Peer Review Policy

Peer Review Policy

1. Overview
The Pan African Journal of Health and Psychological Sciences (PAJHPS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing. All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a rigorous and transparent peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, and integrity of the research we publish.

2. Type of Peer Review
The journal operates a double-blind peer review process:

  • The identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed from each other throughout the review.
  • All identifying information is removed from manuscripts before they are sent to reviewers.

3. Initial Editorial Screening
Upon submission, manuscripts are assessed by the editorial team for:

  • Relevance to the journal’s scope.
  • Compliance with submission guidelines.
  • Ethical standards, including plagiarism checks.

Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be returned to authors without external review.

4. Reviewer Selection

  • Each manuscript is assigned to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers with relevant subject expertise.
  • Reviewers are selected based on academic qualifications, publication history, and absence of conflicts of interest.

5. Review Criteria
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts on:

  • Originality and significance of the research.
  • Soundness and clarity of methodology.
  • Validity of data and analysis.
  • Ethical compliance in research and publication.
  • Clarity, organization, and readability of the manuscript.
  • Appropriateness of references and citations.

6. Review Timeline

  • Reviewers are given 2–4 weeks to complete their assessments.
  • Authors are notified of the editorial decision within 6–8 weeks of submission, depending on reviewer availability and revisions.

7. Decision-Making Process
Based on reviewer feedback, the editorial team makes one of the following decisions:

  • Accept without revision.
  • Accept with minor revisions.
  • Revise and resubmit (major revisions required).
  • Reject.

The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

8. Confidentiality and Ethics

  • All manuscripts and review reports are treated as confidential.
  • Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review.
  • The journal adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

9. Appeals and Complaints
Authors who wish to appeal a decision or lodge a complaint about the review process may contact the editorial office at:
 editor@pajhps.org
Appeals will be reviewed by an independent member of the editorial board.

10. Post-Publication Review
If significant errors or ethical concerns are identified after publication, the journal will investigate and take appropriate actions, which may include issuing corrections, retractions, or editorial notes.