Overview
SJOH is a peer-reviewed scientific journal operating a thorough editorial screening and assessment process comprising several distinct stages.
SJOH considers original research articles from all disciplines within the journal's scope, including the natural sciences, medical research, engineering, and the related social sciences and humanities. Editorial decisions on submissions are based on scientific rigour, regardless of novelty.
All authors, editors, and reviewers are expected to respond to journal correspondence in a timely manner and to comply with the SJOH Code of Conduct for Editorial Board Members and our policies on Ethical Peer Review and Standards for Professional Conduct. Any concerns about the content of correspondence or reviews should be raised with journal staff by contacting sjoh@safesociety.org.
Tracking Your Submission
The table below explains what each manuscript status means:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Manuscript submitted | The journal has received the submission and is conducting an initial editorial assessment and screening for technical requirements. |
| Editor invited | The journal office is in the process of identifying suitable editors to handle the submission. |
| With editor | The manuscript has been assigned to a member of the editorial board for handling. |
| Under review | The handling editor has invited peer reviewers to evaluate the submission. |
| Required reviews complete | Some or all of the assigned reviewers have submitted their comments. |
| Decision in process | The handling editor has drafted a decision, but it has not yet been finalised or communicated to the authors. |
Preliminary Screening
Upon receipt of a submission, journal staff and our in-house editorial team carry out an initial quality check to identify potential concerns, including:
- Competing interests
- Adherence to editorial policies and ethical standards
- Financial disclosures
- Data availability
Submissions may be returned to authors for amendments or clarifications at this stage.
Editor Assignment
Once the preliminary screening is complete, each new submission is assigned to an Academic Editor with relevant expertise. The editor assesses the manuscript against our publication standards and determines whether further evaluation by external experts is required. The handling Academic Editor is ordinarily a member of the SJOH Editorial Board, though a Guest Editor may occasionally be invited to serve instead.
External Peer Review
During the submission process you will be asked to identify any specific editors or reviewers who should not assess your manuscript. We will honour this request provided it does not compromise the objective and thorough evaluation of the submission.
The handling editor selects reviewers based on their expertise, publication record, and prior review experience, and invites them to provide written feedback on the manuscript. Once a reviewer agrees to assess the work, external peer reviewers typically have 10 days to submit their review. The journal office will follow up with reviewers who have not responded on time and will keep you informed of any delays.
SJOH operates single-anonymised peer review. Reviewers remain anonymous unless they opt to identify themselves by signing their name to their review in our submission system.
Editorial Outcome
The editor weighs reviewer feedback alongside their own assessment of the manuscript to arrive at a decision. The following outcomes are possible:
On rare occasions, if we have been unable to secure a suitable Academic Editor or peer reviewers, we may withdraw the manuscript from the journal. Decisions are communicated to the corresponding author by formal letter, together with reviewer feedback and any further requirements from the journal office.
Responding to Revision Requests
If the editor concludes that your manuscript has the potential for publication but requires changes, you will be invited to revise it. Authors have 45 days to resubmit the revised manuscript, whether the revision request is major or minor.
In most cases, the revised manuscript is reassigned to the original Academic Editor. The editor may issue a new decision based solely on their own assessment of the revised manuscript and your response to reviewers, or may request additional input from external peer reviewers.
Read more about revising your manuscript.
Accepted Manuscripts
SJOH operates two levels of accept decision. When the handling editor is satisfied with the scientific content of the manuscript they will issue an editorial accept decision. This is a provisional acceptance, subject to final checks for formatting and technical requirements. Once these final requirements have been met, the journal office will issue a formal accept decision and the manuscript will proceed to production.
Read more about accepted manuscripts.
Publishing Your Review History
SJOH gives authors the opportunity to publish the peer review history of their manuscript alongside the final article. The peer review history package includes the complete editorial decision letter for each revision, together with reviews and your responses to reviewer comments, including any attachments. Where peer reviewers have chosen to sign their reviews, their names will also be included.
If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be invited to opt in to publishing the peer review history of your manuscript through a form in our submission system.
Making peer review history available enriches the scientific record, strengthens transparency and accountability, and helps demonstrate the robustness of your research by evidencing the thoroughness of the peer review process it has undergone.
The journal reserves the right not to publish peer review history in certain cases — for example, where there is an ethical consideration, such as the inclusion of information about a vulnerable population.
Transferring to Another Journal
Authors may request that a submission (including reviewer reports, where relevant) rejected from SJOH be transferred to another SJOH-affiliated journal for further consideration. Manuscripts will never be transferred between journals without an author's consent.
In addition, SJOH has partnered with the Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium to help ensure that the time and expertise that reviewers devote to assessing a manuscript are not lost if authors decide to submit to another journal. SJOH may transmit reviews to other partner journals at the request of the authors. We will contact individual reviewers for permission to transmit their names to the recipient journal and will otherwise forward the reports anonymously.
Challenging an Editorial Decision
Authors may submit a formal appeal to contest an editorial decision. Appeal requests must be made in writing to sjoh@safesociety.org with the word "Appeal SJOH" in the subject line, and must include a completed Appeal Request Form. We do not consider appeals made by telephone or other informal means, and appeal requests should not be directed to the Editor(s)-in-Chief of the journal.
Appeals will only be considered under the following circumstances:
- A reviewer or editor is believed to have made a significant factual error, or
- A reviewer or editor's objectivity may have been compromised by a documented competing interest, and
- A reversal based on either of these grounds would change the original decision.
All appeal requests will be considered by at least one Staff Editor or Editorial Board member.
SJOH may decline an appeal without review if:
- Integrity concerns contributed to the rejection decision, or
- The decision is connected to an issue involving multiple submissions or articles, or
- SJOH determines at its sole discretion that an appeal will be unable to satisfactorily resolve all issues underlying the editorial decision.
While an appeal is under consideration, a manuscript remains under active review at SJOH and should not be submitted for consideration elsewhere.
All decisions on appeals are final and binding.
Contact
If you have questions at any point during the process, please contact us.
Editorial Office — SAFE Journal of One Health
Published by The SAFE Society Publishing
Email: sjoh@safesociety.org
Website: https://journal.thesafesociety.com