PEER REVIEW POLICIES
In all stages of our work, ethics is a concern. Our emphasis is primarily on the scientific rigor of the articles mainly original article, review article, and systematic reviews. Quality control is pivotal to our academic structure. All submissions undergo a double-blinded peer-review process. The peer-review process, from submission to decision on publication, is outlined below:
Submission of Manuscript: The corresponding author submits the paper to the journal through the journal management online system or occasionally through email.
Editorial Office Screening: The editorial office checks the composition and arrangement of the paper and similarity of the text. The primary manuscript check evaluates duplicate submissions, plagiarism, or other technical concerns. If the manuscript does not meet the submission requirements, it is returned to the authors for corrections or may even be rejected due to ethical concerns.
Editor-in-Chief Evaluation: The Editor-in-Chief evaluates whether the manuscript is appropriate based on the journal scope and assesses its novelty, scientific importance, and relevance to the general readership. If the paper does not meet these criteria, it may be rejected. Note: Articles submitted by the board, staff, and Editor-in-Chief will also be subjected to peer review. These types of papers should be handled by another person on the editorial board (without conflicts of interest), and in all processes, those who have a conflict of interest will not be involved. Furthermore, in this case, the editor should be blinded to the reviewer’s identity.
Inviting Peer-Reviewers: At least two peer reviewers review manuscripts that have passed the initial screening. The editorial office sends invitations to experts whom they believe to be appropriate reviewers. All submissions undergo a double-blinded peer-review process. Editors, staff, and potential reviewers present their conflicts of interest, if any.
Conduction of Review: The reviewers will submit their comments to the editorial office based on a comprehensive checklist, with a recommendation to accept or reject the paper or request for minor or major revisions. Their comments will be forwarded to the authors, following confirmation by the assigned editor. The aforementioned review process may be repeated if manuscript revision (major or minor) is requested. Responses to the comments, along with the reviewers’ comments, will then be evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief, who will make the final decision.
Other Concerns: All submissions undergo a confidential peer-review process. Originality, reliability, publication ethics, statistical validity, language, and relevance are important factors for reviewers to accept the submission. There is no guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted if the authors are encouraged to revise and resubmit the manuscript. Rejected manuscripts will not be re-reviewed. All manuscripts are treated as confidential by the editorial staff, editors, and assigned reviewers. The reviewers’ comments will not be published. The identity of the reviewers will remain anonymous.
Author(s) may list names of potential reviewers when submitting a publication; however, the final decision regarding the selection of reviewers is made at the discretion of the editor. Relevant previously published articles must be identified by the reviewer if not cited in the references, and constructive comments should be presented to improve the quality of the article. In addition, any similarity of data or methods with other previous publications must be reported to the Editor-in-Chief, although the journal inspects similarity in the report of the text at the screening level. If there is any conflict of interest between the reviewer and the authors or research funder, the manuscript must be reviewed by another person. Peer reviewers are volunteers selected from researchers who have impressive academic careers.
We offer a special service, entitled “Presubmission inquiries.” Manuscripts outside the scope of our journal are omitted in the initial screening phase. For this service, the corresponding author emails an abstract and a cover letter to the editorial office. We attempt to respond to such submissions within 1 week, with notes on the suitability of the proposed manuscript. The goal of the presubmission inquiry is to verify whether the received manuscript reasonably satisfies the measures detailed in the scope of the journal. However, there is no guarantee on our part to accept a particular submission after the presubmission inquiry process.