Editorial Policies
The publication standards that guide peer review, research reporting, integrity, and the correction of the published record.
JHC publishes peer-reviewed work in hypertension and cardiovascular medicine. Detailed publisher policies remain the controlling source where they provide more specific requirements.
Peer review and editorial decisions
JHC uses single-blind peer review, with double-blind review available on request.
Scientific assessment
Editorial assessment considers scientific merit, originality, contribution, methods, reporting, and relevance to hypertension or cardiovascular medicine.
Editorial judgment
Reviewer comments inform the editorial decision. Editors make decisions independently of payment, discounts, or other commercial considerations.
Appeals and complaints
Authors may submit a reasoned appeal or complaint to the editorial office. The matter will be considered by an editor or publisher representative who was not responsible for the original decision where practicable.
Authorship, funding and conflicts of interest
Authors must provide complete contributor, funding, and competing-interest information with the manuscript.
Authorship
JHC follows the ICMJE criteria for authorship. All listed authors must meet the criteria, approve the submitted version, and accept responsibility for the work.
Authorship changes and disputes
Any requested authorship change must be explained promptly and may require written agreement from all affected authors. Unresolved authorship disputes may be referred to the relevant institution.
Competing interests
Authors must disclose relevant financial and non-financial interests. Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts and recuse themselves when an interest could affect independent judgment.
Research involving people, animals, and clinical trials
Manuscripts must report the ethical and regulatory information that applies to the research.
- State ethics-committee approval and the approval reference, or explain why approval was not required.
- Document informed consent for research involving people and for identifiable patient information, images, or case details.
- For animal research, state compliance with applicable welfare standards and the approving body or protocol reference.
- Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry before enrolment of the first participant. Include the registry name and registration number in the abstract and Methods section.
Research integrity, transparency, and responsible use of tools
JHC expects original, accurately reported work and clear disclosure of material that affects interpretation or reproducibility.
Plagiarism and duplicate publication
Manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, redundant publication, image manipulation, and other forms of misconduct may lead to editorial investigation.
Data availability
Every manuscript must include an appropriate data-availability statement describing where supporting data can be accessed, why access is restricted, or why no new data were created or analysed.
Preprints
Authors may submit work previously posted as a preprint when the preprint is disclosed at submission and in the manuscript where relevant.
AI-assisted writing and images
Authors must disclose substantive use of AI-assisted writing, analysis, or image-generation tools. AI tools cannot be listed as authors, and authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, permissions, and the confidentiality of submitted material.
The published record
JHC and Open Access Pub address concerns about published work through documented editorial processes.
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions
When a material error, reliability concern, or ethical issue is identified, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction in line with the publisher’s retraction policy.
Policy questions
For a matter not covered here, contact the editorial office or consult the linked publisher policy before submission.
Resolve policy questions before you submit.
Use the author instructions for preparation and contact the editorial office when the relevant policy does not answer your question.