MJMS is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of the peer-review process. Reviewers are entrusted with privileged information and are expected to handle all manuscripts responsibly and ethically. The Reviewer Confidentiality Policy includes the following principles:

1. 1

   Strict Confidentiality: All manuscripts, supplementary files, and editorial communications must be treated as confidential and must not be shared with any third party without prior permission from the Editor.

2. 2

   Use for Review Purposes Only: Information obtained through peer review must be used solely for evaluating the manuscript and must not be used for personal, academic, or commercial advantage.

3. 3

   No Unauthorized Distribution: Reviewers must not copy, distribute, upload, or disclose any part of the manuscript or its contents before publication.

4. 4

   Protection of Intellectual Property: Unpublished ideas, data, methods, and findings contained in submitted manuscripts remain the intellectual property of the authors and must be respected.

5. 5

   Confidential Communication: Reviewer reports and editorial correspondence are confidential and should not be disclosed or discussed outside the editorial process.

6. 6

   Consultation with Others: If a reviewer wishes to seek assistance from a colleague or trainee, prior approval from the Editor must be obtained. Any approved collaborator must also maintain complete confidentiality.

7. 7

   Secure Handling of Materials: Reviewers should securely store manuscript files during the review process and permanently delete or destroy all copies after completing the review.

8. 8

   Blind Peer Review: Reviewers should not attempt to identify or contact authors in journals using a blinded peer-review model, and they must not reveal their identity unless the journal's review model permits it.

9. 9

   Reporting Breaches: Any suspected breach of confidentiality or misuse of unpublished information should be reported promptly to the Editorial Office.