Editorial policies

This page brings together the editorial policies of the Brazilian Journal of Health and Pharmacy (BJHP, electronic ISSN 2596-321X). The mission, the scope, the typology of works, the publication flow, and the languages of submission are described on the Mission and Scope page. The organization, operation, and general guidelines of the journal are governed by Resolution (Deliberação) CRF-MG No. 35/2026, of September 4, 2026, publicly available on the Transparency Portal.

Free and Open Access

The BJHP is a free and openly accessible electronic journal. It offers immediate open access to its content, in accordance with the principles of Open Science, on the understanding that making scientific knowledge freely available promotes a greater democratization of knowledge.

All published content is available without embargo and without any requirement of registration, subscription, or payment, allowing anyone to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, index, transmit as data to software, or otherwise use the full texts for any lawful purpose, under the terms of the license adopted by the journal.

Publication Fees and Charges

The BJHP charges no fees at any stage of the editorial process. There is no submission fee, review fee, copyediting fee, or publication fee, nor any Article Processing Charge (APC) or equivalent charge, for scientific articles or technical notes.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors of scientific articles and technical notes published in the BJHP retain full and unrestricted copyright and publishing rights over their works. Submission to and publication in the BJHP do not entail any assignment, transfer, or exclusive licensing of economic copyright to the journal or to the Regional Pharmacy Council of the State of Minas Gerais (CRF/MG).

Accepted works are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, applied by the authors themselves as the rights holders. The license allows anyone to copy, redistribute, adapt, and transform the content, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the authors, that the link to the original publication in the BJHP is indicated, and that any changes made are stated.

The BJHP publishes previously unpublished works. Upon submission, authors declare that the work has not been published previously in another journal and that it is not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere. In the case of scientific articles, prior posting of the manuscript on a recognized preprint server does not constitute previous publication. The requirement of prior non-publication refers to the status of the work at the time of submission and does not create any subsequent exclusivity: once published, the work remains under the authors' ownership and under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

Authors may enter into additional, separate agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version, and may deposit it in digital repositories, academic social networks, and personal or institutional pages, under the terms described in the Repository Deposit and Self-Archiving Policy.

Publication is governed by Brazilian Law No. 9,610/1998, which consolidates Brazilian copyright legislation.

Repository Deposit and Self-Archiving Policy

The BJHP authorizes the deposit and self-archiving of submitted and published works in institutional repositories, subject repositories, preprint servers, academic social networks, personal pages, and institutional pages, with no requirement of prior permission, no embargo period, and no restriction as to the repository chosen by the authors.

The authorization covers the three versions of the work, as described below.

Submitted version (preprint)

This is the manuscript in the form in which it was sent to the BJHP, before peer review. Deposit is permitted at any time, including before submission. In the case of scientific articles, prior posting on a recognized preprint server does not constitute previous publication and does not preclude submission to the BJHP. Technical notes are subject to the requirements of prior non-publication set out in the Submission Guide for Technical Notes. Authors are encouraged to update the preprint record, once the work is accepted, with the full reference and the DOI of the published version.

Accepted version (author accepted manuscript)

This is the manuscript after peer review and the incorporation of the requested changes, before final copyediting. Deposit is permitted immediately after the decision to accept has been communicated, with no embargo. Authors are encouraged to identify it as the accepted version and to include the reference of the published version as soon as it becomes available.

Published version (version of record)

This is the final copyedited file published by the BJHP. Deposit is permitted immediately after publication, with no embargo, in any repository or platform, since the published version is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Applicable conditions

In all deposited versions, authors must state the full bibliographic reference of the publication in the BJHP, include the DOI assigned to the work, and retain the indication of the CC BY 4.0 license. Wherever possible, the deposit should link to the version published on the journal's website.

This policy constitutes the official statement of the BJHP on repository deposit and self-archiving, for the purposes of registration in editorial policy directories and indexing databases.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

The BJHP recognizes that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools may assist certain stages of scientific and technical-scientific work, such as support for language editing, organization of ideas, preliminary translation, synthesis of information, preparation of visual materials, and improvement of textual clarity. Their use must observe the principles of scientific integrity, transparency, authorial responsibility, confidentiality, personal data protection, respect for copyright, and preservation of human authorship.

This policy is grounded in CNPq Ordinance No. 2,664 of March 6, 2026, which establishes the CNPq Policy on Integrity in Scientific Activity; in Brazilian Law No. 13,709/2018 (General Personal Data Protection Law); in Brazilian Law No. 9,610/1998, which governs copyright in Brazil; and in the other ethical and editorial standards applicable to scientific communication.

Use by authors

The use of GenAI tools by authors is not prohibited by the BJHP, provided that it is ethical, transparent, responsible, and compatible with scientific integrity. Authors who use GenAI at any stage in the preparation of a scientific article or technical note must declare such use at the time of submission, stating at least:

the tool used;
the purpose of its use;
the stage at which it was employed;
how the generated content was reviewed, verified, and validated by the authors.

The declaration must appear in the cover letter and, where appropriate, in a specific section of the manuscript or technical note, at the discretion of the Editorial Board. The use of GenAI does not replace the authors' responsibility for the content submitted. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, technical and scientific validity, ethical adequacy, bibliographic references, data, images, interpretations, recommendations, and conclusions presented in the work. GenAI tools may not be listed as authors or co-authors, since they do not assume public responsibility for the content, do not answer for the integrity of the work, and do not meet the authorship criteria adopted by the BJHP. It is prohibited to submit text, images, tables, data, references, analyses, recommendations, or any other GenAI-generated content as if it were exclusively human work, without adequate declaration of its use.

It is likewise prohibited to use GenAI in order to:

fabricate, alter, or manipulate data, images, results, citations, or references;
create non-existent or inaccurate bibliographic references;
replace the authors' critical analysis, scientific interpretation, or professional judgment;
conceal plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, or improper use of sources;
produce content that infringes copyright, confidentiality, privacy, personal data protection, or applicable ethical standards.

Where the work involves personal data, sensitive data, information about research participants, medical records, confidential institutional documents, or information protected by confidentiality, authors must not enter such material into GenAI tools without a legal basis, institutional authorization, and adequate guarantees of security, privacy, and data protection, in accordance with the legislation in force.

Failure to declare the use of GenAI, when identified during the editorial process, may result in a request for clarification, return of the work for correction, rejection of the submission, or other appropriate editorial measures. When identified after publication, it may give rise to a published correction, an editorial statement, a retraction, or other measures provided for in the BJHP policies.

Use by reviewers and editors

Manuscripts, technical notes, reviewer reports, data, supplementary documents, and other materials received in the editorial process are confidential. Reviewers and editors must preserve the confidentiality of the information to which they have access during editorial evaluation.

The use of GenAI tools by reviewers to prepare their reports is not recommended by the BJHP. Reviewers must not enter manuscripts, technical notes, excerpts of the work, data, images, results, supplementary documents, or any confidential information into external GenAI tools, particularly where there are no institutional guarantees of privacy, information security, and non-retention of data.

Editorial evaluation and peer review must remain under human responsibility. GenAI tools must not replace the critical, technical, scientific, ethical, and editorial judgment of reviewers and editors.

If, exceptionally, a GenAI resource is used in supporting editorial activity, such use must respect the principles of confidentiality, transparency, impartiality, personal data protection, copyright, and human responsibility, without compromising the confidentiality of the peer review process or the autonomy of the editorial decision.

Reviewers and editors remain responsible for the content of the reports, recommendations, and editorial decisions issued within the BJHP.

Author Responsibilities

The content, data, interpretations, recommendations, and opinions expressed in scientific articles and technical notes submitted to or published in the BJHP are the sole responsibility of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CRF/MG or of the BJHP Editorial Board. It is the authors' responsibility to ensure the originality of the work, the accuracy of the information presented, and compliance with the journal's guidelines, including those relating to the use of GenAI.

The BJHP reserves the right to refuse or to retract, at any time, scientific articles and technical notes containing content or language of a racist, sexist, xenophobic, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise discriminatory nature, or that are incompatible with the ethical, scientific, and editorial principles of the journal. The decision will be reasoned by the Editorial Board and communicated to the corresponding author, observing, where the work has already been published, the post-publication correction measures described in the section on Publication Ethics and Editorial Integrity.

The corresponding author assumes responsibility for the submission, for the integrity and accuracy of the information presented, for the ethical and legal compliance of the work, for declaring any use of GenAI, and for ensuring that the other authors are aware of and agree with the content submitted and the documents sent to the BJHP.

Plagiarism and Textual Similarity

All works submitted to the BJHP must undergo procedures for verifying originality and detecting textual similarity, by means of dedicated software, before being sent to reviewers. It is the corresponding author's responsibility to ensure the originality of the work, the proper citation of the sources used, and compliance with the copyright legislation in force, as well as to ensure that textual authorship has not been delegated to unauthorized GenAI tools.

Works showing evidence of plagiarism, undeclared self-plagiarism, improper reproduction of third-party content, inadequate manipulation of citations, or textual similarity incompatible with the journal's editorial standards may be rejected at any stage of the editorial process. High levels of textual similarity, particularly above 20%, will be assessed by the Associate Editor in charge, taking into account the nature of the text, the extent of the matching passages, the presence of appropriate citations, the use of standardized methodological wording, and any overlap with the authors' own previous works.

Textual overlap between the submitted work and a preprint deposited by the authors themselves, under the terms of the Repository Deposit and Self-Archiving Policy, does not constitute plagiarism or self-plagiarism, and must be reported in the cover letter.

Figures, tables, charts, photographs, illustrations, or other previously published or third-party materials may be used only where there is express authorization from the copyright holder, a compatible use license, or evidence of public domain status, and the source must be duly indicated. In the case of materials taken from image banks, digital platforms, web pages, books, articles, or technical publications, authors must comply with Brazilian Law No. 9,610/1998 and other applicable rules, this requirement extending to artificially generated graphic resources.

Figures, tables, and charts should preferably be original and produced by the authors themselves. Where third-party material is used, its inclusion must be justified, limited to what is strictly necessary, and accompanied by the corresponding authorization or evidence of a use license, where applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest may arise where authors, reviewers, or editors have interests, relationships, or ties, whether declared or not, that may influence, or be perceived as capable of influencing, the preparation, evaluation, or editorial decision-making on scientific articles and technical notes submitted to the BJHP. Such conflicts may be personal, commercial, political, academic, institutional, or financial in nature.

On submitting a scientific article or technical note, authors are responsible for recognizing and declaring any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest related to the work, including personal, professional, institutional, academic, political, or commercial ties that may have influenced its development, writing, interpretation, or presentation. Deliberate omission of potential conflicts of interest constitutes an ethical breach and may give rise to rejection of the manuscript or retraction of the publication.

All sources of funding, institutional support, scholarships, sponsorships, consultancies, provision of services, receipt of fees, supply of materials, medicines, equipment, software, technical support, or any other support received from funding agencies, public or private institutions, professional organizations, associations, companies, or commercial entities, including pharmaceutical industries, laboratories, clinics, private hospitals, pharmacies, and drugstores, must be declared. Where no conflicts of interest exist, authors must state this explicitly in the manuscript, in accordance with the BJHP template.

Where the scientific article or technical note derives from an undergraduate final project, a master's dissertation, a doctoral thesis, an institutional project, a technical report, or an activity linked to a course, program, service, or institution, this origin must be stated in the manuscript, with mention of the corresponding institution. The supervisor, advisor, or coordinator of the work must be included as an author whenever they meet the authorship criteria adopted by the BJHP, particularly where they have contributed substantially to the conception, design, methodological guidance, analysis, interpretation of data, writing, or critical revision of the intellectual content of the manuscript.

Should authors have any doubt as to what may constitute a potential conflict of interest, they should contact the Administrative Secretariat of the BJHP before or during the submission process.

Editors and reviewers must likewise declare any conflict of interest that may influence, or be perceived as capable of influencing, their evaluation or editorial decision. Where the conflict compromises their impartiality, the editor or reviewer must recuse themselves from taking part in the evaluation of or decision on the manuscript.

Editorial Responsibility

Editorial decisions of the BJHP are the responsibility of its Editorial Board, with the support of the editorial services of the CRF/MG, and are based exclusively on originality, relevance, methodological quality, and adherence to scope. The composition, qualification criteria, terms of office, and duties of the Editor-in-Chief, the Associate Editors, the Editorial Advisory Board, and the Guest Editors are defined in Resolution (Deliberação) CRF-MG No. 35/2026 and presented on the Editorial Board page. Editorial and administrative contact channels are available on the Contact page.

Sponsor

Publication of the BJHP is funded in full by the CRF/MG.

Digital Preservation

The BJHP adopts digital preservation procedures for its content, archiving published works in the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), thereby ensuring the integrity of and long-term access to the journal's publications, in accordance with Article 5, §2, of Resolution (Deliberação) CRF-MG No. 35/2026.

Persistent Identifiers and ORCID

Every work published by the BJHP receives a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), assigned by Crossref and indicated in the bibliographic reference of the work. An ORCID record is required of all authors and co-authors at the time of submission of scientific articles and technical notes, in accordance with the Submission Guide for Authors and the Submission Guide for Technical Notes.

Publication Ethics and Editorial Integrity

The BJHP follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling matters of publication ethics and editorial integrity. Cases of misconduct, including plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, improper authorship, duplicate publication, and undeclared conflicts of interest, are investigated by the Editorial Board. Where necessary, the journal adopts post-publication correction measures such as errata, correction notices, expressions of concern, or retractions.