Ethics Statement

• Where applicable, the Journal of Associated Medical Sciences requires that authors provide an Ethics statement detailing the relevant ethical standards met when conducting the research.
• Ethics statements are required whenever research is conducted on humans and animals or whenever the approval of an institutional review board is required.
• In addition to providing an Ethics statement upon submission, this statement must be provided in the “Materials and methods” section of the manuscripts, detailing complete information regarding the approval (including the name of the granting organization and the approval reference number). However, if an approval reference number is not provided, written authorization must be provided upon submission as a confidential supplemental file.
  
  

Human Rights and Informed Consent

All individuals have the right to protect themselves from being infringed upon. Individual participants in research studies have the right to decide how their personally identifiable information, as well as any interview materials or photographs, is used. Identifying details such as personal names, dates of birth, biometric characteristics (facial features, fingerprints, writing style, DNA, or another distinguishing characteristic), geolocation information, and health status of research subjects should not be used without permission from the subjects or guardians. Under some circumstances, consent is not required if personally identifiable information is not collected. However, masking of the eye region in participants' photographs is inadequate protection of anonymity, and informed consent is required. Exceptions to the need for consent may include anonymized radiographic images, ultrasound images, or pathology slides.

Consent and Already Available Data and Biologic Materials

Whether the material is collected from living or dead subjects, written permission must be obtained from the subjects, their families, or guardians if written premortem consent has not yet been provided.

Data Protection, Confidentiality, and Privacy

When biological material is donated or data are generated as part of a research project, authors should ensure, as part of the informed consent procedure, that participants are made fully aware of what kind of information will be used, how it will be used, and for what purpose it will be used. In case data is acquired via a biobank, the authors must strictly follow the data protection policy of the biobank providers and inform the Institutional Review Board for approval of the ethics of this kind of data collection.

Consent to Participate

For all research involving human subjects, freely given, informed consent to participate in the study must be obtained from participants (or their parents or legal guardians in the case of children under 18 years old), and a statement to this effect should appear in any published paper. In the case of articles describing human transplantation studies, authors must include a statement declaring that no organs or tissues were obtained from prisoners and must also name the institution(s)/clinic(s)/department(s) via which organs or tissues were obtained.

Consent to Publish

Individuals may participate in the study but refuse to have their data published in a journal article. Authors should seek consent from participants to publish their data before submitting the manuscripts.

Summary of Requirements

The above statement should be summarized and included in an appropriate publication section where data or information is used.

Copyright Permissions

Open-access publishing of an article in the Journal of Associated Medical Sciences leaves the copyright to the authors. The article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC-BY 4.0), which allows users to read, copy, distribute, and make derivative works from the material as long as the authors of the original work are cited.

Plagiarism

Plagiarized content will not be considered for publication. The manuscripts may be rejected if plagiarism is detected during the peer review. If plagiarism is detected after publication, we may issue a correction or retract the paper as appropriate. We reserve the right to inform authors' institutions about plagiarism detected before or after publication.

The Journal of Associated Medical Sciences uses Turnitin, supported by Chiang Mai University, and CopyCatch by ThaiES, TCI to screen submitted content for originality. Plagiarism is suspected when the similarity index percentage exceeds 25%. In such cases, the Editor-in-Chief will be informed. Most importantly, clear indications of plagiarism will result in immediate rejection.

A CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy)

The author(s) statement provides a standardized way to acknowledge the specific contributions of each author to a research article. It lists each author's name and the CRediT roles they fulfilled, ensuring accurate recognition of individual roles.

Publication Ethics

Duties of Authors

1. The authors must ensure that the submitted paper or work has never been previously published.
2. The authors must present accurate and authentic information from the research in the submitted paper without manipulation or false presentation.
3. If the authors use the work and words of other authors or researchers, they must be appropriately cited or quoted.
4. When preparing the manuscripts, the authors must follow the “Submission Preparation Checklist” and “Author Guidelines”.
5. Authorship must be limited to those who contributed significantly to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported research or study.
6. The author must provide the name of the institution or person(s) who provided research grants (If any).
7. The authors must state the ethical clearance for research involving human and animal subjects, including date, and/or duration, and the name of the institution or board of approval.
8. The authors must include a statement or text describing the experimental procedures that affirms all appropriate measures were taken for animal subject research (if any).
9. The authors must detail vested interest (If any).

Note:

1. The names and number of authors, the first author, the corresponding author, and the funding sources cannot be changed after acceptance for publication.
2. Authors cannot withdraw their manuscript once it has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication.   
   
   

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies for the Authors

JAMS’s policy refers only to manuscript preparation, not to the use of AI and AI-assisted tools to analyze and draw insights from data as part of the research.

It is recommended that the authors use AI and AI-assisted tools to improve the English writing for the readability and language of the manuscript. The authors should carefully review and edit the result with human oversight and control since AI may generate authoritative-sounding output incorrectly or be biased.

Before submission, the authors must ensure the work is original and does not infringe third-party rights.

Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans. By this, AI and AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors, co-authors, or cited AI.

The authors must be responsible and accountable for the content of the manuscript. Moreover, the authors should disclose in the manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies, and a statement must appear in the published article since it will support transparency and trust among the authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and contributors.

The author must declare whether AI-generated or AI-assisted by including the source of AI used. If it fails to do so, the paper will be retracted as an AI-related retraction.

Using AI and AI-Assisted Tools in Creating the Figures, Images, and Artwork

AI or AI-assisted tools cannot be used to create figures or pictures or alter images in manuscripts. The tools can be used only to adjust color, brightness, contrast, or balance without obscuring or eliminating any information.

The exception applies only when AI or AI-assisted tools are used or are part of the research designs, materials, and methods. If they are used, the authors must explain how they are used in creating the images or the alteration process. Moreover, the model or tool, version, extension numbers, and manufacturer must be indicated.

Duties of Editors

1. The editors are responsible for assessing the quality of papers submitted for publication.
2. The editors must not reveal the identity of the author(s) and the reviewers to others during the assessment processes.
3. The editors must decide which paper to publish based on its intellectual content, which must follow the journal's policies.
4. The editors must not publish any paper that has been previously published elsewhere.
5. The editors must not reject any paper simply because they have doubts or uncertainties about any part of the submitted paper. They must find concrete evidence to resolve doubts or uncertainties.
6. The editors must not defend or act in their own interest or the interest of the author(s), reviewers, and administrative board.
7. The editors must ensure that no plagiarism is committed, using reliable plagiarism detection programs/tools.
8. If plagiarism is discovered, the editors must stop assessing the submitted paper and immediately contact the corresponding author to seek an explanation for any part deemed plagiarized before deciding whether the paper is “accepted” or “rejected."
   
   

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Journal Editorial Process

A submitted manuscript is a confidential document. Editors must not upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into an AI-assisted tool because doing so may violate the authors’ confidentiality and proprietary rights. In addition, the paper containing personally identifiable information may breach data privacy rights.

The editors must not upload authors’ letters to the editor using an AI-assisted tool, even to improve language and readability. The editors must be responsible and accountable for the editorial process, the final decision, and the communication to the authors.

The editors must not use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to assist in the scientific review of a paper. The critical thinking and original assessment needed for peer review are outside the scope of this technology, and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions about the manuscript.

The editors must be responsible and accountable for the content of the submitted work.

Duties of Reviewers

1. The reviewers must keep all the information on the submitted paper confidential. They must not reveal any part of the submitted paper to anyone other than those involved in the reviewing process.
2. After receiving a paper, reviewers may discover they have a vested interest in the submitted paper because they are co-authors and know the author(s) personally. In such cases, they should inform the editors of this occurrence and disqualify themselves from being reviewers.
3. Reviewers should evaluate submitted papers in their specialized disciplines, considering the intellectual contents of the paper, its data analysis, and the substantive contents of the research article. They must refrain from using their groundless, personal judgment to evaluate submitted papers.
4. In the evaluation process, reviewers must highlight significant studies related to the submitted paper, which the authors must include or mention in their submission. The reviewers are encouraged to inform the editors of similarities between the submitted paper and other papers/studies.
   
   

Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Peer-Reviewed Process

The manuscript is confidential, so the reviewers must not upload a submitted manuscript or any part of it into a generative-assist tool. Doing so may violate the authors’ confidentiality and proprietary rights. In addition, the paper containing personally identifiable information may breach data privacy rights. In addition, review reports must not be uploaded into AI or AI-assisted tools, even if it is just for improving the language.

The reviewers must not use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies to assist in the scientific review of a paper. The critical thinking and original assessment needed for peer review are outside the scope of this technology, and there is a risk that the technology will generate incorrect, incomplete, or biased conclusions about the manuscript. The reviewers must be responsible and accountable for the content of the review reports.

Statement on Publication Ethics and Misconduct

The Journal of Associated Medical Sciences (JAMS) upholds the highest ethical standards and maintains a strict, zero-tolerance policy toward any form of publication malpractice or research misconduct. All allegations of ethical violations are investigated rigorously, and the Editorial Board is fully committed to safeguarding academic integrity at every stage of the publication process. Consequently, submitted manuscripts will be summarily rejected, and published articles will be retracted if they are found to involve any of the following infractions:

1. Plagiarism and text recycling
   Any form of plagiarism—including verbatim copying, inadequate paraphrasing, or self-plagiarism—is strictly prohibited and constitutes a grave academic offense. Authors must meticulously and properly attribute all sources. Every submitted manuscript undergoes mandatory screening using automated plagiarism-detection software. If the similarity index exceeds 25 percent (excluding direct quotations and references), the manuscript will be rejected immediately, and the journal reserves the right to take further disciplinary actions.
2. Data fabrication and falsification
   Authors bear sole responsibility for presenting honest, accurate, and verifiable findings. Any attempt to fabricate data, manipulate images, or deliberately distort and misrepresent research outcomes constitutes a severe violation of scientific integrity. Such practices will result in immediate rejection or retraction, and the matter may be reported to the authors' supervising institutions.
3. Redundant or multiple submissions
   Manuscripts submitted to JAMS must be entirely original and must not be under concurrent consideration by any other journal, book chapter, or conference proceedings. Simultaneous submission of the same or substantially similar work to multiple venues is strictly unethical. Upon identification of duplicate submissions, the manuscript will be rejected without undergoing peer review.
4. Authorship disputes and misattribution
   Authorship must accurately and transparently reflect the substantive intellectual contribution of each collaborator. All authorship configurations, including the designation of the corresponding author, must be fully resolved prior to submission. Should any authorship conflict arise during or post-submission, the evaluation process will be suspended immediately, or the manuscript will be withdrawn, until the dispute is legally settled with conclusive written evidence signed by all parties involved.
5. Peer review manipulation and improper influence
   JAMS strictly prohibits any attempt to compromise the integrity of the peer-review process. This includes, but is not limited to, nominating fictitious reviewers, fabricating peer-review reports, or attempting to exert undue influence over the editorial decision. Any breach of this protocol will result in immediate and permanent rejection of the manuscript.
6. Salami slicing and data fragmentation
   The journal opposes the practice of "salami slicing", wherein a single comprehensive research project is artificially partitioned into multiple slice publications to inflate publication counts. Submitted manuscripts must contain sufficient scientific substance and stand as independent, high-impact contributions. If the Editorial Board detects unauthorized data fragmentation or a lack of distinct intellectual novelty compared to the authors' other current or past works, the manuscript will be rejected.
   
   

Process for Identification of Allegations of Research Misconduct and Dealing 

In the event that errors are identified in a published article - whether they significantly impact the scholarly content (Correction) or are of a minor nature (Erratum) - the author is obligated to formally notify the Editor to initiate the revision process. Such revisions must be submitted to the original peer reviewers for re-assessment and re-certification. The rectified version shall subsequently be published to supersede the original manuscript.

Furthermore, should a published article be found in violation of research integrity or publication ethics, the manuscript will still remain accessible in the public domain; however, it will be prominently watermarked with the designation "Retracted" (Retraction).