Terms & Conditions

Submission and Evaluation

All submitted manuscripts must be original works and must not be under consideration by any other publication.

The Journal reserves the right to use AI platforms, online falsification detection software, and other third-party programs to evaluate and screen submitted articles.

User Conduct

Users are prohibited from uploading inappropriate, offensive, or malicious material. Any such actions may lead to prosecution and/or civil liability.

Users must adhere to all applicable laws and regulations in connection with their use of the submission platform.

Users must not attempt to interfere with the security or functionality of the submission platform.

Confidentiality and Liability

The Journal and Public Science Journals, Inc. (the “Publisher”) are not liable for any unauthorized spread of information contained within the submission during the evaluation process.

The user acknowledges that the submitted material will be accessed by personnel responsible for the evaluation and cannot hold the Journal or Publisher liable for any preliminary access to the material.

Publication Rights

By submitting your material, you acknowledge that the purpose of the submission is for publication under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

The Journal and Publisher have the right to make the article publicly accessible as part of their commitment to open access publishing.

Author Responsibilities

The submitting author must have the right to submit the manuscript and obtain all necessary permissions for any third-party content included.

Any ethical concerns or potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the time of submission.

Indemnification

The author agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Journal, the Publisher, and their respective employees, agents, and representatives from any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with the submitted material, including but not limited to, any claims of infringement of intellectual property rights, violation of privacy rights, or any other rights of third parties.

Privacy Policy

By initiating the submission process, users grant the Journal and Publisher the right to hold and share their information as necessary for the submission and publication process.

The Journal and Publisher are not liable for any unauthorized access to the information shared by the users.

Age Restriction

Users must be at least 18 years old to submit material to the Journal.

Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising out of or relating to the submission or publication process will be resolved through binding arbitration in the state of Maryland.

Governing Law

These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of Maryland.

Force Majeure

The Journal and Publisher shall not be held liable for any delay or failure in performance due to causes beyond their reasonable control, including but not limited to, acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, or other unforeseen events.

Severability

If any provision of these terms and conditions is deemed invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms and conditions shall remain in full force and effect.

Scope

These terms and conditions apply to the entire submission and publication process.

Amendments and Updates

The Journal reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time. Any changes will be communicated to the authors and will be applicable to future submissions.

1. Service Description: The priority processing service provides expedited handling of your manuscript, ensuring prompt attention by our editorial team. The service also provides honoraria incentives to peer reviewers for adequate peer review. This service aims to reduce the time taken for the review process and production process but does not guarantee a specific processing timeline.

2. Non-Refundable Payment: All payments made for the priority processing option are non-refundable. This fee is required to expedite the review process and ensure your submission is given prompt attention. If the submission enters peer review but does not get accepted for publishing, the payment will not be refunded.

3. Eligibility: The priority processing option is available for all manuscript submissions that comply with our submission guidelines. Users must be 18 years or older to purchase priority processing.

4. Submission Requirements: Submissions under the priority processing option must adhere to our standard submission guidelines, including file formats, document structure, and accompanying information.

5. Payment Method: Payments for the priority processing fee can be made via our online payment form.

6. Peer Review: Our priority processing does not guarantee acceptance for publication. Each submission is subject to our standard editorial evaluation and must meet our quality standards.

7. Return of Payment: If your submission does not start the peer review stage, as defined by a peer review invitation being sent, the priority processing fee will be returned to you. However, submissions that begin peer review will not have their fees returned. Additionally, if there is reasonable suspicion that the article is falsified or plagiarized, or if the submission or subsequent publication is retracted, the priority processing fee will not be returned.

8. Dispute Resolution: In the event of any disputes or issues related to the priority processing service, please contact us via our website. All dispute resolutions will be conducted in accordance with the laws of the state of Maryland, United States.

9. Termination Clause: The priority processing service may be terminated by either party with written notice. If the service is terminated by the journal prior to a peer review invitation being sent, a full refund of the priority processing fee will be issued. If terminated by the submitter, the priority processing fee is non-refundable.

10. Liabilities and Disclaimers: The journal is not liable for any delays or issues beyond our control. We do not guarantee manuscript acceptance or publication through the priority processing service.

11. Rights and Responsibilities: By selecting the priority processing option, you acknowledge and agree to these terms and conditions. We reserve the right to amend these terms at any time. Any changes will be communicated promptly on our website.

Service Description: The Effortless Editing copyediting feature transfers your manuscript material from submitted documents to a completed production form. Our team inputs your elements and provides copyediting. We then provide you with a link to the manuscript proof within 30 days of purchasing the service, allowing for user review and final approval prior to publication.

Non-Refundable Payment: All payments made for the Effortless Editing feature are non-refundable.

Eligibility: The Effortless Editing feature is available for all manuscript submissions that have been accepted after peer review and enter the production phase, when users need to transfer their article into our production form. Users must be 18 years or older to purchase this feature.

Submission Requirements: Submissions under the Effortless Editing option must adhere to our standard submission guidelines, including file formats, document structure, and accompanying information.

Payment Method: Payments for the Effortless Editing fee can be made via our online payment form.

Return of Payment: If there is reasonable suspicion that the article is falsified or plagiarized, or if the article is retracted, the Effortless Editing fee will not be refunded.

Dispute Resolution: In the event of any disputes or issues related to the Effortless Editing feature, please contact us via our website. All dispute resolutions will be conducted in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, United States.

Termination Clause: The Effortless Editing feature may be terminated by either party with written notice. If the feature is terminated by the journal prior to a peer review invitation being sent, a full refund of the Effortless Editing fee will be issued. If terminated by the submitter, the Effortless Editing fee is non-refundable.

Liabilities and Disclaimers: The journal is not liable for any delays or issues beyond our control. Effortless Editing does not guarantee the absence of typos, errors, or other copyediting mistakes in the publication. Effortless Editing does not include image formatting.

Rights and Responsibilities: By selecting the Effortless Editing option, you acknowledge and agree to these terms and conditions. We reserve the right to amend these terms at any time. Any changes will be communicated promptly on our website.

Introduction

These Terms and Conditions govern the peer review process for manuscripts submitted to the Researchers' Journal of Internal Medicine (RJIM). By accepting a peer review invitation, reviewers agree to comply with these terms and conditions.

Review Invitation and Response Time

Group Invitations: Reviewers are invited to review manuscripts in groups of two. Each group receives a review invitation via email.

Response Time: Reviewers must respond to the review invitation within 48 hours of receiving the email. If a reviewer fails to respond within this timeframe, a new group of reviewers will be invited to review the manuscript.

Priority Processing Submissions

Honorarium Eligibility: For priority processing submissions, reviewers qualify for an honorarium only if they respond to the review invitation within the 48-hour response period. Failure to respond within this period will result in the forfeiture of the honorarium.

Payment method: RJIM uses Zelle and PayPal to pay peer reviewers. Peer reviewers who are unable to receive payments via Zelle or PayPal forfeit the right to receive their honorarium payment.

Payment Account Accuracy: Users are responsible for providing accurate payment account information during the peer review process. The organization is not liable for any payments forfeited due to errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the details provided by the user.

Payment processing: RJIM reserves the right to deduct any and all payment processing fees, or other fees necessary in providing honorarium, from the initially offered honorarium payment amount.

No Binding Agreement: Acceptance of a review invitation does not constitute a binding agreement for payment of labor. RJIM reserves the right to determine the eligibility for and amount of the honorarium at its discretion.

Review Quality and Compensation

Adequacy of Peer Review: The adequacy of each peer review will be assessed by the Associate Editors based on established criteria, including scientific rigor, originality, clarity, appropriateness of conclusions, ethical considerations, constructive feedback, and timeliness.

Compensation: Reviewers are compensated only if their reviews meet the criteria for adequacy as determined by the Associate Editors. If a review is deemed inadequate, reviewers will be notified and given an opportunity to address feedback and resubmit their review. Reasonable suspicion of falsification, plagiarism, or other ethical breaches voids any opportunity for honorarium payment.

Prohibition of AI Use in Peer Review

Artificial Intelligence: The use of artificial intelligence tools to complete peer reviews is strictly prohibited. Peer reviews must be conducted by human reviewers without the assistance of AI.

Confidentiality and Ethical Conduct

Confidentiality: Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscripts they review and must not disclose any information about the manuscripts or the review process to anyone outside the editorial team.

Ethical Conduct: Reviewers are expected to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, including providing objective, unbiased, and constructive feedback, disclosing any potential conflicts of interest, and ensuring the confidentiality of the review process.

Determination of Review Adequacy

Full Control: Associate Editors have full control to determine which peer reviews are deemed adequate. Reviewers cannot dispute the adequacy rating assigned by the Associate Editors.

Disclaimer of Liability

Liability: RJIM is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to the peer review process.

Peer Review Use

By completing a peer review you give RJIM an irrevocable and permanent right to use the peer review information for any purpose, including but not limited to, posting the peer review for a transparent peer review process.

Governing Law

Jurisdiction: These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Maryland, USA. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Maryland, USA.

Entire Agreement

Agreement: These terms and conditions constitute the entire agreement between RJIM and the reviewer, superseding all prior agreements or understandings.

Indemnification

Indemnify: Reviewers agree to indemnify and hold harmless RJIM, its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from their breach of these terms and conditions.

Modifications and Updates

RJIM reserves the right to modify or update these Terms and Conditions at any time. Reviewers will be notified of any changes and are expected to comply with the updated terms.

Contact Information

For any questions or concerns regarding these Terms and Conditions, reviewers may contact the editorial office via the RJIM website contact form.