Miguel Hernández Communication Journal, in line with the recommendations of the main international bodies, such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (Cope), considers it necessary and important to promote ethical publishing and observes the following ethical principles throughout the editorial process:

- Freedom of expression for authors, attention to diversity and minorities.

- Freedom of decision of the reviewers and the editor. Editorial decisions will always be communicated in a reasoned manner to the authors. There are public indications on the complaints procedure in case of disagreement, specifically in the "About the journal/review policy" section of the website.

- Gender balance in the composition of the different journal boards.

- The commitment to ensure accessibility for users with text-only browsers or assistive devices, activating the tools offered by the open journal system.

- The editor's responsibility to preserve the anonymity of authors and reviewers during the review process.

- The commitment to confidentiality of data and texts on the part of reviewers and editors. The author's commitment to internationally accepted guidelines when the research involves humans or animals.

- Acknowledgement of conflicts of interest, if any. In these cases the COPE flowcharts will be followed.

- Date manipulation practices are discouraged.

- Auditable logging of all interactions.

- In cases of disputed authorship, the review process or publication of the text will be suspended until it is resolved.

- Rights are licensed under the Creative-Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED) Spain licence.

- The moral and ethical responsibility of authors implies:

1. Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence: In order to preserve the integrity and transparency of published research, authors will follow the guidelines regarding AI found at this link.
2. Consistency and reliability in research: it must be responsible and legal, carefully worked out, use correct methods of analysis, guarantee the results and present it properly.
3. Honesty: no lies, falsifications or manipulation of data.
4. Original: not published in another country or language, not submitted simultaneously to more than one publication without the editors having agreed to co-publication, subject to copyright laws and citing identifiable primary sources. The anti-plagiarism procedure followed by the journal can be consulted at this link.
5. Transparent about sources of research funding, including direct and indirect financial support, provision of equipment or materials, or other support.
6. Responsibility: authors must adjust the text to the established publication standards. They must collaborate by making quick and agile corrections. They must respond to acceptance or rejection and to reviewers' suggestions.

- Good editorial practices in gender equality. The MH Journal applies the recommendations of the UMH Guide of Recommendations for Non-sexist and Inclusive Language.

- Indications on co-authorship. The degree of participation in the study will depend on the simultaneous presence of these conditions: involvement in all phases (structure, drafting and review), coordination with the other authors, contribution to obtaining funds, data collection and analysis. The order of signature will be decided by consensus and in advance. The author assumes public responsibility for the content of the article. Researchers with minor contributions will only appear in the acknowledgements.

- The quality of the texts is based on the process of anonymous peer review and on the option of correspondence with the editor or comments to the articles where other professionals not directly linked to the review process can express their opinions, contributing to the recognition of the scientific contributions of what has been published.

The journal subscribes to the COPE and Wiley (2014) Good Practice protocols.

Conflict of Interest

During the submission process, authors must explicitly disclose any personal, professional, or financial relationship that could influence the interpretation or outcomes of the manuscript. If no such circumstances exist, they must state that there is no conflict of interest. The editorial team will review the information provided and determine whether it constitutes a potential conflict, as well as the appropriate measures to address it. If the situation cannot be resolved, the manuscript will be rejected.

Individuals designated as reviewers must refrain from assessing a manuscript when there is, or may be suspected to exist—bearing in mind that manuscripts are provided in anonymised form—any type of connection that could compromise their objectivity, whether due to personal affinity, contractual relationships, or previous collaboration. Furthermore, reviewers are required to explicitly declare the absence of any conflict of interest both before and throughout the entire evaluation process.

Misconduct Reports, Retractions, and Corrections

Any individual may contact the editor assigned to a manuscript to report alleged irregularities in published articles, such as plagiarism, data manipulation, or other inappropriate conduct. The editorial team will review the case, grant the authors a 15-day period to submit their statements, and issue a reasoned decision. If malpractice is confirmed, the article will be withdrawn and a public notice of retraction will be issued. The editorial team will always ensure the possibility of publishing retractions for any of the reasons mentioned, as well as for unintentional errors.

Similarly, if the authors of an article detect serious errors (excluding those related to spelling or grammar) after publication, they must notify the editorial team, which will assess whether it is appropriate to publish an erratum linked to the original text.

Acknowledgements, Complaints, and Suggestions

Any individual may submit acknowledgements, complaints, or suggestions via the journal’s primary contact email address (mhcjournal@gmail.com). The editorial team will receive the communication and will inform the sender of the measures taken.