Submissions Process

Editorial Process and Author Responsibilities

Submission and Evaluation Workflow
The editorial process at the International Journal of Health and Rehabilitation (IJHR_ORG) is designed to be rigorous, fair, and efficient, ensuring that only high-quality research aligned with our scope is published.

  1. Initial Editorial Screening: Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo an initial assessment by the Editorial Office and/or the Editor-in-Chief. This screening checks for basic requirements such as adherence to the journal's scope, compliance with formatting and ethical guidelines, originality, and overall manuscript quality. Submissions that fail to meet these fundamental criteria may be declined without proceeding to full peer review ("desk rejection").

  2. Double-Blind Peer Review: Manuscripts passing the initial screening are assigned to an Academic Editor, who initiates the formal double-blind peer-review process. The identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed. Typically, two or more independent experts in the relevant field are invited to evaluate the manuscript's scientific merit, methodology, originality, clarity, and ethical soundness. Their confidential recommendations form the basis for the editorial decision.

  3. Editorial Decision and Revision: Based on the reviewers' reports and the editor's own assessment, a decision is communicated to the corresponding author. Decisions include: Accept, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, or Reject. For revisions, authors are given a specified timeframe to address all comments point-by-point and submit a revised manuscript along with a detailed response letter. Revised submissions are usually re-evaluated, often by the original reviewers.

  4. Final Acceptance and Production: Once a manuscript is fully accepted, it is transferred to the production team for copyediting, typesetting, and preparation of proofs. Authors must promptly review and approve the final proofs. The article is then published online in its final form under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Author Responsibilities Prior to Submission
To ensure a smooth submission process and uphold ethical standards, authors bear the following key responsibilities:

  • Authorship and Consent: All persons listed as authors must meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship and must have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. Consent from all authors for submission and publication must be confirmed by the corresponding author.

  • Ethical Compliance: For any research involving human participants, animal subjects, or biological materials, authors must provide a clear statement within the manuscript confirming that the study was approved by an appropriate institutional or independent ethics committee (including the approval number) and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki or equivalent standards. For human studies, a statement regarding informed consent must be included.

  • Permissions for Third-Party Material: Authors are solely responsible for obtaining and providing written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce any material (figures, tables, extensive text passages, datasets, etc.) that is not their original work. Evidence of this permission must be available upon request.

  • Declaration of Competing Interests: All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work. This disclosure is required even if the authors deem there is no actual conflict.

Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the online submission process, authors will be asked to confirm that their submission meets the following requirements:

  • The manuscript aligns with all formatting and structural specifications detailed in the Author Guidelines.

  • The submission represents original work, is not under consideration elsewhere, and has not been previously published in any language or format (except as a preprint in a recognized repository).

  • All references cited in the text are accurately presented and listed in the reference section, conforming to the Vancouver style.

  • All tables and figures are numbered sequentially, embedded in the text, and include descriptive titles and legends.

  • Necessary permissions for the reproduction of copyrighted material have been secured.

  • The manuscript file has been anonymized for double-blind review (author names and affiliations removed).

  • A complete list of authors and their affiliations has been accurately entered into the submission system's metadata fields.

Structuring Your Manuscript for Success
A well-structured manuscript facilitates a clear understanding and a more efficient review process.

  • Title: Create a concise, informative title that accurately reflects the content, key variables, and study population without using abbreviations.

  • Abstract: Write a clear, standalone abstract that succinctly summarizes the study's background, objectives, methods, key results, and main conclusion. For Original Articles, this must be a structured abstract.

  • Logical Flow and Argument: Ensure the manuscript follows a logical structure (e.g., IMRaD for research articles). The research argument should be clearly articulated from introduction through to discussion, with each section seamlessly connecting to the next. A well-defined study design and transparent methodology are critical for reviewers to assess the work's validity.