Ownership and Governance

<p id="top">The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) is an independent nonprofit scholarly journal governed through a defined editorial and organizational structure.</p>

<p>The governance framework of the Journal is intended to protect editorial independence, scientific integrity, institutional accountability, appropriate use of resources, and the long-term continuity of the <em>IJMS</em>.</p>

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<strong>Governance Structure</strong>

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<strong>Editorial Independence</strong>

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<strong>Contact the Journal</strong>

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<h2>Contents</h2>

<ol>

<li><a href="#ownership">Ownership and Nonprofit Status</a></li>

<li><a href="#governance-structure">Governance Structure</a></li>

<li><a href="#editorial-authority">Editorial Authority</a></li>

<li><a href="#publisher-relationship">Publisher and Platform Relationship</a></li>

<li><a href="#editorial-independence">Editorial Independence</a></li>

<li><a href="#funding">Funding and Revenue Model</a></li>

<li><a href="#sponsorship">Sponsorship, Advertising, and Commercial Influence</a></li>

<li><a href="#conflicts">Conflicts of Interest and Recusal</a></li>

<li><a href="#accountability">Accountability and Transparency</a></li>

<li><a href="#resources">Related Resources</a></li>

</ol>

<hr />

<h2 id="ownership">Ownership and Nonprofit Status</h2>

<p>The International Journal of Medical Students is organized as a nonprofit entity in the United States and is recognized as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.</p>

<p>The Journal is not owned by:</p>

<ul>

<li>an individual editor;</li>

<li>a commercial publishing company;</li>

<li>a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company;</li>

<li>a medical-device manufacturer;</li>

<li>a university department;</li>

<li>a professional association;</li>

<li>an advertiser; or</li>

<li>a sponsor or donor.</li>

</ul>

<p>The nonprofit structure supports the scientific, educational, publishing, and public-interest activities of the <em>IJMS</em>, including:</p>

<ul>

<li>publishing medical and health sciences scholarship without charging authors or readers;</li>

<li>supporting the development of medical students and recently graduated physicians as researchers, editors, and peer reviewers;</li>

<li>promoting international participation in scholarly communication;</li>

<li>maintaining the technological, publishing, and administrative infrastructure required for journal operations;</li>

<li>supporting educational activities, conferences, and other mission-aligned initiatives; and</li>

<li>protecting the continuity and sustainability of the Journal.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Ownership of Manuscripts and Articles</h3>

<p>Participation in the Journal does not give an editor, reviewer, adviser, governing body, publisher, sponsor, or supporting institution ownership of a submitted manuscript or published article.</p>

<p>Authors retain copyright in their published work subject to the applicable publication agreement and Creative Commons license. Detailed provisions are maintained on the <a href="/IJMS/policies/openAccess"><strong>Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing</strong></a> page.</p>

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<h2 id="governance-structure">Governance Structure</h2>

<p>The governance structure of the <em>IJMS</em> separates scientific and editorial decision-making from technical, financial, communications, conference, outreach, and administrative functions.</p>

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<th width="29%" scope="col" style="text-align:left;">Governance component</th>

<th width="71%" scope="col">Principal responsibilities</th>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Executive Committee</strong></td>

<td>Provides journal-wide leadership; supervises editorial, scientific, educational, and operational activities; addresses complex editorial and research-integrity matters; and participates in final publication decisions.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Editorial Board</strong></td>

<td>Provides senior scientific and strategic guidance, supports editorial standards, advises on complex manuscripts and policies, recommends expertise, and shares final editorial authority with the Executive Committee.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Associate Editors</strong></td>

<td>Manage assigned manuscripts, supervise Student Editors, select external reviewers, assess revisions, and make editorial recommendations within delegated responsibilities.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Junior Associate Editors</strong></td>

<td>Undertake supervised manuscript-management responsibilities while receiving advanced editorial training.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Student Editors</strong></td>

<td>Conduct supervised internal editorial assessment and provide developmental evaluation under the direction of senior editors.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Junior Student Editors</strong></td>

<td>Participate in structured editorial training and contribute to internal assessments under direct supervision.</td>

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<td style="text-align:left;"><strong>Editorial Operations and Outreach</strong></td>

<td>Support communications, production, technical administration, conferences, education, outreach, and other non-decision-making functions.</td>

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<p>Operational, communications, conference, technical, or outreach appointments do not confer authority to evaluate manuscripts or make publication decisions unless the individual also holds a separately designated editorial appointment.</p>

<p>The names, roles, affiliations, profiles, and current composition of these groups are maintained on the <a href="/IJMS/about/editorialTeam"><strong>Editorial Team</strong></a> page.</p>

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<h2 id="editorial-authority">Editorial Authority</h2>

<p>The Executive Committee and Editorial Board hold final authority regarding the suitability of manuscripts for publication in the <em>IJMS</em>.</p>

<p>Editorial decisions may consider:</p>

<ul>

<li>the scientific and editorial assessment of the manuscript;</li>

<li>recommendations from assigned editors;</li>

<li>independent external peer-review reports;</li>

<li>the authors’ responses to editorial and reviewer comments;</li>

<li>originality, methodological rigor, transparency, and relevance;</li>

<li>compliance with research-ethics and reporting requirements;</li>

<li>research-integrity considerations;</li>

<li>alignment with the aims and scope of the Journal; and</li>

<li>available editorial and publication capacity.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Role of Peer Review</h3>

<p>Reviewer recommendations inform editorial decisions but do not independently determine whether a manuscript is accepted, revised, or declined.</p>

<p>An editor may reach a decision that differs from one or more reviewer recommendations when the complete editorial record supports that decision.</p>

<h3>Prohibited External Direction</h3>

<p>No author, reviewer, donor, sponsor, advertiser, partner, institution, publisher, or member of an operational team may require:</p>

<ul>

<li>acceptance or rejection of a manuscript;</li>

<li>selection or exclusion of a reviewer;</li>

<li>preferential or expedited treatment;</li>

<li>alteration or suppression of findings;</li>

<li>delay or acceleration of publication for non-editorial reasons;</li>

<li>favorable coverage of a person, product, institution, or organization; or</li>

<li>a particular correction, retraction, or post-publication action.</li>

</ul>

<p>Detailed manuscript procedures are maintained on the <a href="/IJMS/about/submissions/editorialProcess"><strong>Editorial and Peer-Review Process</strong></a> page.</p>

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<h2 id="publisher-relationship">Publisher and Platform Relationship</h2>

<p>The <em>IJMS</em> is published in collaboration with the <a href="https://www.library.pitt.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>University of Pittsburgh Library System</strong></a>.</p>

<p>The publisher relationship supports the scholarly-publishing infrastructure of the Journal, including hosting, platform administration, metadata distribution, technical services, and long-term access.</p>

<p>The Journal operates through <strong>Open Journal Systems</strong>, an open-source scholarly publishing platform developed and maintained by the <a href="https://pkp.sfu.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Public Knowledge Project</strong></a>.</p>

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<th width="32%" scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Publisher</th>

<td>University of Pittsburgh Library System</td>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Publishing platform</th>

<td>Open Journal Systems</td>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Platform developer</th>

<td>Public Knowledge Project</td>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Editorial control</th>

<td>Retained by the Executive Committee and Editorial Board of the <em>IJMS</em></td>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Author copyright</th>

<td>Retained by authors under the applicable publication agreement and license</td>

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<h3>Technical Support and Editorial Control</h3>

<p>Publishing or technical support does not transfer editorial control over:</p>

<ul>

<li>manuscript selection;</li>

<li>reviewer selection;</li>

<li>peer review;</li>

<li>requests for revision;</li>

<li>acceptance or rejection;</li>

<li>publication scheduling;</li>

<li>corrections;</li>

<li>expressions of concern;</li>

<li>retractions; or</li>

<li>other editorial actions.</li>

</ul>

<p>Technical matters related to registration, login, platform access, file upload, or website functionality should be directed through the appropriate contact listed on the <a href="/IJMS/about/contact"><strong>Contact Us</strong></a> page.</p>

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<h2 id="editorial-independence">Editorial Independence</h2>

<p>The <em>IJMS</em> maintains editorial independence in decisions concerning submitted and published content.</p>

<p>Editorial decisions must be based on legitimate scholarly and editorial considerations, including:</p>

<ul>

<li>scientific merit;</li>

<li>methodological rigor;</li>

<li>ethical compliance;</li>

<li>research integrity;</li>

<li>transparent and complete reporting;</li>

<li>originality;</li>

<li>relevance to the Journal’s readership;</li>

<li>contribution to the literature; and</li>

<li>alignment with the aims and scope of the <em>IJMS</em>.</li>

</ul>

<p>Editorial decisions must remain independent of:</p>

<ul>

<li>nationality or geographic location;</li>

<li>institutional affiliation;</li>

<li>academic seniority or reputation;</li>

<li>personal identity or relationships;</li>

<li>financial contributions;</li>

<li>sponsorship or advertising;</li>

<li>donations or commercial relationships;</li>

<li>political, religious, institutional, or ideological pressure;</li>

<li>the preferences of partner organizations; and</li>

<li>the likelihood that an article will generate publicity, traffic, citations, or revenue.</li>

</ul>

<p>The potential significance, novelty, relevance, and readership of a manuscript may be considered as legitimate editorial factors, but these considerations must not override requirements for scientific integrity, ethical compliance, and transparent reporting.</p>

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<strong>Review the Editorial Policies</strong>

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<h2 id="funding">Funding and Revenue Model</h2>

<p>The <em>IJMS</em> follows a Diamond Open Access model and does not rely on submission fees, article processing charges, publication fees, or reader subscriptions.</p>

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<th width="38%" scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Submission fees</th>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Article processing charges</th>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Publication fees</th>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Reader subscriptions</th>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Reader access</th>

<td>Immediate and free access to published content</td>

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<th scope="row" style="text-align:left;">Principal funding model</th>

<td>Nonprofit, institutional, charitable, partnership, in-kind, and volunteer support</td>

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<h3>Sources of Support</h3>

<p>Resources supporting the Journal may include:</p>

<ul>

<li>institutional publishing and technical support;</li>

<li>charitable donations;</li>

<li>grants and educational funding;</li>

<li>sponsorship of conferences, webinars, or other defined activities;</li>

<li>mission-aligned partnerships;</li>

<li>in-kind professional, technical, administrative, or communications support; and</li>

<li>volunteer contributions from editors, reviewers, advisers, and operational personnel.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Use of Resources</h3>

<p>Financial and in-kind resources must be used for activities consistent with the scientific, educational, publishing, operational, and nonprofit purposes of the Journal.</p>

<p>Financial support does not confer:</p>

<ul>

<li>editorial authority;</li>

<li>ownership of Journal content;</li>

<li>access to confidential manuscripts;</li>

<li>access to reviewer identities;</li>

<li>preferential treatment for authors or institutions;</li>

<li>control over publication decisions; or</li>

<li>control over corrections, retractions, or other post-publication actions.</li>

</ul>

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<h2 id="sponsorship">Sponsorship, Advertising, and Commercial Influence</h2>

<p>The <em>IJMS</em> may accept sponsorship, donations, institutional support, or in-kind contributions for clearly defined activities that are consistent with its nonprofit and educational purposes.</p>

<p>Supported activities may include:</p>

<ul>

<li>Journal infrastructure and publishing services;</li>

<li>educational programs and webinars;</li>

<li>the <em>IJMS</em> World Conference of Medical Student Research;</li>

<li>research and publication training;</li>

<li>communications and outreach initiatives;</li>

<li>awards and recognition programs; and</li>

<li>other mission-aligned activities.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Restrictions on Sponsors, Donors, Partners, and Advertisers</h3>

<p>Sponsors, donors, partners, and advertisers must not:</p>

<ul>

<li>select, approve, reject, or modify manuscripts;</li>

<li>appoint reviewers for individual submissions;</li>

<li>participate in confidential editorial discussions;</li>

<li>receive confidential manuscripts or decisions in advance;</li>

<li>require favorable coverage;</li>

<li>prevent or delay publication of unfavorable findings;</li>

<li>influence corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, or other editorial actions;</li>

<li>obtain preferential treatment for affiliated authors or institutions; or</li>

<li>condition support on a particular editorial outcome.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Separation of Editorial and Promotional Content</h3>

<p>Sponsored content, advertisements, or promotional material must be clearly distinguishable from editorial content.</p>

<p>The presence of sponsorship or advertising does not constitute endorsement by the <em>IJMS</em> of any:</p>

<ul>

<li>product;</li>

<li>service;</li>

<li>organization;</li>

<li>institution;</li>

<li>commercial claim; or</li>

<li>medical or scientific position.</li>

</ul>

<p>Editorial content must not be selected, designed, modified, delayed, or suppressed to accommodate an advertiser, sponsor, donor, or commercial partner.</p>

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<h2 id="conflicts">Conflicts of Interest and Recusal</h2>

<p>Editors, Editorial Board members, reviewers, advisers, and other participants in the editorial process must disclose circumstances that could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, their objectivity.</p>

<h3>Potential Conflicts</h3>

<p>Relevant conflicts may include:</p>

<ul>

<li>personal or family relationships;</li>

<li>recent or ongoing professional collaboration;</li>

<li>shared institutional affiliation;</li>

<li>supervisory, mentoring, employment, or training relationships;</li>

<li>academic competition;</li>

<li>personal disputes;</li>

<li>financial interests;</li>

<li>organizational or commercial relationships;</li>

<li>strong intellectual or ideological commitments directly related to the manuscript; and</li>

<li>prior involvement in the work under consideration.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Required Recusal</h3>

<p>An editor with a relevant conflict must not participate in:</p>

<ul>

<li>reviewer selection;</li>

<li>manuscript assessment;</li>

<li>confidential editorial discussion;</li>

<li>access to reviewer identities; or</li>

<li>the editorial decision.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Submissions from Members of the Journal</h3>

<p>Members of the Executive Committee, Editorial Board, Editorial Team, operational teams, advisory groups, and other individuals affiliated with the <em>IJMS</em> may submit scholarly work to the Journal.</p>

<p>Such submissions must:</p>

<ul>

<li>be assigned to an editor without a conflict of interest;</li>

<li>follow the same submission, editorial, ethical, and peer-review requirements applied to other manuscripts;</li>

<li>exclude the author-editor from confidential editorial discussions;</li>

<li>exclude the author-editor from access to reviewer identities;</li>

<li>avoid preferential or expedited treatment; and</li>

<li>include any disclosure required by the applicable policy.</li>

</ul>

<p>Editorial appointment or service to the Journal does not guarantee external review, acceptance, expedited processing, or publication.</p>

<p>Detailed author and reviewer disclosure requirements are maintained on the <a href="/IJMS/policies/authorship"><strong>Authorship and Disclosures</strong></a> and <a href="/IJMS/policies/editorial"><strong>Editorial Policies</strong></a> pages.</p>

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<h2 id="accountability">Accountability and Transparency</h2>

<p>The <em>IJMS</em> supports organizational and editorial accountability by maintaining public information about its:</p>

<ul>

<li>aims and scientific scope;</li>

<li>author eligibility requirements;</li>

<li>article types and manuscript requirements;</li>

<li>Editorial Team and governance structure;</li>

<li>editorial and peer-review process;</li>

<li>Open Access and licensing model;</li>

<li>research-ethics and research-integrity requirements;</li>

<li>corrections, retractions, appeals, and complaints procedures;</li>

<li>indexing and preservation arrangements;</li>

<li>Journal metrics and publication history; and</li>

<li>contact channels.</li>

</ul>

<h3>Policy Approval and Revision</h3>

<p>Policies and major procedural changes are approved and revised through the applicable governance structure of the Journal.</p>

<p>Material changes should be reflected in the current public policy, author-guidance, or organizational page. Current policy text takes precedence over summaries contained in announcements, archived materials, social-media posts, or promotional graphics.</p>

<h3>Questions and Concerns</h3>

<p>Questions or concerns related to governance, editorial independence, organizational conduct, funding, sponsorship, advertising, or potential conflicts of interest may be submitted through the <a href="/IJMS/about/contact"><strong>Contact Us</strong></a> page.</p>

<p>Research-integrity or publication-ethics concerns should be directed to the contact channel identified for ethics and integrity matters.</p>

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<h2 id="resources">Related Resources</h2>

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<h3>Journal Organization</h3>

<ul>

<li><a href="/IJMS/about">About the Journal</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/about/editorialTeam">Editorial Team</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/statistics">Journal Metrics</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/about/indexing">Indexing and Preservation</a></li>

</ul>

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<h3>Policies and Accountability</h3>

<ul>

<li><a href="/IJMS/policies/editorial">Editorial Policies</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/policies/authorship">Authorship and Disclosures</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/policies/integrity">Research Integrity</a></li>

<li><a href="/IJMS/policies/openAccess">Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing</a></li>

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<strong>Meet the Editorial Team</strong>

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<strong>Review Editorial Policies</strong>

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<strong>Contact the Journal</strong>

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