Peer Review Policy

At the Journal of Surgery and Medicine (JOSAM), we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing through rigorous peer review. The journal implements a double-blind peer review process to ensure an objective and unbiased assessment of all manuscripts submitted for publication. This method is integral to upholding scientific research's integrity, originality, and quality.

Peer Review Process

1. Initial Screening:
   Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo a preliminary evaluation by the editorial team. Submissions are assessed for relevance to the journal's aims and scope, adherence to language and formatting standards, originality, and overall scientific validity. Manuscripts that do not meet these basic criteria are rejected, and authors are informed within one week of submission.

2. Field Editor Evaluation:
   Manuscripts passing the initial screening are assigned to field editors with expertise in the study's subject area. Field editors thoroughly evaluate the introduction, methodology, findings, results, and discussion sections for alignment with the journal's scope, originality, and adherence to ethical and publishing standards. Manuscripts deemed unsuitable at this stage are returned to the authors with detailed feedback within two weeks.

3. External Peer Review:
   Manuscripts progressing beyond the pre-review stage are sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the subject matter. Reviewers are selected based on their qualifications, publication record, and familiarity with the manuscript's topic. Reviewers assess the manuscript's quality, novelty, scientific rigor, and suitability for publication. They provide constructive feedback on the following aspects:

   • Validity of the research methodology and data analysis.
   • Clarity and relevance of the conclusions drawn from the findings.
   • Ethical compliance and scientific contribution to the field.

   Reviewer Responsibilities:

   • Maintain confidentiality of the manuscript and respect authors' intellectual property.
   • Avoid conflicts of interest and promptly disclose any potential biases.
   • Provide a balanced, constructive critique to improve the manuscript's quality.
   • Adhere to the review deadline or request an extension if necessary.

4. Editorial Decision:
   Based on the reviewers' recommendations and the editorial team's evaluation, the editor decides to accept, request revisions, or reject the manuscript. The decision is communicated to the corresponding author along with reviewers' comments. In case of revisions, authors are required to address all comments and resubmit the revised manuscript for further evaluation.

Ethical Guidelines

JOSAM adheres to the ethical standards outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This includes guidelines for reviewers, authors, and editors to ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity in the peer review process.

Corrections and Retractions

JOSAM follows established best practices for handling corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern. The journal is committed to addressing any ethical issues promptly and transparently to safeguard the scientific record's integrity.

JOSAM Publisher and Editors follow established industry best practices (e.g. ICMJE's Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and COPE’s Guidelines for retracting articles) for the handling of corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.