Peer Review Policy
All research articles, review articles and short communications published in AJSMR undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent expert reviewers. Editorials and book reviews are reviewed by the editors.
Type of Peer Review
AJSMR uses double-blind peer review: reviewers do not know the identity of the authors, and authors do not know the identity of the reviewers. To make this possible, authors must submit a separate title page (names, affiliations, acknowledgements, funding) and an anonymised main manuscript with no identifying information in the text, file names or document properties.
Review Process
- Initial editorial check (within about 7 days): The editorial office checks that the manuscript is within the Aims & Scope, follows the Author Guidelines, and passes a similarity (plagiarism) check. Manuscripts that fail this check may be returned to the authors for correction or rejected without external review (desk rejection).
- Assignment to an editor: The Editor-in-Chief assigns the manuscript to a handling editor from the Editorial Board with expertise in the subject.
- Reviewer selection: The handling editor invites at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. Reviewers must not be from the same institution as any author, must not have co-authored with any author in the last three years, and must declare any competing interest.
- Review (normally 3–4 weeks): Reviewers assess originality, scientific soundness, methodology, statistical analysis, ethical compliance, clarity, and the relevance of the conclusions and references, and recommend one of the decisions below.
- Editorial decision: The handling editor considers the reviewers' reports and makes a recommendation. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision. Where reviewers disagree, an additional reviewer may be invited.
- Revision: Authors are normally given 2–4 weeks to submit a revised manuscript with a point-by-point response to all comments. Revised manuscripts may be sent back to the original reviewers.
- Acceptance and production: Accepted manuscripts are copy-edited and typeset. Authors approve proofs before publication.
The typical time from submission to first decision is 4–6 weeks, and from submission to publication 8–12 weeks. The received, accepted and published dates are printed on every article.
Possible Decisions
- Accept without further changes
- Minor revision: accept after small changes checked by the editor
- Major revision: substantial changes required; revised version is re-reviewed
- Reject: not suitable for publication in AJSMR
Responsibilities of Reviewers
- Treat the manuscript as confidential and do not share it, or use its content, for any purpose.
- Declare any conflict of interest and decline the invitation if one exists.
- Give objective, constructive and courteous comments supported by evidence.
- Tell the editor about any suspected plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication or ethical concern.
- Do not upload manuscripts to generative AI tools, which would breach confidentiality.
- Complete the review on time, or tell the editor promptly if they cannot.
Manuscripts Authored by Editors
If the Editor-in-Chief, a member of the Editorial Board or a person connected with the publisher is an author, that person takes no part in handling the manuscript. The manuscript is assigned to another editor with no conflict of interest and goes through the same double-blind review as any other submission. The published article states that this procedure was followed.
Independence of Editorial Decisions
Editorial decisions are based only on the scientific merit and relevance of the work. Because AJSMR charges no fees, decisions are never influenced by payment. The publisher does not interfere in editorial decisions.
Appeals
Authors may appeal an editorial decision by following the Complaints & Appeals Policy.
Becoming a Reviewer
Researchers who would like to review for AJSMR should follow the Join as Reviewer / Editor instructions, stating their area of expertise.
This policy follows the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
Last updated: September 2026