Editorial Process

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

At ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ), we are committed to maintaining a transparent, ethical, and scientifically robust editorial process. Each submitted manuscript is carefully reviewed through a structured workflow designed to uphold academic integrity, clinical relevance, and research excellence in the fields of health sciences, medicine, and public health.

Below is an overview of our editorial process:

1. Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the AHSJ official submission portal:
???? https://academia.edu.pk/index.php/Journals

Submissions must adhere to the journal’s author guidelines regarding manuscript formatting, referencing style, ethical statements, and structural requirements.

2. Initial Screening and Plagiarism Check

Upon receipt, the editorial team conducts an initial screening to ensure that the manuscript:

  • Falls within the scope of health sciences and public health

  • Fulfills basic quality and formatting requirements

  • Complies with ethical standards (e.g., IRB approval, patient consent)

  • Passes plagiarism detection (e.g., Turnitin)

???? Manuscripts with a similarity index over 15% may be returned for revision or rejected outright.

3. Assignment to Section Editor

Manuscripts that clear the initial review are assigned to a Section or Associate Editor with subject-matter expertise. The editor assesses:

  • Originality and scholarly relevance

  • Methodological soundness

  • Contribution to medical and health science knowledge

4. Double-Blind Peer Review

Eligible submissions undergo a double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers. Reviews are based on:

  • Scientific rigor and innovation

  • Research design and statistical validity

  • Relevance to clinical/public health issues

  • Ethical compliance and data transparency

  • Clarity, structure, and literature engagement

5. Reviewer Recommendations

Reviewers provide feedback and make one of the following recommendations:

✅ Accept
✏️ Minor Revisions
???? Major Revisions
❌ Reject

6. Editorial Decision

The Section Editor, in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief when needed, makes a final decision based on the peer review reports. Authors are notified with a decision letter, including anonymized reviewer feedback and instructions for revision (if applicable).

7. Author Revisions

Authors must address reviewer comments thoroughly and submit a point-by-point response along with the revised manuscript. Based on the revision:

  • The manuscript may be re-reviewed

  • Or directly evaluated by the editorial team for final consideration

8. Final Acceptance

Once the manuscript meets all editorial, scientific, and ethical requirements, the authors receive an official Acceptance Letter, and the manuscript moves to production.

9. Copyediting and Proofreading

Accepted manuscripts undergo professional copyediting for grammar, structure, and formatting. Authors are sent final proofs for review and approval before publication.

10. Online Publication

The final version is published in the upcoming issue of AHSJ and made openly accessible online according to the journal’s open-access policy.

11. Post-Publication Dissemination

AHSJ promotes published articles through:

  • Academic indexing and abstracting databases

  • Institutional repositories and research platforms

  • Social media, scholarly networks, and citation alerts