Peer Review Process

International Journal of Public Health & Medical Science (IJPHMS)

The International Journal of Public Health & Medical Science (IJPHMS) is committed to maintaining high scientific and ethical standards in all published work. To achieve this, the journal follows a structured, fair, and transparent peer review process.

  1. Submission and Acknowledgement

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Upon successful submission, the corresponding author receives an acknowledgement email confirming receipt of the manuscript.

  1. Preliminary Editorial Assessment

At this stage, the Editor-in-Chief or a designated Editorial Board member conducts an initial assessment of the manuscript to determine:

  • Alignment with the aims and scope of IJPHMS
  • Compliance with the journal’s author guidelines and formatting requirements
  • Overall scientific merit and originality
  • Ethical compliance, including ethical approval and informed consent where applicable
  • Evidence of plagiarism or duplicate publication (checked using plagiarism detection software)

Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria may be rejected at this stage without external review.

  1. Assignment to Handling Editor

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary assessment are assigned to a Handling Editor with subject expertise in the relevant area of public health or medical science. The Handling Editor is responsible for overseeing the peer review process and communicating with reviewers and authors.

  1. Double-Blind Peer Review

IJPHMS operates a double-blind peer review system:

  • The identities of authors are concealed from reviewers.
  • The identities of reviewers are concealed from authors.

The Handling Editor invites a minimum of two independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field, have an appropriate publication record, and have no known conflicts of interest.

Reviewers are requested to evaluate the manuscript based on:

  • Scientific rigor and methodological soundness
  • Originality, novelty, and contribution to the field
  • Clarity, coherence, and organization of the manuscript
  • Appropriateness and completeness of references
  • Adherence to ethical and reporting standards
  • Relevance to the readership of IJPHMS
  1. Reviewer Recommendations

Upon completion of the review, each reviewer submits a detailed report and one of the following recommendations:

  • Accept without revision
  • Accept after minor revision
  • Reconsider after major revision
  • Reject

The Handling Editor evaluates the reports and may, where necessary, seek additional reviews.

  1. Editorial Decision

Taking into account the reviewers’ comments and recommendations, the Handling Editor formulates a decision which may be:

  • Accept
  • Minor revision
  • Major revision
  • Reject

The decision, along with anonymized reviewer comments, is communicated to the corresponding author.

  1. Revision and Resubmission

For manuscripts requiring revision, authors are expected to:

  • Revise the manuscript in accordance with the reviewers’ and editor’s comments
  • Prepare a detailed point-by-point response letter explaining how each comment has been addressed
  • Submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for re-evaluation, particularly in the case of major revisions.

  1. Final Acceptance

Following satisfactory revision and, where necessary, re-review, the Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor makes the final decision on acceptance. The final decision is communicated to the authors via the online system.

  1. Copyediting and Proofs

Accepted manuscripts undergo professional copyediting to ensure clarity, consistency, and adherence to the IJPHMS style. Typeset proofs are then sent to the corresponding author for final review. Authors are responsible for carefully checking the proofs and returning any corrections within the indicated timeframe.

  1. Publication

After approval of the final proofs, the article is scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of IJPHMS and made available online. Articles are assigned a DOI and may be indexed in relevant databases as per the journal’s policies.

  1. Confidentiality and Ethics

All manuscripts submitted to IJPHMS are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality and must not use any information obtained through the peer review process for personal or professional advantage. IJPHMS adheres to recognized ethical guidelines for publication and may take appropriate action in cases of suspected misconduct.