We rely on peer-reviewers to help us determine the quality of submissions and to only publish those that are suitable. We are indebted to them for their time and effort. Please take note of the following guidelines.
SCOPE of the JOURNAL
The journal considers articles from a wide spectrum of coverage reporting original work, epidemiology, public health, indigenous disease, and standards of health care from all parts of the globe. Basic research with clear clinical implications will also be considered.
DOUBLE-BLIND
The journal observes a double-blind review process where the identity of the author is not revealed to the reviewer and vice versa. Selected reviewers are not affiliated with the same institute and country as the contributors.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest for a given manuscript exists when a participant in the peer review and publication process has ties to activities that could inappropriately influence his and her judgment, whether or not judgment is in fact affected.
Reviewers should disclose any conflicts of interest that could bias their opinions of the manuscript, and they should disqualify themselves from reviewing specific manuscripts if they believe it appropriate.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Reviewers are entrusted to treat the manuscripts that they see as confidential. Reviewers should not use knowledge of the work, before its publication, to further their own interests. Sharing, discussing with other colleagues, and distributing the material under review is also unethical and against the policy of the journal. Please see the Committee on Publications Ethics Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers: http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines.
REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES
TIMELINESS
We generally ask reviewers to return their review within 2 weeks, but we are able to extend this if required. When asked to review, please inform the editorial office if you are not able to return the review by the stipulated deadlines. If you are unable to undertake the review a suggestion of an alternative qualified reviewer is highly welcomed.
MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION
The role of the reviewer is very important in critically assessing the scientific merit of a submitted manuscript and helping the editor to make the publication decision. We ask reviewers to recommend whether the manuscript is suitable for publication; does not merit publication or needs revision and reassessment before publication. Authors greatly value constructive comments from the reviewers, and we ask that all reviewers are polite when making any comments so that we can pass these on to the authors. Comments should be composed in a clear, reasonable, and constructive manner that will help the author to improve the manuscript.
We provide reviewers with a checklist and ask to consider the following items:
ORIGINALITY - is the manuscript original, or does it report what is already known and has been published.
IMPORTANCE - is the manuscript relevant to general readers of the journal, within the scope of the journal, adds something new to the existing literature
SCIENTIFIC AND CLINICAL INTEREST- does the manuscript report appropriate methodology, design, statistical approach, interpretation of findings, and provide up to date references
LANGUAGE AND LENGTH- is the manuscript well-written, easy to follow, and does it use appropriate vocabulary
FIGURES AND TABLES- are these necessary and helpful, and is the presentation and quality suitable
ETHICAL CONCERNS- do you have any concerns about the ethics of the research being reported in the manuscript
The journal does not provide financial rewards to reviewers. The authors and the journal greatly appreciate the voluntary efforts, and the time they offer to evaluate manuscripts. Review is considered an integral part of academic and research and we acknowledge reviewers where we can. We provide a list of reviewers in the first month of each calendar year, and we are happy to send a certificate of participation to the reviewer's supervisor if requested.
Reviewers in Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Council for Health Specialties approved the awarding of CME credits to peer reviewers of ALL medical journals in the Kingdom. The Council will award 1 CME credit for each manuscript reviewed with a maximum of 5 credits per year.
JOIN our TEAM of REVIEWERS
In our continuous efforts to maintain standards, improve performance, and provide credibility to our peer review-system, we are inviting qualified colleagues to be part of our peer-reviewing team. You may send your requests and CV to [email protected]