Peer Review Policies
The Journal of Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences is committed to the highest ethical scientific publishing standards. To ensure an impartial review of submitted articles, the journal employs a double-blind peer review process. In this regard, it adheres to the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) regarding the conduct, reporting, editing, and publishing of scientific works.
Peer Review Process
The decision to publish an article in the "Journal of Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences" is based on the evaluation of the editorial team (editor-in-chief and specialized editors) and a rigorous peer review process.
Initial Evaluation by the Editorial Team
All articles undergo an initial evaluation by the editorial team (Editor-in-Chief and Specialist Editors) to assess their compliance with the journal's scope and quality standards. Articles may be rejected at this stage if they fail to meet the criteria for novelty, relevance, and quality. Letters to the editor may be accepted without undergoing peer review. The majority of articles are forwarded to the subsequent stage of review. If further revisions are required prior to peer review, authors will be invited to implement the necessary modifications. Authors will typically be notified of the initial rejection or revision decision within 1 to 2 weeks of submission.
Peer Review
Articles that pass the initial evaluation by the editorial team are sent for double-blind peer review. At this stage, the author and the reviewer remain anonymous. The peer review process is managed by the journal's specialist editors, under the supervision of the editor-in-chief, until the final decision on acceptance or rejection of the article is made. The typical duration of the peer review process is eight weeks and may take longer due to unforeseen delays.
Role of Reviewers
Reviewers play an important role in ensuring the quality and integrity of the journal. In the double-blind review process, reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality and should not reveal their identity at any stage. Reviewers should only accept articles in their area of expertise and ensure that they can devote sufficient time to complete the review. If a conflict of interest exists, reviewers should immediately withdraw from the review process. If a reviewer determines that they cannot review the article within the required time frame, they should decline the invitation to review. Reviewers are responsible for assessing the originality, quality, and credibility of the articles and ensuring the following:
- Compliance with the journal's structure and formatting guidelines
- Clear statement of the article's objectives
- Appropriateness of the method
- Accuracy and precision of the results
- Appropriateness of discussion and conclusion
- Relevance and accuracy of references
- Grammar, punctuation, and typos
- Identification of any plagiarism
Reviewers should provide constructive and unbiased feedback and offer suggestions for rejection, acceptance, or revision of the article. Reviewers should not share articles with others or copy them for personal use.
Review Guidelines
As a reviewer, your role is essential in maintaining the quality and scientific integrity of the journal. Reviewers are expected to provide clear and constructive feedback that helps improve articles while respecting the author's work. The reviewer's comments guide the editorial team in deciding whether to publish the article. The reviewer guidelines include the following:
- Confidentiality: Articles are confidential documents and should not be shared or discussed outside of the review process.
- Objectivity: Reviews should be impartial, evidence-based, and according to the scientific content of the article. If an article is outside your area of expertise, you should decline the invitation to review.
- Constructive Feedback: The reviewer is expected to provide constructive scientific feedback focused on improving the quality of the article, while respectfully acknowledging the author's contributions.
- Timeliness: Reviews should be completed within the specified time frame (usually 4 weeks) to avoid unnecessary delays for authors.
Privacy and Confidentiality
According to ICMJE recommendations, confidentiality is of utmost importance throughout the peer review process, and reviewers and editors are equally bound by confidentiality obligations. Confidentiality obligations include:
- Reviewers should not share or discuss articles with anyone outside of the review process unless expressly authorized by the editor.
- Editors must maintain the confidentiality of all submitted articles, including information about receipt, status, and peer review comments.
- Reviewers must return or remove articles after review is complete.
- If misconduct, fraud, or any other ethical violation is suspected during the review process, the editor-in-chief may infract confidentiality to investigate the issue.
Conflict of Interest in the Review Process
Reviewers must disclose any potential conflict of interest that could influence the review. If a reviewer's personal or professional relationship with an author causes bias in their evaluation, they must recuse themselves from the review process. Reviewers must immediately inform the editorial team if they suspect unethical behavior, such as plagiarism or duplicate publication.
COPE and ICMJE Guidelines For Authors, Reviewers, and Editors
The Journal of Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences fully adheres to the ethical principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) during the review and publication process of articles. In addition, the journal follows the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for defining the roles of authors and contributors, as well as ethical standards for editors. For more information, please refer to the links below.
COPE Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors
ICMJE Recommendations for Editors
Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors (ICMJE)
COPE international standards for authors
Peer Review Policies
Peer Review Policy and Process "Peer review" as a judgment on academic work may affect the whole work and life of an academic person and is of the utmost goal of managing a journal.Rules of External Peer Review:All submitted manuscripts are subjected to external peer review and editorial approval.Articles will be sent to at least 2 independent reviewers in the related field.Normally, the reviewers are blinded to the authors' identities and their affiliations while the associate editors have full access to them.Reviewers are selected based on their expertise within the topic area of the submission, and their purpose is to assist the authors and the journal by providing a critical review of the manuscript.After receiving the reviewers’ comments, authors are requested to send the revised article and a copy of their reply to the reviewers including the comment and explaining the replies to the questions and the changes made to the revised version. The communication regarding a specific manuscript will be done only between the journal and the designated corresponding author.
Responsibility for the Reviewers
Based on the agreement with our reviewers, they are committed to these regulations:Reviewers should keep all information regarding papers confidential and treat them as privileged information.Reviews should be conducted objectively, with no personal criticism of the author. No self-knowledge of the author(s) must affect their comments and decision.Reviewers may identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors.Reviewers should also call to the Editor in Chief's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.Reviewers should not review manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.
General statistics on manuscript submission and review over the past 12 months:
Number of submitted manuscripts: 102
Number of accepted manuscripts: 15
Number of rejected manuscripts: 62
Acceptance rate: 0.15
Rejection rate: 0.61