PEER REVIEW POLICY AND PROCESS
ISSN: 2982-2181 (Online)
Health Sciences Australia upholds a rigorous review policy aimed at ensuring the authenticity and quality of its published articles. Employing a Double-Blind Peer Review system, Health Sciences Australia maintains anonymity for both authors and reviewers throughout the evaluation process. Editorial officers diligently safeguard the confidentiality of manuscript identities, ensuring that any details revealing the authors’ identities are removed prior to review. This policy is consistently applied to all types of publications submitted to the journal.
All comments or feedback regarding manuscripts from reviewers, as well as the authors' responses to these comments, are preserved within the cover letter to maintain confidentiality. Authors are encouraged to acknowledge all contributors; however, to ensure anonymity, such details should only be revealed in the cover letter, keeping the blind peer review process intact.
Manuscripts submitted to Health Sciences Australia are meticulously evaluated by staff editors. Only papers that meet the editorial criteria are forwarded for formal review, which includes both national and international reviewers. Authors are advised to improve their submissions based on initial reviewer comments before resubmitting them for further evaluation. The identities of both reviewers and authors remain concealed throughout this process.
Manuscripts or research papers that do not meet the journal's criteria will be returned to the authors due to insufficient material or irrelevance to the journal's focus. Inappropriate content will be promptly rejected without external review.
Editor Responsibilities:
- Editors ensure the privacy of authors by removing identifying information before manuscripts are sent to reviewers, adhering to the double-blind peer review policy.
- Each article is reviewed using non-discriminatory and highly professional methods. Editors promptly provide reviewers’ comments to authors and allow ample time for revisions.
- A preliminary completeness review is conducted on every submission to Health Sciences Australia.
- Editors assess the suitability of recommendations for peer review, managing evaluations by different editorial board members in cases of conflicting interests.
Peer Review Process:
- Reviewers from outside the conference, committee members, and program chairs evaluate submitted papers.
- The selection of peer reviewers considers prior performance, reputation, expertise, and potential conflicts of interest.
- Editors strive to include two or more peer reviewers for primary research manuscripts; this number may vary based on the field.
- In extraordinary circumstances, an editor may serve as a second reviewer to ensure transparency and careful evaluation.
- While the editorial team makes the final decision, authors' suggestions for reviewers are taken into account.
Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality:
- Communications between editors and peer reviewers are confidential and should not be disclosed to external parties. Potential peer reviewers are required to declare any conflicts of interest.
- Although editorial decisions are final, Health Sciences Australia allows authors to recommend possible reviewers.
- Authors are discouraged from suggesting current or former colleagues from the same institution.
- Recommended reviewers should provide verifiable information, such as institutional email addresses and ORCIDs, Scopus IDs, or Web of Science Researcher IDs in the cover letter.
Peer Reviewer Diversity:
Health Sciences Australia is committed to fostering inclusion, equity, and diversity throughout its peer review process. Editors are encouraged to prioritize diverse representation across various demographics, including geographic locations, gender identities, and racial/ethnic groups, when selecting peer reviewers. By ensuring a broad range of perspectives among reviewers, the journal aims to enhance the quality and fairness of its review process. Embracing diversity not only reflects the journal’s commitment to inclusivity but also enriches scholarly discourse in the field of health sciences.
Peer Reviewer Misconduct:
Submission of false or misleading information, including identity theft and the recommendation of fictitious peer reviewers, will lead to manuscript rejection. Health Sciences Australia adheres to the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding misconduct.
HSA by Health Sciences Australia is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
