Peer Review Policy

International Journal of Tropical Medicine (IJTM) follows a double-anonymized peer review process for manuscripts considered suitable for external review. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential during the review process, where the journal's system permits.

All manuscripts are first evaluated by the editorial team for scope, originality, scientific quality, ethical compliance, and basic methodological suitability. Manuscripts that meet the initial requirements are then sent to qualified reviewers with appropriate subject expertise.

Peer Review Process

  1. Initial Editorial Assessment
    Each submission is assessed by the editorial team to determine whether it is suitable for the journal and meets basic editorial and ethical requirements.

  2. Reviewer Selection
    Suitable manuscripts are assigned to independent reviewers with relevant academic or professional expertise. Reviewers are selected based on subject knowledge, research experience, and absence of relevant conflicts of interest.

  3. External Peer Review
    Reviewers evaluate the manuscript's originality, methodology, scientific validity, clarity, ethical standards, interpretation of results, and overall contribution to the field.

  4. Editorial Decision
    Based on the reviewers' comments and the editor's assessment, a manuscript may be:

    • Accepted

    • Accepted subject to minor revisions

    • Returned for major revision

    • Rejected

    The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief or the designated editor.

  5. Revision
    When revisions are requested, authors should respond to reviewer comments clearly and provide a revised manuscript within the specified period.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts received for review as confidential documents. Manuscripts and their contents must not be shared, copied, discussed, or used for personal purposes without authorization from the journal.

Objectivity

Reviews should be objective, constructive, and supported by clear scientific reasoning. Personal criticism of authors is not acceptable.

Expertise and Timeliness

Reviewers should accept assignments only when they have appropriate expertise and sufficient time to provide a thoughtful review. If a reviewer cannot complete the review within the requested period, the editorial office should be informed promptly.

Identification of Relevant Literature

Reviewers may recommend relevant published work that has been omitted where such references are genuinely important. Reviewers should also alert the editor to substantial similarities or potential duplicate publication that they become aware of during the review.

Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could affect their impartiality. Reviewers should decline an assignment where a conflict may compromise the independence of their assessment.

Use of Information

Information, data, methods, or ideas obtained through peer review must remain confidential and must not be used for personal, professional, or competitive advantage.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical standards, and relevance of the manuscript. Decisions should not be influenced by the author's nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, ethnicity, religion, political views, or commercial interests.

Reviewer Recommendations

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The editor may seek additional reviews or make an editorial decision that differs from an individual reviewer's recommendation when scientifically or editorially justified.

Peer Review and Publication Ethics

IJTM is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, and ethical peer-review process. Any concerns regarding research integrity, plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or falsified data, authorship disputes, or other forms of publication misconduct may be investigated in accordance with recognized publication-ethics principles.