About the Journal

Sources of Support

The Nigerian Health Journal (TNHJ), established in the year 2000, is a publication of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State Branch, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. www.nmarivers.com

Peer Review

TNHJ ensures an objective and quick peer review process, with a targeted maximum paper turnaround time of three weeks. All manuscripts are subjected to an internal Editorial review process for conformity with the scope of the journal and guidelines for submitted manuscripts. Articles are then subjected to a blind review by an odd number of reviewers, usually three. The double-blind review process ensures that the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. The journal’s editorial advisers and peer reviewers are provided with a structured peer review assessment form aimed at achieving an objective review. Academics interested in becoming editorial advisers and peer reviewers should send their expression of intent with a brief profile by email to editor@tnhjph.org.

Processing timelines from submission

The timelines for the various stages of processing of manuscripts for publication is shown below.

Acknowledgement à 72 hours

Reviews à 8 weeks

Fast track review à 4 weeks

Post-review activities to publication à 2 weeks

Peer Reviewer Guidelines (2022)

Each article is sent to 3 reviewers who have competence on the subject to be reviewed. Reviewers are sent an email request for their review of the article and before they accept the review request, they should make sure their experience fits with the topic of the article for review. Reviews are due 14 days from the initial acceptance of the review assignment. Reviewers who need an extension or wish to decline initial acceptance should contact the section editor immediately so the manuscript can be reassigned to other reviewers. Reviewers are encouraged to state any competing interest in the conduct of specific reviews.

Peer reviewers should offer both supportive and constructive feedback to strengthen the manuscript. They should give specific constructive feedback and honest commendation where needed. They can also provide annotations on the blind copy of the manuscript which can direct areas author(s) should deal with.

During submission, reviewers are expected to complete a substantive reviewer’s report using the template provided. They are also expected to give clear recommendations on the article as provided in the submission portion of the website.

Reviewers’ Feedback

Reviewer’s Name:
E-Mail:
Affiliation:
Country:
Manuscript Number:
Title:
Date Sent to Reviewer:
Date Expected from Reviewer:

Please endeavour to provide examples and evidence for responses where necessary, do not simply answer yes or no in all sections. NB: This Review format is guide. Please feel free to provide added information which you consider relevant. Type your responses and comments in the columns provided:

Topic and content: Is the topic relevant for the journal?
Is the work original? (If not, please give references)
Title: Does the title reflect the contents of the article
Abstract: To what extent does the abstract reflect aspects of the study: background, objectives, methods, results and conclusions?
Methodology: To what extent is the study methods and design appropriate and adequate for the objectives?
Ethical Consideration: Are issues related to ethics, adequately described? (For human studies, was ethical approval obtained?)
Analysis and results: Are the methods of data analysis appropriate?
Is further review by a statistician necessary?
Discussion: How well are the key findings stated and discussed?
+Are the implications of these findings clearly explained?
Conclusion(s): Do the results justify the conclusion(s)?
References: Are the references up to date, appropriate and in recommended style?
Writing: Is the paper clearly written in line with the appropriate reporting guidelines/statements?

Please rate the article in the table below, using the following criteria: (1 = Excellent) (2 = Good) (3 = Fair) (4 = poor).

Originality:
Contribution to the Field:
Technical Quality:
Clarity Of Presentation:
Depth Of Research:

Recommendations: Please select one of the following recommendations:

1. Accept: no required edits; submission may be published as originally submitted; less feedback is expected for an “accept” decision
2. Minor revision: mild revision suggested; “accept” decision will follow satisfactory response to comments of the reviewers.
3. Major revisions: significant revisions required; resubmissions will be sent back to the reviewers to ascertain desired improvements. “accept” decision will follow only after reviewers’ affirmation of corrections. If you choose this option, are you available to review the revised paper? Yes/No
4. Reject: submission declined; no opportunity to resubmit in current form

Reviewers are expected to state any relevant competing interests they may have

Open Access Policy

This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.

The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations.

While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.

TNHJ also supports open access archiving of articles published in the journal after three months of publication. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) within the stated period, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. All requests for permission for open access archiving outside this period should be sent to the editor via email to editor@tnhjph.com

It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Publication Scheduling

The Journal is published quarterly on a print and online format.

General

Background

The Nigerian Health Journal (TNHJ), established in 2000, is a publication of the Nigerian Medical Association, Rivers State Branch. The journal publishes any contribution that advances medical science or practice extending to all aspects of medicine including socio-economic, political and legal matters related to medical practice, with a perspective that promotes the continuing medical and professional education role of the Journal. The Nigerian Health Journal is published on a quarterly basis in both print and online format.

The Nigerian Health Journal (TNHJ) is an OPEN ACCESS, internationally peer-reviewed, English language, medical and health science journal that is published quarterly. The Nigerian Health Journal is published on a quarterly basis in both print and online format.

If you are interested in joining our panel of peer reviewers to help us improve the quality of our publication, kindly send an email to editor@tnhjph.com.

Editorial Structure

The editorial structure comprises the editorial consultants (advisers), editorial board, editor-in-chief, deputy (managing) editor, section editor, reviewers, and editorial assistants

Editorial Consultants (Adviser)

Serve in advisory roles
Meeting annually with the editorial board

Editorial Board

Comprises editor in chief, deputy editors and section editors
Meet quarterly before/after release of new series
Meeting in early March, June, September, and December

Editor in Chief

Leads periodical reviews of the editorial corporate strategies and scope of the journal
Chairs the quarterly editorial board meetings
Prepares annual reports
Receives all manuscripts
Makes initial judgement on suitability and reporting style
Ensures personal identifiers are removed from articles
Assigns manuscripts to Deputy (Managing Editor)
Approves final version
Refer reviewed articles to the copy editor
Communicates with the journal publisher
Plan capacity building for the editorial team

Deputy Editor (Managing Editor) - Deputy Editor for clinical, non-clinical

Evaluates submissions from authors to decide what to publish
Conducts plagiarism checks on manuscripts recommended for publication by section editors
Ensuring timeliness of reviews and publication of articles
Verify facts and references cited in materials for publication
Supervises activities of section editors
Communicates with authors
Supports marketing and quality improvement of the journal
Refer complete reviews to the Editor-in-Chief

Deputy Editor (Advancement/Marketing)

Plan and implement strategies for improving journal subscription
Plan and implement strategies for improving article submission
Set up and manage the social media handles (WhatsApp’s, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat, YouTube) of the journal
Assist the Editor-in-Chief in efforts at enhancing the indexing and ranking of the journal

Section Editor - a Section Editor (or Associate Editor)

Manages the progression of articles from submission to publication
Assigns manuscripts to reviewers with appropriate competencies to evaluate them
Communicating with peer reviewers regarding article reviews and revisions
Monitor quality of reviews by reviewers and recommend replacement of reviewers whose reviews are inadequate or not timely
Identify subject experts that would serve as reviewers
Verify facts and references cited in materials for publication
Makes recommendation on article after weighing comments of the reviewers
Supports marketing and quality improvement of the journal

Copy editor

Proofread content and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors
Assess and make recommendations on readability, style, and congruence with editorial policy
Format submissions to journal requirements
Allocate space for text, tables, figures, photos and illustrations that make the article
Arrange page layouts of articles

Reviewer

Engages with the section editors and section editors and authors particularly in assisting with peer review
Provide regular peer review upon invitation to specific manuscripts
Follow the NHJ Peer Review Guidelines
Submit peer-reviews by the assigned deadline
Recommend other peer reviewers, especially when you must decline the invitation to review a specific manuscript

Offer recommendations on improving the journal’s activities

Plagiarism Policy

The Nigerian Health Journal will subject all manuscript to a plagiarism check after submission and through the course and process of the manuscript review and acceptance for publication.

Authors are advised to utilize plagiarism check tools to ensure their manuscript comply with plagiarism standards in order to avoid extensive plagiarism.

Manuscripts with significant and extensive plagiarism will be rejected and author(s) institution may be notified

Nigerian Health Journal
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