Peer Review Policy

Purpose

Peer review is how LMDAJ checks that the research it publishes is sound, original, ethical and useful to clinicians. LMDAJ publishes work of scientific and educational interest to medical and dental practitioners and researchers, with special focus on medical practice and research in Liberia, West Africa and Africa. Every research manuscript goes through the same transparent process in our online manuscript system. This policy explains each step and what authors, reviewers and editors can expect of one another.

Peer review advises the editors; it does not replicate or validate the research. It relies on trust: authors report honestly, reviewers assess fairly, and editors decide independently.

Review model

• LMDAJ uses double-anonymised peer review: the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors. Only the editorial team knows both.
• Authors must submit an anonymised manuscript (main text and files with no names, affiliations, acknowledgements or other identifying details) and a separate title page that is seen only by the editorial office. Manuscripts that are not properly anonymised are returned to the author before review.
• Reviewers do not sign their reports. Reviewers must not try to find out who the authors are. A reviewer who recognises the work or has a conflict of interest must tell the editor and decline or step aside.
• The existence of a manuscript under review is confidential. It is shared only with the authors, the reviewers and the editorial staff.
• Authors must not contact reviewers directly. Queries go through the editorial office.

Who is involved

The review process, step by step

Criteria for assessment

Reviewers and editors assess whether:

• the research question is original, clear and relevant to health in Liberia, West Africa or the wider global-health community;
• the study design and methods are appropriate and reported in enough detail (using reporting guidelines such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE or other EQUATOR Network guidelines, as relevant);
• the data and statistics are valid and the conclusions are supported by the results and the limitations are stated;
• ethics approval, informed consent and patient confidentiality are properly addressed;
• competing interests and funding are declared;
• the writing is clear (English or French) and the work is ethical, with no plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication or image manipulation.

LMDAJ values locally relevant research, including descriptive studies, case reports and clinical audits, that may not be novel globally but is important for practice in resource-limited settings. Papers are not rejected because they are small or local if the methods are sound and the limitations are honest.

Reviewer recommendations

Reviewers recommend one of:

• Accept
• Minor revisions required
• Major revisions required
• Reject

Reviewers provide (a) comments for the authors and (b) optional confidential comments to the editor. The recommendation advises the editor; the editor makes the final decision.

Selection and number of reviewers

• Editors choose reviewers for subject expertise, absence of conflicts of interest and track record of constructive, timely reviews.
• Research articles receive at least two external reviews, and a statistical or methodological check where the study design calls for it.
• Authors may suggest or exclude reviewers; editors are not bound by these suggestions and verify any suggested reviewer’s independence.
• LMDAJ seeks diversity in its reviewer pool, including geography, gender, career stage and clinical discipline, and actively develops reviewers from Liberia and West Africa.
• Reviewers should have no competing interest in the manuscript. Anyone in doubt must tell the editor before accepting.

Timelines (targets)

The journal will publish its actual median time to first decision once it has enough data.

Responsibilities

Reviewers must:

• accept only if they have the expertise, the time and no conflict of interest, and respond within the agreed time;
• keep the manuscript, supplementary files and the review confidential, and not discuss or share them without the editor’s permission;
• be objective, constructive and courteous; avoid personal criticism; support comments with reasons and references;
• declare any competing interests, and tell the editor if they suspect plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabrication, undisclosed AI use or unethical research;
• not use the manuscript’s content for their own research or advantage;
• not delegate the review to someone else without the editor’s permission (a colleague may help only with the editor’s approval and credit);
• follow the AI Policy.

Authors must:

• submit honest, original work that is not under review elsewhere, with all required declarations;
• respond to reviewers’ comments point by point and respectfully;
• not try to identify or contact reviewers;
• notify the editor of any competing interests that affect the choice of reviewers.

Editors must:

• treat all manuscripts fairly on their merit, regardless of authors’ nationality, gender, institution, seniority or whether fees were waived;
• declare conflicts and step aside from any manuscript where they have one (a manuscript by an editor or editorial board member is handled by an independent editor, and the author editor has no access to it);
• ensure confidentiality, and make decisions based on the reviewers’ advice and their own judgement, not on reviewer votes alone;
• tell authors the reasons for the decision; pass reviewers’ comments to authors, and may edit or redact comments that are offensive, defamatory or breach confidentiality.

AI and peer review

In line with the LMDAJ AI Policy:

• Reviewers must not use AI tools to generate their assessment or recommendation, and must not upload any part of a manuscript or their review report into any AI tool. Any permitted language-only help must be disclosed to the editor.
• Editors must not use public AI tools with unpublished manuscripts, reviews or decisions.
• Concerns about AI-generated content in a manuscript or review should be reported to the handling editor.

Confidentiality and ethics

• Manuscripts are confidential documents. Editors and reviewers will not disclose them or their content except to the extent necessary for review, and unpublished data may not be used.
• LMDAJ follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), including the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
• Suspected misconduct is handled under the journal’s publication ethics policy.
• Reviewer data used by the journal for editorial purposes is kept confidential.

Decisions, appeals and complaints

• Decisions are made by the handling editor with the Chief Editor, informed by the reviews. The Chief Editor does not make decisions on manuscripts where they have a conflict of interest.
• Appeals: authors may appeal a rejection once, in writing to the editorial office, within 30 days, with a point-by-point explanation of why the decision was wrong. Appeals are considered by an editor who was not involved in the original decision. Appeals are not accepted simply because the authors disagree.
• Complaints about the peer review process or about the conduct of reviewers or editors should be sent to the Chief Editor via the editorial office at the Contact the Editorial Office page. Authors can also contact COPE if unsatisfied.
• Rejected manuscripts: reviewers’ identities remain confidential, and authors may share the comments (without trying to identify the reviewers) with other journals.

Rejected and transferred manuscripts

• Where possible, reviewers’ comments are shared with authors so they can improve the paper.
• With the authors’ consent, a manuscript may be referred to another journal with its reviews.

Reviewer recognition and development

• Reviewers receive a thank-you message and a certificate or letter of their reviewing activity on request, and are listed in an annual acknowledgement of reviewers (with permission).
• LMDAJ provides a short Guide for Reviewers and invites new and early-career reviewers, including those in Liberia and West Africa, with mentoring where possible.
• LMDAJ may use anonymous, aggregate data from submissions to study and improve its own review process. Identifying information stays confidential.

Language

LMDAJ publishes in English and French. Reviewers are asked to evaluate content, not language, and not to penalise authors writing in an additional language. Language editing is part of production.

Review of this policy

The Editorial Board reviews this policy at least annually.

Contact

Peer review questions: via the Contact the Editorial Office page.

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