The National Journal of Health Sciences (NJHS), an open-access, double blind peer-reviewed journal with ISSN 2519-7053 (Print) and 2519-7878 (Online), welcomes proposals for supplements, thematic issues, and special issues that align with the journal’s aims and scope. These publications aim to advance knowledge in health sciences through high-quality, original research, reviews, and scholarly discourse. This policy is aligned with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). It emphasizes editorial independence, rigorous peer review, transparency in funding and conflicts of interest, adherence to ethical publishing standards, and the prevention of misconduct to maintain the integrity and credibility of the journal.
Definitions
Supplements: Additional issues or sections, often sponsored or funded by external entities (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, organizations, or conferences), published outside the regular issue schedule. Supplements must undergo the same rigorous editorial and peer-review processes as regular articles to ensure scientific quality and independence from sponsor influence. Supplementary materials (e.g., datasets, extended tables, appendices) may also be included in appropriate formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or SPSS.
Thematic Issues: Focused collections of articles within a regular journal issue, centered on a specific theme or topic, without external sponsorship.
Special Issues: Standalone issues dedicated to a particular subject area or emerging topic, which may or may not involve sponsorship. These are organized by guest editors with expertise in the field.
All such publications must contribute meaningfully to the scientific literature, avoid redundancy with existing content, and uphold the journal’s commitment to ethical practices, including those outlined in Recommendations Supplements, Theme Issues, and Special Series by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), COPE’s Core Practices, WAME’s policies on editorial freedom and integrity, guidelines on academic integrity.
Proposal Submission Process
Proposals for supplements, thematic issues, or special issues must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief via the designated email (publication@njhsciences.com). The proposal should be presented as an official document on institutional letterhead and include the following elements:
Title and Scope: A clear title for the proposed publication, along with a detailed description of the topic covered. This must include a summary of the objectives, rationale, and expected contributions to the field, demonstrating alignment with the journal’s aims and scope. Where available, provide a provisional list of article titles, abstracts, or keywords to facilitate preliminary assessment of scientific merit and relevance.
Timeline: Proposed submission deadline for manuscripts and anticipated publication date. Timelines should be realistic, allowing sufficient time for peer review, revisions, and production (typically 4-6 months from approval).
Guest Editors and Contributors:
A list of proposed guest editors, including their full names, current institutional affiliations, contact details (including institutional email addresses), ORCID iDs, brief curricula vitae highlighting relevant expertise, prior publications (with emphasis on those in related fields), and experience in editing special issues or collections.
A provisional list of potential authors and contributors, including their affiliations, to ensure diversity, international representation where appropriate, and avoidance of excessive self-citation or conflicts.
A suggested list of potential reviewers, complete with affiliations, email addresses, and expertise, to support the peer-review process. Reviewers should be independent and free from conflicts of interest with the guest editors or authors.
Funding and Sponsorship Details: If applicable, disclose the source of funding or sponsorship, including any financial support for article processing charges, production, or distribution. Proposals must confirm that sponsors will have no role in content selection, peer review, or editorial decisions, in line with ICMJE, COPE, and WAME guidelines on editorial independence. All funding sources must be fully disclosed, and nondisclosure may be treated as ethical misconduct.
Ethical and Compliance Statements: Confirmation that all manuscripts will adhere to NJHS ethical standards, including provision of Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethical Approval or a waiver/exemption letter with evidence from an appropriate ethics committee if ethical approval is not required. Manuscripts based on theses must disclose the thesis title, supervisor’s name, department, university affiliation, and year of submission.
Proposals must be submitted using the journal’s official proposal form, available here. The form must be fully completed, signed by all proposed guest editors, and emailed to publication@njhsciences.com. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.
Evaluation and Approval
The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with the editorial board, will evaluate proposals based on:
- Scientific quality, originality, and potential impact on the field of health sciences.
- Alignment with the journal’s aims, scope, and ethical standards.
- Feasibility of the proposed timeline.
- Expertise and impartiality of the guest editors and proposed reviewers.
- Compliance with ICMJE, COPE, and WAME principles, including safeguards against commercial bias in sponsored content and prevention of plagiarism or misconduct.
All proposals are screened for plagiarism and redundancy using iThenticate®. The journal reserves the right to reject proposals that do not meet these criteria or that could compromise editorial integrity. Approved proposals will receive written confirmation, outlining any conditions or modifications required.
By signing the proposal form, guest editors agree to abide by NJHS policies, including those on authorship, plagiarism, data integrity, and ethical conduct, as per COPE’s guidelines for guest editors. Allegations of misconduct may result in rejection, retraction, blacklisting, and notification to institutions or funding agencies.
Responsibilities of Guest Editors
Guest editors play a crucial role in curating high-quality content but must operate under the oversight of the NJHS editorial team to ensure consistency and independence. Key responsibilities include:
- Inviting submissions from qualified authors while promoting inclusivity and avoiding favoritism.
- Ensuring all manuscripts are submitted via the journal’s online manuscript management system (Open Journal Systems – OJS).
- Collaborating with the editorial office on peer-review assignments, but deferring final decisions to the Editor-in-Chief.
- Disclosing any conflicts of interest (financial, professional, or personal) that could influence their role, in accordance with ICMJE disclosure requirements, using the journal’s Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.
- Adhering to timelines and communicating promptly with authors, reviewers, and the editorial team.
- Promoting ethical practices, such as obtaining informed consent for studies involving human subjects, ensuring compliance with EQUATOR Network reporting guideline of (e.g., CONSORT, STROBE), and verifying that all authors meet ICMJE authorship criteria.
- Ensuring manuscripts are written in clear, concise, grammatically correct English and that permissions are obtained for any reproduced material.
Guest editors must not engage in coercive practices, such as pressuring authors to cite specific works or submit unrelated manuscripts. Third-party or agency submissions are not permitted.
Authorship and Contributors
Authorship for manuscripts in supplements, thematic issues, or special issues must adhere to ICMJE guidelines, requiring substantial contributions to conception/design, data acquisition/analysis/interpretation, drafting/revising the manuscript, final approval, and accountability for accuracy and integrity. The corresponding author must ensure all authors meet these criteria and disclose conflicts. Contributors not qualifying as authors should be acknowledged. A signed Copyright Transfer and Authorship Agreement must be submitted for each manuscript.
Peer-Review Process
All manuscripts submitted for supplements, thematic issues, or special issues must undergo the journal’s standard double-blind peer-review process, managed through the OJS submission system, to maintain transparency and rigor as recommended by COPE, WAME.
- Each manuscript will be assigned at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the subject area, selected from a combination of those proposed by guest editors and the journal’s reviewer database.
- Reviewers must be free from conflicts of interest and adhere to COPE’s ethical guidelines for peer reviewers.
- In cases of disagreement among reviewers, the matter will be resolved according to the journal’s escalation policy, which may involve additional reviews or arbitration by the editorial board.
- The Editor-in-Chief or designated editorial board members retain final authority over acceptance, revision, or rejection decisions, based on reviewer reports and alignment with journal standards.
- Sponsored content must be clearly labeled, and peer review must be independent of sponsor input.
- All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using iThenticate® prior to review.
The journal may, at its discretion, send manuscripts for additional external review beyond those arranged by guest editors.
Editorial Independence and Oversight
In alignment with WAME’s Policy on Editorial Independence, ICMJE recommendations, and COPE guidelines:
- The Editor-in-Chief assumes full responsibility for the policies, practices, and content of all publications, including supplements.
- Funding organizations or sponsors are prohibited from editing, selecting, or influencing content.
- The Editor-in-Chief may appoint external editors for supplements but retains accountability for their work. External editors must comply with NJHS editorial policies.
- All authors, guest editors, and reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest, which will be published alongside the content.
- The origin of the idea for the publication (e.g., sponsor-initiated or editor-proposed) must be transparently stated in the introductory material or preface.
- Final editorial decisions rest with the NJHS editorial board, ensuring no undue influence from external parties.
Violations of these principles may result in rejection of the proposal or withdrawal of published content, with referral to COPE if misconduct is suspected.
Promotion and Dissemination
NJHS encourages ethical promotion of approved publications to maximize reach and impact:
- Guest editors may promote the call for papers through personalized invitations to qualified researchers, social media platforms, or academic events (e.g., conferences, seminars).
- Bulk emailing (unsolicited mass emails) is discouraged to avoid spam and comply with data protection regulations.
- The journal will promote the publication via its website, social media channels, email newsletters, and announcements on relevant platforms.
All promotional materials must accurately represent the journal’s involvement and avoid misleading claims.
Additional Information
For inquiries, detailed guidelines, or assistance with proposals, contact the editorial office at publication@njhsciences.com. NJHS reserves the right to update this policy in response to evolving best practices from ICMJE, COPE and WAME. Authors and guest editors are encouraged to review the full Guidelines for Authors available at https://njhsciences.com/guidelines-for-author/ for comprehensive instructions on manuscript preparation and submission.
