Peer Review Process

Innovative Approaches in Health Science Journal (IAHSJ) applies a double-blind peer review process, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review procedure. This policy is implemented to ensure objectivity, fairness, and scientific integrity in the editorial decision-making process.

Type of Peer Review

IAHSJ uses a double-blind review system, where neither the authors nor the reviewers are aware of each other’s identities.

Review Workflow

  1. Initial Submission and Screening
    All submitted manuscripts are received through the Online Journal System (OJS). Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are original, free from plagiarism, and comply with the journal’s scope, ethical standards, and manuscript template.

  2. Editorial Assessment
    The Editor conducts an initial evaluation to assess:

    • Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope

    • Compliance with author guidelines and formatting requirements

    • Ethical considerations and originality

    At this stage, the manuscript may be sent back to the authors for revision, rejected, or proceeded to peer review.

  3. Peer Review Stage
    Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on:

    • Novelty and originality

    • Scientific rigor and methodology

    • Objectivity and clarity of analysis

    • Scientific contribution and impact

    • Validity of conclusions

    • Quality and relevance of references

  4. Reviewer Recommendations
    Reviewers provide constructive feedback and recommend one of the following decisions:

    • Accept

    • Minor revision

    • Major revision

    • Reject

  5. Editorial Decision
    The Editor considers the reviewers’ reports and makes a decision regarding the manuscript. The decision, along with reviewers’ comments, is communicated to the author(s) through the OJS system.
    The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Review Timeline

IAHSJ is committed to a transparent and reasonable review timeline:

  • Initial editorial screening: approximately 1–2 weeks

  • Peer review process: approximately 3–6 weeks

  • Author revision period: approximately 2–4 weeks, depending on the extent of revisions

  • Final decision: approximately 6–10 weeks from initial submission

These timelines may vary depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript.

Publication Ethics and Plagiarism Check

IAHSJ upholds high ethical standards in scholarly publishing. Submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism detection software. Any ethical concerns, including plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, or authorship disputes, are handled in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Originality Requirement

Only manuscripts that are original, have not been previously published, and are not under consideration by another journal are eligible for review and publication in IAHSJ.