Peer Review Policy

After initial assessment by the editor and plagiarism check, the papers selected are subjected to internal review by the editorial team initially and then sent to two external peer reviewers belonging to the subject specialty as identified by the Editor. The journal follows double blind peer-review procedure. An average of two weeks' time is given to reviewers for reviewing the manuscript. The identity of both the reviewer and author is kept hidden. All incoming manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.

Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editor first evaluates all submitted manuscripts to check if all components are complete. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, have poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the minimum criteria are normally passed on to one internal reviewer and two relevant external reviewers. 

Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will usually be informed within two weeks of receipt.

Type of peer review
The Journal of JUCMD employs ‘double blind’ reviewing, in which the reviewer  remain anonymous to the author(s) throughout and following the review process, whilst the identity of the author(s) is likewise unknown to the reviewers. Reviewers are requested to evaluate whether the manuscript:

  • Is original as to thought and method (including data)
  • Is methodologically sound
  • Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
  • Correctly and exhaustively references previous relevant work
  • Follows appropriate ethical guidelines, especially as concerns plagiarism
  • Clearly adds to the knowledge and development of the field

Language correction is not part of the peer review process, but reviewers are encouraged to suggest corrections of language and style to the manuscript. In rare cases, the manuscript may be returned to the author(s) for a full linguistic and stylistic revision. The chief editor's decision is final.

The whole process from submission to acceptance of the manuscript takes around 12-14 weeks or less.