By submitting a manuscript to the Journal of Associated Medical Sciences, the authors agree to subject it to the confidential double-blinded peer-review process. Editors and reviewers are informed that the manuscripts must be considered confidential. After a manuscript is received, it is assigned by a specific Associate Editor. The Associate Editor prepares a list of expert reviewers, which may include some suggested by the Editor-in-Chief. Authors can indicate specific individuals whom they would like to have excluded as reviewers. Generally, requests to exclude certain potential reviewers will be honored except in fields with a limited number of experts.

All potential reviewers are contacted individually to determine availability. Manuscripts files are sent to at least three expert reviewers. Reviewers are asked to complete the review of the manuscripts within 2 weeks and to return a short review form. Based on the reviewers' comments, the Associate Editor recommends a course of action and communicates the reviews and recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief for a final decision.

The Associate Editor considers the comments made by the reviewers and the recommendation of the Editor-in-Chief, selects those comments to be shared with the authors, makes a final decision concerning the manuscripts, and prepares the decision letter for signature by the Editor-in-Chief. If revisions of the manuscripts are suggested, the Associate Editor also recommends who should review the revised paper when resubmitted. Authors are informed of the decision by e-mail; appropriate comments from reviewers and editors are appended.

Submission of the Manuscript

After the manuscript has been successfully submitted, it will be screened by the Editor-in-Chief to determine whether the submitted manuscript is within the journal’s aims and scope. The submitted manuscript will also be assessed for its originality and has not been plagiarized. If the submitted manuscripts does not meet the criteria, the Editor-in-Chief may decline the submission without sending it. If the manuscripts passes approval, the editorial office personnel will check the paper’s formatting and citation styles, together with the adherence to the specified author guidelines. If the required conditions are not met, the manuscripts will be returned to the author for reformatting and resubmission.

Assignment of Associate Editor and Reviewers

After the initial screening of the submitted manuscripts, the Editor-in-Chief will then assign the relevant Associate Editor based on the content of the submitted manuscripts. The Associate Editor will then begin reviewing process by inviting at least three potential reviewers for assessment of the submitted manuscripts.

The reviewers must have different affiliations from all authors of the submitted manuscripts. The potential reviewers must consider the invitation according to their own scientific expertise, any potential conflicts of interest, and other relevant criteria. The Journal of Associated Medical Sciences guarantees to assign the reviewers within 3 days after the submission of the initial manuscript. The reviewers are usually given two to four weeks to review the manuscripts. After the review is completed, the reviewers will submit the review results to the journal with some recommendations and suggestions.

Manuscripts Submitted from the Institution of an Editor 

Manuscripts submitted from the institution of any Associate Editor or the Editor-in-Chief are reviewed by other editors from outside that institution. The Editorial Board ensures confidentiality and equity in reviewing all manuscripts.

Evaluation of the Reviews by Associate Editor

The Associate Editor will evaluate the comments of the three reviewers to make an overall decision. Consensus results from at least two of three reviewers will lead to a final decision on whether to accept, accept with revision, or reject. The Associate Editor will send a decision to the authors via the online system, along with any relevant comments submitted by the reviewers. As the journal uses a double-blind peer-review principle, all comments and suggestions are kept anonymous.

Revision

Once the authors receive the review results, comments, and suggestions, they will be asked to proceed accordingly. The revised manuscripts must be submitted at the original submission number with highlighted changes. The response to reviewers’ comments must also be submitted along with the revised manuscripts. The author will be asked to complete the revisions within two weeks for minor revisions and four weeks for major revisions. All the revised manuscripts will be re-evaluated by the same reviewers before a final decision is made.

Decisions 

There are four categories for initial decisions: accept, accept with revision, and reject. Some manuscripts are accepted provisionally, pending relatively minor revisions. In this case, the Associate Editor may conduct the review. For many manuscripts, authors are invited to resubmit if revision or additional experimentation can address major criticisms. Typically, one or more reviewers will be asked to consider the adequacy of the revisions. All revised manuscripts are carefully reexamined, and ultimate acceptability is not guaranteed. Journal of Associated Medical Sciences does not provide for an advance determination of the acceptability of a particular manuscript for publication, nor does it promise an expedited review of selected manuscripts.

Rebuttals

If a serious scientific error occurred during the review, a letter of rebuttal may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief explaining the reasons for being reconsidered. Letters of rebuttal must be received by the Editor-in-Chief within 6 weeks of the date the decision letter was sent. When appropriate, the matter will be taken up with the initial Associate Editor or additional reviewers. Rebuttals that challenge rejections that were based on priority alone are rarely successful since the assignment of priority is necessarily a matter of opinion. If the author of a rejected manuscript is able to make new advances that go far beyond the original submission, they will often expedite consideration of their paper through the submission of a completely new manuscript.