Editorial Policies
The IOASD Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences is committed to maintaining high standards of editorial quality, scientific integrity, transparency, and independence throughout the publication process. The journal aims to publish reliable, original, and scientifically sound research that contributes to the advancement of medical, pharmaceutical, clinical, and allied health sciences.
The editorial process is designed to ensure that all manuscripts are evaluated fairly, consistently, and solely on the basis of their scientific merit and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
Editorial Principles
The journal publishes original research, review articles, case reports, short communications, clinical studies, pharmaceutical research, and other scholarly contributions that advance knowledge in medicine, pharmacy, public health, biomedical sciences, clinical practice, and related disciplines.
Editorial decisions are based on the originality, scientific quality, methodological rigor, clarity, significance, and relevance of the submitted work.
Editorial Independence
The Editor-in-Chief has full responsibility for the journal's editorial content and publication decisions.
Editorial decisions are made independently and without influence from commercial interests, sponsors, advertisers, institutions, or personal relationships. The publisher supports editorial independence and does not interfere with decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection.
Editorial Responsibilities
The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for:
· Maintaining the scientific quality and integrity of the journal.
· Ensuring a fair, objective, and transparent editorial process.
· Evaluating manuscripts for scientific relevance and suitability.
· Assigning qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.
· Making editorial decisions based on scholarly merit and reviewer recommendations.
· Protecting the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.
· Addressing ethical concerns and publication misconduct where necessary.
· Promoting responsible scientific publishing and continuous improvement of editorial standards.
Initial Editorial Assessment
All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment before being considered for external peer review.
During this assessment, the editorial team evaluates whether the manuscript:
· Falls within the journal's aims and scope.
· Demonstrates scientific originality and potential contribution to the field.
· Meets the journal's submission and formatting requirements.
· Presents a clear research objective and appropriate study design.
· Is written in a clear and scientifically appropriate manner.
· Complies with the journal's editorial and publication requirements.
Where appropriate, authors may be requested to make minor technical or formatting revisions before the manuscript proceeds to peer review.
Manuscripts that are outside the journal's scope or do not meet the minimum editorial standards may be declined without external review.
Editorial Decision-Making
Editorial decisions are made after careful consideration of the manuscript, reviewer comments, and the journal's editorial standards.
Possible editorial decisions include:
· Accept
· Minor Revision
· Major Revision
· Reject
Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The final decision regarding publication rests with the Editor-in-Chief or the designated handling editor.
Editorial Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff treat all submitted manuscripts and related communications as confidential.
Information obtained during the editorial process is used solely for legitimate editorial and publishing purposes and is not disclosed to unauthorized individuals.
Conflicts of Interest
Editors should avoid handling manuscripts where financial, academic, institutional, professional, or personal relationships may influence—or reasonably appear to influence—their editorial judgment.
Where a conflict of interest exists, editorial responsibility will be reassigned to another qualified editor.
Editorial Quality Assurance
The journal is committed to maintaining consistent editorial standards through ongoing quality assurance measures.
These include:
· Applying editorial policies consistently.
· Selecting reviewers with relevant expertise.
· Monitoring the quality and timeliness of editorial decisions.
· Ensuring that accepted manuscripts meet the journal's scientific and editorial standards.
· Periodically reviewing editorial practices to improve the quality and integrity of the publication process.
Appeals and Complaints
Authors may appeal editorial decisions where they believe a factual error or procedural concern has affected the outcome.
Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office with appropriate justification. All appeals are reviewed objectively, and additional editorial assessment may be undertaken where necessary.
The submission of an appeal does not guarantee reversal of the original editorial decision.
Policy Review
The journal periodically reviews and updates its editorial policies to reflect developments in scientific publishing, editorial best practices, and the evolving needs of the medical and pharmaceutical research community.
Revised policies become effective upon publication on the journal's website.
Related Policies
This Editorial Policies document should be read together with the journal's:
Commitment to Editorial Excellence
The IOASD Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences is committed to maintaining an independent, transparent, and accountable editorial process that supports scientific excellence and responsible scholarly publishing. Through objective editorial assessment, expert oversight, and consistent editorial standards, the journal strives to publish reliable, high-quality research that contributes to advancements in medicine, pharmacy, healthcare, biomedical sciences, and related fields.
