Sequential Vetting Checkpoints

• 1. Manuscript Submission
  Authors submit their manuscript files through the official digital submission portal. Submissions must comply with standard guidelines, including complete author details, institutional affiliations, required declarations, and ethical approvals.
• 2. Initial Editorial Screening
  The Editorial Office conducts an immediate desk evaluation to verify scope alignment, manuscript completeness, formatting compliance, plagiarism screening, and conflict-of-interest declarations. Manuscripts that do not meet baseline technical requirements are returned or rejected.
• 3. Editorial Assessment
  The Editor-in-Chief or an assigned Handling Editor evaluates the manuscript for scientific originality, methodological sound structure, and relevance to health sciences. Evaluations are conducted independently and impartially, without regard to author background or affiliation.
• 4. Double-Anonymized Peer Review
  Manuscripts passing initial screening undergo rigorous double-anonymized peer review. External peer reviewers evaluate study design, methodology, data validity, analytical accuracy, ethical standards, and scientific contribution to provide constructive feedback.
• 5. Revision by Authors
  If revisions are required, authors submit a revised manuscript accompanied by a detailed point-by-point response letter. The revised submission is re-evaluated by the Handling Editor or returned to external peer reviewers for verification.
• 6. Final Editorial Decision
  The final editorial decision is made based on peer-review reports, revision quality, and adherence to journal standards. Outcomes include Accept, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, Reject & Resubmit, or Reject.
• 7. Copyediting & Proofreading
  Accepted manuscripts undergo technical copyediting, citation formatting, and typesetting. Authors receive galley proofs for final review to verify layout accuracy and correct minor typographical errors before publication.
• 8. Publication & Archiving
  Upon final approval, published articles are assigned to an official journal issue and made available online. Full-text articles and metadata are indexed for digital archiving and open access distribution.

Independence & Privacy Safeguards

All submitted manuscripts are treated with strict confidentiality. Editors and peer reviewers are prohibited from using or sharing unpublished content prior to publication. Editorial processes adhere to COPE guidelines and international publishing ethics standards to ensure impartial and transparent evaluation.