Peer Review Process &
Reviewers Responsibilities

Peer review in the IJGMSP is conducted via double blind review, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process in order to minimise bias and ensure objective assessment. This approach is widely recognised as a standard practice in academic publishing and is consistent with guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME); further details can be found at  https://publicationethics.org/guidance/case/double-review; https://www.wame.org/policies respectively.

Each article is put through a primary review process for purposes of evaluating whether it satisfies the criteria for scope and quality of IJGMSP. This primary review will also help to eliminate any unsatisfactory submissions before fading valuable time on the review process. Articles which make it through this review are sent out to be reviewed by scholars or industrialist with expertise in the particular area. Authors are expected to make sure that all identifying information is removed from the manuscript before submission, including any self-citations.
Reviewers’ feedback report are considered confidential and are communicated to the authors in an anonymous manner. The editorial board takes into account the reviewers’ comments, but the final decision is arrived at after a comprehensive review of all available evidence and not merely on the basis of the reviewers’ suggestions. Sometimes, further reviews from other experts are sought in case there are stark differences in their opinions.

It is an absolute requirement of the peer review process that reviewers maintain strict confidentiality. Reviewers are often granted access to unpublished material, which must be treated as privileged information and not used for personal benefit or shared with others. This expectation aligns with international ethical standards, particularly COPE guidelines on ethical peer review; further details can be found at https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers.

All reviewer duties include providing unbiased reviews based on academic merit or evidence from the submitted manuscript. Reviewers must not use manuscripts for the benefit of themselves, seek to ascertain the identity of the author(s), or misuse references within the manuscript. Any violation of these standards will result in termination of the reviewing relationship with the publisher. Reviewer compliance with these standards is monitored by the Editorial board and Editor-in-Chief(s) of IJGMSP.