Peer Review Policies

Review Process

The Maternal & Neonatal Health Journal (MNHJ) follows a double-blind peer review process, which conceals the identities of both the reviewer and the author. It adheres to the ethical guidelines set by the Council of Science Editors (CSE) available at https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/wp-content/uploads/v25n6p187.pdf.

MNHJ uses Turnitin as an antiplagiarism detection tool. The submitted manuscripts undergo a peer-review process wherein the Editor will make an initial assessment of the quality of the paper and a decision on whether the paper is within the journal's scope. It will then be forwarded to the Reviewers which will give reviews and recommendations. The authors are expected to address the comments of the reviewers accepting the corrections they agree with or may explain those they do not agree with. The Editor will make a decision whether to request revisions, resubmit for review, send to copyediting, or decline submission.   

Responsibility of Peer Reviewer

The peer reviewer's responsibility is to provide constructive criticism by reading and evaluating manuscripts in their field of expertise, then providing honest feedback on the value of the submitted manuscripts. Peer reviewers analyze the article's strengths and weaknesses and offer suggestions to make the study relevant, acceptable, and useful to the intended audience.

Before reviewing, please note the following:

  • Is the article requested to be reviewed within your expertise? If you receive a manuscript covering topics that are not appropriate in the areas of your expertise, please notify the editor as soon as possible. Please recommend an alternative reviewer.
  • Do you have the time to review this paper? The review process must be completed within two weeks. If you agree and require a more extended period, notify the editor as soon as possible, or suggest an alternative reviewer.
  • Is there any potential conflict of interest? However, conflicts of interest will not disqualify you as a reviewer; disclose all conflicts of interest to the editor before reviewing. If you have any questions about potential conflicts of interest, do not hesitate to contact the editorial office.

When reviewing the article, please consider the following:

  • Title: is it clearly illustrating the article?
  • Abstract: does it reflect the contents of the article?
  • Introduction: does it describe the accuracy of the author's matters and clearly state the problem being considered? Typically, the introduction should summarize the context of the relevant research and explain the research findings or other findings, if any, offered for discussion. This research should explain the experiments, hypotheses, and methods.

Content of the Article

To determine the originality and suitability for the journal, are there any elements of plagiarism over 25% of this paper field? A quick literature search can be done through Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, etc. to see if there are similarities with other published papers.

  • If other authors had previously done the study, is it still eligible for publication?
  • Is the article relatively new, reasonably deep, and enjoyable to be published?
  • Does it contribute to knowledge?
  • Does the article adhere to the standards of the journal?
  • Scope - Is the article in line with the objectives and scope of the journal?

Method

Comprehensive and perfect:

  • Does the author accurately describe how the data is collected?
  • Is the theoretical basis or reference used appropriately for this study?
  • Is the exposure design suitable to answer the question?
  • Is there decent enough information for you to imitate the research?
  • Does the article identify the following procedures?
  • Are there any new methods? If there is a new method, does the author explain it in detail?
  • Is there any appropriate sampling?
  • Have the tools and materials used been adequately explained? and
  • Does the article exposure describe what type of data is recorded, right in describing the measurement?

Results:

This is where the author must explain the findings of his/her research. It should be laid out and in a logical sequence. You will need to consider whether the appropriate analysis has been carried out using statistical tools. If you have a better statistical tool to be used in this study, you may note it, and the interpretation need not be included in this section.

 

Discussion and Conclusion:

  • are the claims in this section supported by fair results and quite reasonable?
  • Does the author compare the research results with other previous ones?
  • Do the results of the research written in the article contradict the previous theories?
  • Does the conclusion explain how better scientific research is to be followed up?

Tables and Pictures:

Is it suitable for the referred explanation by showing easy-to-interpret and understandable data for the readers?

 

Writing Styles

  • Authors must be critical mostly to the systematic literature review of the issues relevant to the field of study.
  • Reviews should be focused on a single topic.
  • All exposure should be written in good and coherent grammar.
  • Easy to understand
  • Interesting to read

Things that need to be considered:

  • Perspective, a unique perspective is that describes experiences and situations related to issues in social and cultural studies.

Originality Research

  • The original data and testing must present data that offers a new approach to improve systems, processes, and precision of the used tools.
  • Research policy and observational analysis should clarify the feasibility, effectiveness, and implementation of the research results. It is not limited to the topic of social and cultural studies.
  • In Practice (case study), The paper should explain the future challenges in social and cultural things that can be learned.

Reference

  • First Person (Interview)
  • Book Reviews
  • Insight Technology (Product Review)

Final Review

  • All results of the review submitted by reviewers are confidential
  • If you want to discuss the article with a colleague, kindly inform the editor
  • Do not contact the author directly.
  • Ethical issues:

- Plagiarism: if you suspect the article is mostly plagiarism from other authors, please let the editor knows the details

- Fraud: It is tough to detect a fraud category, but if you suspect the results in the article are not valid, please inform the editor

 

Complete "The Review" by the due date to the editorial office. Your article's recommendation will be considered when the editor makes a final decision, and your honest feedback is highly appreciated.

 

When you write a comment, please show the comment that is only intended for the editor and parts that can be returned to the author.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact the editorial office with any questions or problems that you may encounter.