Current author agreement. Version
jah-2026-09
JAH submission agreement
Journal of Acupuncture and Herbs (JAH) is published by Medfors Sweden. Site: jah.digital (trial: new.jah.digital). By ticking the box and submitting, the corresponding author accepts this agreement on behalf of all authors.
1. Exclusive submission
Submission is exclusive to this journal. After Release, you may not submit the same work to another journal while it remains Released. If, 60 days after Released v1, the article still has fewer than three formal reviews, you may withdraw and then submit elsewhere, or leave it Released (exclusive submission continues). Withdrawal before 60 days requires a reason. The public version is marked Withdrawn and is not deleted.
2. Copyright and licence
Copyright stays with the authors. At the Released (preprint) stage you grant Medfors Sweden exclusive public hosting and exclusive-submission rights. No Creative Commons licence applies at that stage. If the article becomes Approved, you authorise Medfors Sweden to publish it under CC BY-NC 4.0: sharing and adaptation for non-commercial use; no commercial reuse; authors retain copyright. Medfors Sweden may show that licence on the landing page, PDF, and Crossref metadata, and may register a DOI.
3. Originality, ethics, and conflicts
The authors warrant that the work is original, does not infringe others’ rights, is not fabricated or seriously false, and lists everyone who should share copyright. Human studies must follow the Declaration of Helsinki and have ethics-committee approval. Animal work must follow welfare rules and institutional approval. Case material needs informed consent. Funding and conflicts that could affect objectivity must be disclosed. A manuscript that fails the technical check is not made public and no TPF is charged.
4. Language
Submissions may be in English or Chinese. A Chinese manuscript does not need an English abstract at upload. The Version of Record is English. Released files, the main review text, Approved status, and any DOI attach to the English file. Chinese may appear as a sidecar in the same article record; it is not a second article and does not get its own DOI. The article is Released only after the English file is ready (translate first, then post). Authors may supply their own English or use the journal’s translation service.
5. Certification is optional
Approved status requires at least three formal reviews and a public author reply to each. Differing review opinions do not automatically exclude certification; the editorial office makes a combined assessment. After three reviews you may decline the APC and remain Released. If the office refuses certification or withdraws the paper for ethics, plagiarism, scope, unreadability, or fabrication, no DOI is issued; the public record remains.
6. Fees
Fees are charged by Medfors Sweden in US dollars. Technical processing fee (TPF): 50 USD, due after the English file is complete and the technical check passes, before Release — not at this upload. TPF is not refunded after Release. Article processing charge (APC) for Approved: 800 USD, due after certification and before the DOI is registered. No APC if the article is never Approved. Optional Chinese-to-English translation by the journal: 0.20 USD per English word in the finished translation. English-only submissions, or a satisfactory author-supplied translation, have no translation fee. Translation is not bundled with the APC. Each accepted formal review earns one TPF waiver. The waiver applies only to that person’s later submissions for TPF; it is not transferable, not cash, and cannot be used against the APC.
7. Pseudonymous peer review
Formal reviews are public, signed with a verified pseudonym. The office holds the real name. Paths are editor-invited, author-invited (labelled Author-invited), or volunteer if the office accepts. Authors of this paper, unlisted ghost writers, and undisclosed hard conflicts cannot count as formal review. Stars do not count toward certification and do not pay fees. Logged-in verified users may comment; comments are not formal reviews and are not medical advice.
8. Corresponding author
The corresponding author warrants authority to accept this agreement for all authors, and that every listed author has consented to submission. Notices about this manuscript go to the corresponding author’s account.
9. Governing terms
This agreement is governed by the law of Sweden. The publisher and fee-charging entity is Medfors Sweden. The English text prevails if the Chinese translation differs. This is the current author agreement accepted at submission. It is not a substitute for independent legal advice.