggested statement:

"Artificial Intelligence tools were used solely to assist with language editing and manuscript preparation. The authors take full responsibility for the content of this manuscript."

Prohibited Uses

AI tools must not be used to:

• Generate fabricated data.
• Create false results.
• Manipulate images in a misleading manner.
• Circumvent ethical standards.
• Replace scientific judgment and interpretation.

Authorship

AI systems and language models cannot be listed as authors because they cannot:

• Take responsibility for the work.
• Approve the final manuscript.
• Meet authorship criteria.

Only human contributors may qualify as authors.

Editorial Assessment

The journal reserves the right to request clarification regarding AI use and may reject manuscripts that violate ethical standards or fail to disclose substantial AI-generated content.

Responsibility

Authors bear full responsibility for all statements, analyses, interpretations, references, and conclusions presented in their manuscripts regardless of AI assistance.

Editorial Independence

The editorial decisions of the Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research (JIRR) are made independently of the publisher, sponsors, advertisers, or affiliated institutions. Editors evaluate manuscripts solely on the basis of:

• Scientific quality
• Originality
• Methodological rigor
• Clinical relevance
• Ethical compliance
• Relevance to the journal's scope

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Board is responsible for:

• Maintaining scientific integrity.
• Ensuring fair and unbiased peer review.
• Protecting reviewer and author confidentiality.
• Addressing ethical concerns promptly.
• Upholding international publication standards.

Editorial Decisions

The Editor-in-Chief has the final authority regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection. Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by race, gender, religion, nationality, institutional affiliation, or political beliefs.

Conflict of Interest

Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists. Alternative editors will be assigned to oversee such submissions.

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record.

Corrections

Corrections may be issued when:

• Minor errors affect interpretation.
• Author details require amendment.
• Funding information was omitted.
• Reference errors are identified.

Retractions

Articles may be retracted due to:

• Proven plagiarism.
• Data fabrication or falsification.
• Duplicate publication.
• Serious ethical violations.
• Unreliable findings.

Retraction notices will:

• Be clearly linked to the original article.
• State the reason for retraction.
• Remain permanently accessible.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be published while investigations are ongoing if substantial doubts exist regarding the reliability or integrity of a publication.

Removal of Articles

Articles will only be removed in exceptional circumstances involving legal obligations or significant public safety concerns.

Authors

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of research. Examples include:

• Research grants
• Consultancy fees
• Employment relationships
• Honoraria
• Patents
• Stock ownership

If no conflicts exist, authors should state:

"The authors declare no conflict of interest."

Reviewers

Reviewers must disclose any conflicts that may affect objectivity and should decline review invitations where conflicts exist.

Editors

Editors must not participate in decisions regarding manuscripts in which they have personal, financial, or professional conflicts of interest. Alternative editorial oversight shall be arranged when necessary.

Members of the Editorial Board play a vital role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the journal.

Responsibilities

Editorial Board Members shall:

• Promote the journal within academic communities.
• Assist in peer-review activities.
• Advise on editorial policy and journal development.
• Recommend qualified reviewers.
• Support ethical publishing practices.
• Contribute to strategic planning and journal growth.

Professional Conduct

Board members are expected to:

• Maintain confidentiality.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Uphold publication ethics.
• Provide objective and constructive recommendations.

Appointment and Tenure

Editorial Board appointments are made by the Editor-in-Chief based on academic qualifications, publication record, expertise, and contributions to rehabilitation sciences. Board membership may be periodically reviewed and renewed.

The journal currently publishes two issues per year (biannually):

• January–June
• July–December

Special Issues

The journal may publish special issues dedicated to emerging topics, conference proceedings, or thematic research areas under the supervision of guest editors approved by the Editorial Board.

The Journal of Integrated Rehabilitation Research encourages transparency and reproducibility in research.

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to make underlying research data available whenever possible. Authors should include a Data Availability Statement indicating:

• Where data can be accessed.
• Conditions for access.
• Reasons for restrictions, if applicable.

Example Statements

Open Data

"The datasets generated during the current study are publicly available at [repository link]."

Available Upon Request

"The datasets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request."

Restricted Data

"Data are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality and institutional restrictions."

Editorial Rights

Editors may request access to raw data during the review process when concerns regarding validity arise.