PEER REVIEW POLICY

The International Journal of Pharmacy and Allied Fields (IJPAF) is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, quality, and transparency in its editorial process. To ensure that only high quality research is published, all submissions undergo a rigorous double blind peer review process. In this, the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the review, to eliminate biasness.

All submitted manuscripts first undergo an initial screening by the editorial team to assess scope relevance, originality, adherence to submission guidelines, and potential ethical issues such as plagiarism. Manuscripts that pass this stage are assigned to at least two independent peer reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area. Reviewers are selected based on their academic qualifications, experience, prior review performance, and absence of conflicts of interest. The editorial board ensures diversity and international representation among its reviewers.

Reviewers are provided with clear guidelines and are expected to evaluate submissions objectively and constructively. They assess the manuscript's novelty, methodology, ethical compliance, clarity, and relevance to the field. They must maintain confidentiality, disclose any competing interests, and complete their review within the allocated time, usually within 2–4 weeks. Based on the reviewers feedback, the editorial team makes a decision to accept, request minor or major revisions, or reject the manuscript. In cases of conflicting recommendations, a third reviewer or senior editorial member may be consulted.

Final publication decisions rest with the Editor in Chief or the designated Associate Editors, who consider reviewer reports, journal standards, and ethical considerations. Authors are usually informed of the editorial decision within 4–6 weeks of submission. If revisions are requested, authors must resubmit their revised manuscript within the given timeframe, along with a point by point response to reviewer comments.

Confidentiality is central to the peer review process. All content, including manuscripts and reviewer comments, is handled with strict confidentiality, and no part of it may be shared, discussed, or reused without permission. Reviewers and editors are expected to act in accordance with ethical guidelines laid out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). IJPAF is committed to resolving ethical issues or complaints in a fair and transparent manner. Appeals against editorial decisions are allowed, and authors may submit a reasoned rebuttal, which will be independently reviewed by a senior editorial panel.

To recognize and appreciate the contributions of our peer reviewers, IJPAF provides reviewer acknowledgment certificates. We also support integration with platforms such as Publons and ORCID to verify peer review activities.

IJPAF ensures that its peer review practices align with international standards for scientific publishing and meet the requirements of major indexing bodies such as Scopus, Web of Science, DOAJ, and PubMed, along with the ethical principles of COPE, ICMJE, and WAME.