Editorial independence is the principle that all decisions about what is published in a journal are made by the editors on the basis of scientific merit alone, free from any influence by the owner, publisher, sponsor, advertiser, or any other party with a commercial or institutional interest in the outcome.
The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board of PIMR have full and sole authority over all decisions related to the acceptance, rejection, and content of manuscripts. No person outside the editorial team—including the publisher, the parent institution, members of the advisory board, funding organisations, or advertisers—may influence editorial decisions on individual manuscripts.
The Publisher—Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar—provides financial and administrative support for the journal and is responsible for decisions about resourcing, staffing, and the journal's continued operation. The Publisher does not participate in decisions about the acceptance or rejection of any manuscript, the assignment of manuscripts to reviewers, or the content of published articles.
Commercial advertising, sponsorship, and reprint revenue have no influence on editorial decisions. Advertisements are clearly separated from editorial content in all print and online formats. The editorial office has no involvement in advertising sales or decisions about which advertisements to accept; these are the responsibility of the Publisher alone.
No author, institution, or organisation receives preferential treatment in the editorial process on account of their standing, affiliation, commercial relationship with the journal, or any other factor unrelated to the scientific merit of the work. Manuscripts submitted by members of the Editorial Board are handled by independent editors and receive no advantage in the review process.
Where a manuscript is submitted by an author from Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, or from any institution with a close relationship to the publisher, that manuscript is handled with additional care to avoid any perception of bias. Such manuscripts are assigned to an editor with no institutional connection to the authors, and this is noted in the editorial record.
The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board retain the right and the responsibility to take independent action on any ethical concern at any stage of the publication process, including before and after publication, regardless of any commercial, institutional, or personal interests that may be involved.
PIMR publishes information about its ownership, governance, funding, editorial processes, and policies openly on its website. Any material change to the journal's ownership, editorial leadership, or publishing arrangements will be announced publicly and communicated to DOAJ.