Purpose
This policy establishes the principles that govern all scholarly publishing activity of Link Medical Interface (LMI) and constitutes the foundation from which every other instrument in the LMI policy framework derives. Where a situation arises that no specific policy addresses, LMI and its journals shall act consistently with the principles stated here.
Scope
This policy applies to LMI, to every journal operating under the LMI publishing framework, and to all persons acting for either — including editors, editorial boards, staff, reviewers and service providers — in connection with the evaluation, publication and stewardship of scholarly content.
Principles
Integrity of research and publication. LMI publishes scholarly work so that readers can rely on it. Research shall be reported honestly: data, participants, approvals, results, contributions and reviewer identities shall not be fabricated, and information shall not be altered, selected, suppressed or presented so as to create a materially false representation of the research. Honest error, legitimate scientific disagreement and reasonable differences of interpretation are not, by themselves, misconduct; the framework for handling suspected misconduct is C5.
Transparency. Policies, licensing, charges, ownership and editorial processes shall be publicly stated, and what is publicly stated shall correspond to actual practice. Where practice and public statement diverge, the divergence shall be corrected rather than explained away.
Fairness and impartiality. Editorial assessment shall rest on scholarly merit, relevance and compliance with applicable standards. No person shall be advantaged or disadvantaged on grounds of seniority, institutional affiliation, nationality, gender, religion, personal relationships or ability to pay. LMI and its journals shall treat authors, reviewers and complainants with courtesy and shall not tolerate harassment or discriminatory conduct in the publishing process.
Academic freedom and legitimate disagreement. Journals shall provide space for methodologically sound work that challenges prevailing views, and shall distinguish between scholarly criticism — which is welcome — and personal attack, which is not. Editorial caution about controversial findings shall be expressed through review rigour, not suppression.
Institutional, geographic and political neutrality. The appearance of an institutional affiliation, map, boundary, place name, flag or jurisdictional description in scholarly content does not imply that LMI adopts or endorses a legal or political position. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy and scholarly relevance of such material. Where a neutral clarification is necessary, the journal may add a publisher’s note that does not alter the author’s scholarly position. Neutrality shall not be used to suppress legitimate research, analysis or criticism.
Accountability and continuing responsibility. Responsibility for published work does not end at publication. Authors remain accountable for their work; journals remain responsible for assessing credible concerns about it; and LMI remains responsible for maintaining the integrity and permanence of the scholarly record, as governed by G1 and G2.
Policy Requirements
Each journal shall adopt these principles as the foundation of its own policy suite, apply them in every editorial decision, and ensure that no journal-level rule, practice or instruction conflicts with them. Subject to applicable law and binding regulatory obligations, any conflict between this policy and another framework instrument shall be resolved through a documented interpretation that most effectively protects research participants, fair process and the reliability of the scholarly record. A conflict with an external legal, regulatory, recognition or indexing requirement shall be handled under Regulatory, Recognition & External-Standards Compliance Assurance (H3), not by silently disregarding either obligation.
Publisher and Journal Responsibilities
LMI shall maintain this framework, resource its implementation, refrain from any act inconsistent with these principles, and act on credible evidence that a journal is operating in breach of them. Each journal shall publish an ethics statement consistent with this policy, apply the principles to all content and persons within its process, and escalate to LMI under A4 any situation in which the journal cannot itself secure compliance.
Standards and Guidance
This policy is informed by the COPE Core Practices, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing jointly issued by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA and WAME, and the ICMJE Recommendations. LMI follows these frameworks; it does not claim membership of, or accreditation by, any body merely by following its guidance.