Editorial Guidelines

ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ)
https://academia.edu.pk/index.php/hsj

ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ) is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of scientific rigor, ethical publishing, and editorial transparency across all stages of its publication process. The following editorial guidelines are intended to guide authors, reviewers, and editors in ensuring scholarly excellence and research integrity in the field of health sciences.

1. Submission and Initial Evaluation

Scope and Relevance
Submitted manuscripts must present original research, systematic reviews, case studies, or theoretical insights in health sciences, clinical medicine, public health, epidemiology, and allied medical disciplines. Authors should ensure their submission aligns with the journal’s Aims and Scope.

Plagiarism Screening
All submissions undergo rigorous plagiarism screening using Turnitin or equivalent software. AHSJ maintains a strict 15% similarity threshold. Manuscripts exceeding this may be returned for revision or declined.

Formatting Requirements
Manuscripts must adhere to AHSJ Author Guidelines and include:

  • Title, full names of authors, and institutional affiliations

  • Structured abstract and relevant keywords

  • Main content structured using IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion), where appropriate

  • APA referencing style (or journal-specific citation format)

  • Tables, figures, ethical statements, funding acknowledgments, and conflict of interest disclosures

Licensing Terms
All accepted articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, permitting redistribution with attribution and non-commercial use.

2. Peer Review Policy

Double-Blind Review
AHSJ uses a double-blind peer review model to ensure impartiality. The identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.

Reviewer Selection and Ethics
Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise and must disclose any conflicts of interest. They are expected to provide ethical, respectful, and constructive feedback.

Review Timelines
Reviewers are typically given 2 to 4 weeks to complete their evaluations. The editorial team monitors progress and ensures timely communication with authors.

3. Editorial Decision-Making

Decision Outcomes
After peer review, the editorial team may reach one of the following decisions:

✅ Accept
✏️ Minor or Major Revisions
❌ Reject

Authors receive a detailed decision letter including anonymized reviewer feedback and revision instructions where applicable.

Revisions and Resubmissions
Authors must submit a point-by-point response to each reviewer comment and a revised version of their manuscript. Major revisions may undergo an additional round of peer review.

Appeals
Authors may appeal a rejection or decision by submitting a formal written appeal. Appeals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or an independent editorial board member.

4. Ethical Standards and Responsibilities

Authorship Criteria
All listed authors must have made substantial scholarly contributions to the research and manuscript preparation. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors approve the final version.

Conflict of Interest
All parties involved (authors, editors, reviewers) must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may influence objectivity.

Research Ethics Compliance
Manuscripts involving human or animal subjects must include a statement of ethical approval and compliance with institutional and international ethical guidelines (e.g., informed consent, IRB clearance).

5. Post-Publication Policy

Corrections and Retractions
In the event of post-publication issues, AHSJ may:

  • Publish a correction (Erratum or Corrigendum)

  • Retract the article if warranted

  • Inform indexing databases to ensure transparency

Archiving and Preservation
All AHSJ content is securely stored in digital repositories and indexed to ensure long-term preservation and access.

6. Editorial Board Responsibilities

Selection and Diversity
Editorial board members are chosen based on their expertise, academic reputation, and contributions to health sciences. AHSJ promotes board diversity across institutions, regions, and disciplines.

Roles and Responsibilities
Board members contribute to:

  • Manuscript evaluation and review oversight

  • Editorial policy development

  • Advancing research excellence and journal visibility

Rotation and Renewal
Editorial board composition is reviewed periodically to maintain relevance and scientific representation.

7. Communication and Transparency

Author Support
The editorial office provides clear guidance and support on:

  • Submission and peer review status

  • Formatting and policy clarification

  • Technical concerns and publication timelines

Professional Conduct
All communication between authors, reviewers, and editors must remain respectful, constructive, and professional to foster an inclusive and scholarly publishing environment.