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Research Ethical Guidelines

[Journal of East Asian Health (JEAH)]

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 (Purpose)

The purpose of these guidelines is to present the basic ethical principles and directions necessary for editorial board members, reviewers, and authors who review or submit papers to the Journal of East Asian Health (JEAH) to ensure research ethics. The East Asian Health Association (EAHA) publishes these guidelines to present procedures and measures regarding research misconduct.

Article 2 (Subject and Scope of Research)

Research falling under any of the following items shall be subject to sanctions, investigation, and review to determine compliance with research ethics:

a. Research submitted to the Journal of East Asian Health

b. Research confirmed for publication in the Journal of East Asian Health

c. Research already published in the Journal of East Asian Health

Chapter 2 Integrity and Social Responsibility of Research

Section 1 Integrity of Research

Article 3 (Integrity of Research)

1. Researchers must conduct all research activities (research proposals, research performance, research reports and presentations, investigation, and review) honestly and truthfully.

2. Researchers must describe the content and importance of the research clearly and objectively, and must not arbitrarily delete or add to research results.

3. Researchers must conduct all research without any bias or prejudice.

Article 4 (Ethics of Researchers)

1. Researchers must not commit research misconduct in any part of the research 1. process.

2. Research that has already been published or is scheduled to be published in other 2. journals cannot be submitted, and researchers must not request review of the same 2. research from different journals at the same time. However, theses or papers 2. presented in the form of working papers at academic conferences are exceptions.

3. Researchers must conduct the entire research process faithfully and honestly. Data 3. must not be distorted by artificially omitting, deleting, adding, manipulating, or 3. modifying data.

4. When citing already published academic materials and research achievements, 4. researchers must provide accurate and complete source citations  (Newly established 4. on April 1, 2026) .

5. When citing previously disclosed materials, researchers must secure academic 5. originality so that their research results can be clearly distinguished from their own 5. or others' existing research achievements  

Article 5 (Recording, Preservation, Reporting, and Disclosure of Research Data)

1. All research information must be clearly and precisely recorded, processed, and preserved so that it can be accurately analyzed and verified.

2. Researchers must use appropriate research methods and statistics and be able to disclose them to the public if necessary.

Section 2 Fairness of Researcher Contribution

Article 6 (Joint Research)

1. When conducting joint research with other researchers, researchers must clarify their roles and mutual relationships and fulfill their respective responsibilities. Before starting research, mutual agreement and understanding must be reached regarding the purpose and expected results of the research project, roles of each participant in the collaboration, methods of data collection/preservation/sharing, authorship criteria and author order, selection of the principal investigator, and issues regarding intellectual property rights and ownership. (Amended on April 1, 2026).

2. If a researcher involves a minor (a person 19 years of age or younger) or family (spouse, children, relatives within 4th degree) (hereinafter "person with a special relationship") in research or co-writes a paper with them, there must be a clear and substantial contribution from said person with a special relationship to the research and manuscript writing

Article 7 (Responsibilities, Obligations, and Author Order)

1. Researchers are responsible only for research they have directly conducted or participated in as an author, and their achievements are recognized.

2. Authors must accept requests to prove their level of contribution.

3. The order of authors must accurately reflect the academic contribution of each author to the research content or results, regardless of the relative status and relationship of the authors.

Article 8 (Corresponding Author)

1. The corresponding author takes overall responsibility for the research results and verification.

2. The corresponding author bears the burden of proof regarding the order of authors and the co-author(s).

Article 9 (Indication of Author Affiliation)

When indicating an author's affiliation, the author's current status must be stated in principle. However, if the affiliation indication regulations of the relevant academic field follow a different practice, that practice may be followed.

Chapter 3 Research Misconduct and Unethical Research Behavior

Section 1 Citation Methods and Principles

Article 10 (Citation Methods and Principles)

1. Authors may cite parts of other researchers' research in their own research papers by using the original text as is, or by introducing, referencing, or critiquing the original text.

2. Authors must take all possible measures to ensure the accuracy of stating sources and compiling reference lists. Authors must check citation elements (author name, journal volume/issue, page, publication year) based solely on the original work, not relying on secondary sources. However, acknowledgments may be included in unavoidable cases.

3. Authors must cite reasonably so that uncited works and cited works can be clearly distinguished, and must use the principle of good faith.

4. Authors must cite only published works. However, when citing unpublished academic materials obtained through personal contact, paper review, or research plan review, the researcher's consent must be obtained.

5. Authors must state the source when introducing ideas or theories presented in other research into their own work.

6. When borrowing substantial parts from a single source, authors must distinguish their own ideas from cited materials so that readers can recognize the work as the author's.

7. If the relevant literature has had a significant impact on the direction of the research or can help readers understand the content, authors must include all such works in the reference list, unless the research can be deduced theoretically or empirically.

8. Authors must accurately specify important data and materials in the manuscript. However, if it is discovered that there is an error in important data or materials due to an honest error and the research results can no longer be trusted, the retraction of the manuscript should be considered  

 Article 11 (General Knowledge Citation Method)

1. When authors use others' ideas or facts provided by others, they must provide the source. However, general knowledge or data already known to the general reader is an exception.

2. If it is unclear whether a concept or fact falls under general knowledge, it is recommended to cite the original text.

Section 2 Research Misconduct

Article 12 (Definition of Research Misconduct)

"Research Misconduct" refers to falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, unfair authorship for co-authors, or duplicate publication that may occur in the entire research process (research proposal, research performance, research report and presentation, investigation, and review).

1. "Falsification" refers to the act of presenting non-existent data or research results.

2. "Fabrication" refers to the act of artificially manipulating the research process or arbitrarily changing or deleting data to distort the research content or results. ("Deletion" here refers to the act of using only favorable data and intentionally excluding data that could lead to unexpected or undesirable results) .

3. "Creation (Forgery)" refers to the act of intentionally creating non-existent documents or records.

4. "Plagiarism" refers to the act of misappropriating another person's work, ideas, or research and using another's ideas, hypotheses, theories, research content, or research results as if they were one's own without proper approval, citation, or quotation.

  a. "Idea Plagiarism" refers to the act of using another's ideas (explanations, theories, conclusions, hypotheses, metaphors) in their entirety, in substantial proportions, or in partially modified forms without giving appropriate credit (source notation) to the original author. Authors have a moral responsibility to indicate the source of ideas through footnotes or references. Furthermore, authors must not misappropriate others' ideas learned through research plan reviews and submitted paper reviews.

  b. "Text Plagiarism" refers to the act of copying text from another's work without identifying the original author.

  c. "Mosaic Plagiarism" refers to the act of combining parts of text without identifying the source or original author, adding or inserting a few words, or substituting them with synonyms.

5. "Duplicate Publication" refers to the act of publishing a paper with text that is identical or very similar to a paper already published in another journal, without informing the editor or reader that the work was previously published elsewhere. If the content of the paper is almost the same as one's own previously published paper, it is considered duplicate publication even if the text has a different perspective or view, or includes different analyses based on the same data published previously. If an author intends to publish a paper using a previously published paper, they must provide information about the publication and obtain the President's approval after re-confirming whether it is duplicate publication or publication reproduction.

6. "Self-plagiarism" refers to the act of using parts of one's own research, images, graphs, etc., already published without stating the source, and this is considered duplicate publication.

7. "Unfair Authorship" refers to any of the following acts:

   a. Granting authorship to a person who has made an academic contribution to the research content or results without justifiable reason.

   b. Granting authorship to a person who has made no academic contribution for reasons such as expressions of gratitude, courtesy, or other vested interests.

   c. Publishing or presenting a student's thesis under the advisor's name alone in an academic journal.

8. "Other Misconduct" refers to any of the following acts:

   a. Intentionally obstructing an investigation into one's own or another's misconduct, or inflicting harm on an informant.

   b. Unfairly executing research funds or infringing upon the legitimate rights of research assistants.

   c. Proposing, forcing, or threatening others to commit the aforementioned misconduct.

   d. Failing to recognize the legitimate contributions of junior researchers such as graduate students or postdoctoral researchers.

   e. Modifying a part of a thesis and submitting it as a short paper. (However, if the source is cited and there is an expansion or change in content, it may be allowed limited to theses published within the last 3 years, and the progress of review and final publication decision are determined through deliberation by the Editorial Board) .

   f. Registering a person with a special relationship (minor under 19 or family within 4th degree) as a co-author to gain benefits (e.g., admission, advancement, or career at a research institution, etc.). (However, it may be allowed if the co-author's role and contribution are clearly defined and supported by verifiable evidence, and the progress of review and final publication decision are determined through deliberation by the Editorial Board).

9. The Journal (JEAH) may use plagiarism prevention software to verify the originality of submitted manuscripts.

Article 13 (Research Misconduct and Copyright Infringement)

1. In general, the copyright of all papers and cases published through EAHA belongs to the author. However, EAHA holds usage rights when used for public purposes such as education.

2. The entire duration of the copyright of all papers published in the journal belongs to the journal publisher.

3. Note that "Duplicate Publication" can cause copyright infringement.

4. Authors must use appropriate quotation marks when quoting extensively from a copyrighted source, and note that even if text is correctly quoted, it may still infringe copyright.

5. Papers from academic conference proceedings cannot be published in this journal in the future unless substantially modified to include new or additional data. Authors must provide all detailed contents of the previously published conference paper in the submitted manuscript, including relevant citations. Authors are also responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals to reuse previously published materials and must ensure that appropriate source indication is provided  

Section 3 Improper Writing Behavior

Article 14 (Improper Writing Behavior)

The following are considered improper writing behaviors:

a. Improper citation

b. Distortion of references

c. Relying only on abstracts when citing published papers

d. Citing papers that the author has not read or understood

e. Intensive borrowing from a single source while citing only partially

f. Text reuse

Article 15 (Prohibition of Reference Distortion)

1. References must include only literature directly related to the paper's content. One must not include irrelevant references to intentionally manipulate the citation index of a paper or journal.

2. As a moral responsibility, authors must cite not only references favorable to their own data or theories but also those that may contrast with their own views.

Article 16 (Text Reuse)

1. 'Text recycling' refers to the act of reusing portions of a manuscript that the author has previously utilized in their own prior publications.

2. Text recycling is contrary to ethical writing practices; therefore, authors should refrain from reusing previously published text. In cases where text reuse is unavoidable, authors must comply with standard citation practices—including the use of quotation marks and appropriate attribution—to avoid copyright infringement.

Chapter 3 Implementation of Research Ethical Guidelines

Section 1 Research Ethics Committee

Article 17 (Pledge of Research Ethical Guidelines)

New members registered in the research pool of EAHA must pledge to be familiar with and comply with these research ethics when submitting to and conducting research for the "Journal of East Asian Health". Existing members are considered to have pledged to comply with these research ethics upon joining.

Article 18 (Notification of Violation of Research Ethical Guidelines)

If a member becomes aware that another member has violated the ethical guidelines, they must try to help the member be aware of the guidelines and correct the error. However, if the violation is not corrected or the ethical violation is revealed, the member must report it to the Committee immediately.

Article 19 (Establishment of Research Ethics Committee)

EAHA establishes a Research Ethics Committee (hereinafter "Committee") to deliberate on the following items:

1. Matters concerning the enactment and amendment of these guidelines

2. Matters concerning the reception and processing of misconduct

3. Matters concerning the initiation of full investigations, judgment, approval, and re-deliberation of investigation results

4. Matters concerning the protection of informants and the accused

5. Matters concerning research integrity verification, processing of investigation results, and follow-up measures

6. Other general matters concerning the operation of the Committee

Article 20 (Composition of Research Ethics Committee)

1. The Committee shall consist of 5 to 9 members, including 1 Chairperson

2. The Chairperson and members are appointed by the President of EAHA.

3. The term of office for the members of this Committee is 1 year and may be reappointed.

4. The Chairperson and members of this Committee must maintain independence and confidentiality regarding matters related to deliberation and resolution.

5. Members (Chairperson) must be issued a certificate of completion through research ethics education.

 Article 21 (Operation of Research Ethics Committee)

1. The Committee Chairperson convenes meetings and becomes the chair.

2. Committee meetings are opened with the attendance of a majority of the total members, including the Chairperson, and resolved with the consent of a majority of the present members.

3. Committee meetings are not open to the public. (Meetings are in principle non-public, but if deemed necessary, the Committee may have relevant parties attend to hear opinions) .

4. The Committee may have relevant parties attend to hear opinions if deemed necessary.

5. Members involved in the research subject to investigation cannot attend the relevant meeting due to conflict of interest.

 Article 22 (Authority and Responsibility of Committee)

1. The Committee may request informants, the accused, witnesses, and references to attend and submit materials during the investigation process.  

2. If the accused refuses to attend or submit materials without justifiable reason, it can be presumed that the allegation is acknowledged.

3. The Committee may take practical measures to prevent the loss, damage, concealment, or alteration of research records or evidence.

4. Committee members must maintain confidentiality regarding matters related to deliberation.

5. Committee members cannot review manuscripts submitted by contributors affiliated with the same institution as themselves  (Newly established on April 1, 2026).

Section 2 Research Integrity Investigation

Article 23 (Reporting Misconduct)

Informants may report misconduct using all possible means when reporting under their real name. However, when reporting anonymously, they must submit the paper title and evidence and specific details of the misconduct in writing or by email.

Article 24 (Confidentiality and Rights Protection of the Accused and Informants)

1. The Committee must not disclose the informant's personal information unless necessary.

2. The Committee must take measures to protect the informant if the informant is subjected to undue pressure or threats due to the report of misconduct.

3. Until the investigation into misconduct is completed, the Committee must take care not to infringe upon the rights or honor of the accused. If the accused is found innocent, the Committee must strive to restore their honor.

4. The identities of informants, investigators, witnesses, and advisory committee members must not be disclosed.

5. All facts related to research ethics and integrity investigations must be kept confidential, and those involved in the investigation must not leak any information acquired in the process. If it is necessary to disclose related information, the Committee can decide through a vote.

Article 25 (Protection of Rights to Object and Defense)

1. The Committee must guarantee equal rights and opportunities for informants and the accused to state opinions and raise objections. Such procedures must be guided in advance.

2. If an unfair decision is expected, the accused or informant can apply for recusal of deliberation and resolution after providing clarification.

3. The Research Ethics Committee must give the accused the opportunity to submit opinions and explain facts revealed during the first report or additional report.

Article 26 (Preliminary Investigation of Research Misconduct)

1. The Committee must investigate whether misconduct exists if there is significant doubt about legitimate behavior or specific information about misconduct.

2. The Chairperson, in consultation with the EAHA President, may officially conduct an investigation (hereinafter "Preliminary Investigation"), a procedure to decide whether to conduct a full investigation into suspected misconduct.

3. The Committee must form a Preliminary Investigation Committee consisting of up to 5 members within 30 days from the date of receiving the report.

4. The Committee must notify the informant and the accused of the composition of such a committee and give the accused an opportunity to explain within 30 days.

5. The Preliminary Investigation begins within 30 days from the day the Preliminary Investigation Committee is formed, and the investigation must be completed within 30 days from the day it started, excluding unavoidable circumstances.

6. If 5 years have passed since the misconduct occurred, it is not processed in principle even if a report is received.

7. The following are reviewed through the preliminary investigation:

a. Whether the reported fact constitutes research misconduct

b. Whether the reported content is specific and clear enough to proceed with a full investigation

c. Whether 5 years or more have passed since the reported misconduct occurred

 Article 27 (Reporting and Notification of Preliminary Investigation Results)

1. Preliminary investigation results must be notified to the informant and the accused within 10 days after the Committee's decision, and reported to the EAHA President.

2. The preliminary investigation result report must include the following:

  a. Specific information on the reported misconduct

  b. Facts regarding the reported misconduct

  c. Basis for the decision on whether to conduct a full investigation

Article 28 (Protection of Rights to Object and Defense)

1. The Committee must guarantee equal rights and opportunities for informants and the accused to state opinions and raise objections. Such procedures must be guided in advance.

2. Informants and the accused may raise objections within 10 days from the date they are notified of the preliminary investigation results.

Article 29 (Initiation and Period of Full Investigation)

1. The full investigation is initiated within 30 days from the day the preliminary investigation result is positive (full investigation necessary). During this period, a Full Investigation Committee consisting of up to 9 members (including the Preliminary Investigation Committee) must be formed.

2. The full investigation must be completed within 90 days from the day it is initiated.

3. If the Full Investigation Committee determines that it cannot complete the investigation within the prescribed period, it may explain the reason to the Committee and request a 30-day extension (limited to once).

Article 30 (Composition of Full Investigation Committee)

1. The Full Investigation Committee consists of up to 9 members.

2. The composition and term of office of the Full Investigation Committee are determined by the Committee. The Full Investigation Committee Chairperson is elected by mutual vote among the full investigation members.

3. The Full Investigation Committee must include at least 2 members with professional knowledge and experience in the relevant field.

4. Persons with conflicts of interest in the event under investigation must not be included in the Full Investigation Committee.

Article 31 (Attendance and Request for Submission of Materials)

1. The Full Investigation Committee may request the accused, informant, and references to attend for testimony, and the accused must comply.

2. The Full Investigation Committee may request the accused to submit materials, and after obtaining approval from the head of the research organization, may secure and store relevant research materials related to those involved in misconduct to preserve evidence related to the investigation.

Article 32 (Recusal, Exclusion, and Avoidance)

1. The accused or informant may apply for recusal by specifying the reason if there is a reason to believe that a committee member is unlikely to maintain fairness. If such an application for recusal is recognized, the member is excluded from the investigation.

2. If a committee member is directly related to the event, they are excluded from all deliberations, resolutions, and investigations of the event.

3. The Chairperson may suspend the qualification of a member involved in the event in relation to the investigation.

Article 33 (Submission of Investigation Report)

The Full Investigation Committee must submit results to the Committee within the full investigation period, and the results must include:

   a. Specific content of the reported misconduct

   b. Facts regarding the reported misconduct

   c. List of evidence, witnesses, and statements

   d. Investigation results

   e. Other materials useful for resolution

Article 34 (Judgment)

1. The final judgment must be made within 6 months from the date of initiating the preliminary investigation.

2. After reviewing the result report, the Committee must make a judgment confirming that the accused committed research misconduct.

Section 3 Measures After Investigation

Article 35 (Measures According to Investigation Results)

Once a judgment is made that research misconduct was committed, the Committee may impose appropriate disciplinary action or corresponding punishment on the author falling under any of the following items:

  a. Even if a notice of publication has been confirmed for an author, publication is withheld until the Research Ethics Committee's final decision is made.

  b. Publication of the paper related to research misconduct is cancelled, and it is deleted from the journal's paper list even if the relevant issue has already been  published.

  c. The author confirmed to have committed such misconduct is prohibited from submitting papers to this journal for 3 years, and this fact is disclosed on the journal's website (http://www.jeaha.org).

  d. If there is an author who committed plagiarism or duplicate publication, the Editorial Board stores detailed investigation contents for 5 years.

  e. The final judgment result is notified to the head of the institution where the author is affiliated.

  f. If research misconduct is confirmed in joint research involving persons with a special relationship, the Editorial Board may notify the relevant institution (school related to admission or advancement, research-related group, etc.) from which the author benefited through the paper of the research misconduct fact

Article 36 (Notification of Investigation Results)

The Committee Chairperson must notify relevant parties such as the informant and the accused of the investigation judgment content in writing without delay.

Article 37 (Application for Re-deliberation)

1. If the informant or the accused is dissatisfied with the Committee's decision, they must submit a re-deliberation application to the Committee within 15 days from the date of receiving the result notification stipulated in Article 36.

2. The Committee must decide whether to re-deliberate within 10 days from the date of receiving the re-deliberation application.

3. The Committee decides on the re-deliberation procedure and method.

Article 38 (Follow-up Measures such as Restoration of Honor of the Author)

If the investigation confirms that there was no research misconduct, the Committee must take follow-up measures to restore the honor of the accused.

Article 39 (Storage of Records and Confidentiality)

1. All records related to preliminary and full investigations are stored for 5 years from the date the investigation ends.

2. All facts related to research ethics and investigation must be kept confidential, and those involved in the investigation must not leak any information acquired in the process. If it is necessary to disclose investigation information, the Committee can decide through a vote.

Article 40 (Others)

Matters not specified in these guidelines follow the decisions of the Editorial Board.

Chapter 4 Research Misconduct and Generative AI Use

Article 41 (Regulations on Generative AI Use)

"Regulations on Generative AI Use" refers to ethical and responsible standards applied when utilizing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the entire research process (research proposal, research performance, research report and presentation, investigation, and review).

1. Non-recognition of Authorship: Generative AI is not recognized as an author of research papers and publications. Authorship is granted only to human researchers who contribute substantially to research and can take responsibility for research results.

2. Obligation to Disclose Use: If generative AI is utilized in the research process, the fact must be specified in the Acknowledgment or Methodology, etc., of the paper, and the purpose and scope of use must be described specifically.

3. Responsibility for Verification: Content produced by generative AI must be verified by the human author, and they have the responsibility to check for errors, false information, and possibility of plagiarism. Reviewers must also check whether AI was utilized and review the possibility of violation of research ethics.

4. Securing Transparency: Concealing or falsely stating the fact of using generative AI is considered research misconduct.

5. Application to Publication Process: The Editorial Board must prepare a procedure to verify AI use in submitted papers and may require the author to submit AI usage history additionally if necessary  (Newly established on April 1, 2026) .

Chapter 5. Sex and Gender Analysis

Article 42 (Bioethics of Sex and Gender Analysis)

When submitting a manuscript to this journal for research involving humans, animals, or cells/tissues, researchers must consider sex (biological characteristics) and gender (sociocultural characteristics) in the research design and data analysis, and report the results accordingly.

1. Human Subject Research

Studies involving human participants should include both males and females in a balanced manner, and the results must compare and analyze whether any sex- or gender-based differences occurred.

a. If a study is conducted on a single sex/gender, a clear scientific or medical justification (e.g., sex-specific diseases) must be provided within the text.

b. The concepts of "sex" and "gender" must be clearly distinguished and described accurately.

2. Animal Research

The sex of the experimental animals must be explicitly stated, and as a general rule, research should utilize both male and female animals.

a. Differences or similarities in outcomes based on sex must be analyzed and described in the manuscript.

b. If animals of only one sex are used, a credible academic rationale must be specified within the manuscript.

3. Cell and Tissue Research

a. The sex of origin (origin of sex) for the cell lines or isolated tissues used in the research must be verified and stated in the manuscript.

b. If the sex is unknown or cannot be verified, the reasons for being unable to determine the sex of origin and the associated limitations must be discussed in the Discussion section.  (Newly established on April 1, 2026) .

Addenda

Article 1 (Effective Date)

These guidelines are enacted and implemented from January 1, 2024.

Addenda

Article 1 (Effective Date)

These guidelines are revised and implemented from April 1, 2026.