Peer Review Process
All submissions to Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences undergo a rigorous editorial and double-blind peer review process to ensure scientific quality, ethical compliance, and academic contribution. The journal adheres to the principles and guidelines set by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), and Declaration of Helsinki (for human studies).
1. Submission
Manuscripts must be submitted via the Online Article
Management System. Submissions sent by e-mail will not be processed or
considered.
2. Preliminary Review
and Plagiarism Screening
All submissions are first checked for:
- Technical compliance with journal guidelines
- Ethical documentation (see below)
- Plagiarism and similarity
Similarity Checks
- Total similarity index must be below 20% (excluding references)
- Similarity from a single source must not exceed 3%
Manuscripts exceeding these thresholds will be rejected or returned to authors for revision. Revised submissions are re-evaluated within 15 days.
Ethical Requirements for Medical Research
The following ethical conditions must be met for all studies
involving human or animal subjects:
- Ethics
Committee Approval (must be uploaded during submission)
- Informed
Consent must be obtained from all human participants
3. Editorial
Evaluation
After passing the preliminary checks, the manuscript is
assigned to a relevant Section Editor who evaluates the work in terms of:
- Scope and
scientific relevance
- Methodological
soundness
- Ethical
integrity
- Language
clarity and structure
This stage is typically completed within 5 days. Manuscripts
that do not meet editorial standards may be desk-rejected or returned for
revision before peer review.
4. Double-Blind Peer
Review
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences follows a double-blind
peer review process where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
- At least
two independent reviewers are invited to assess the manuscript
- Reviewers
evaluate:
- Originality
and novelty
- Scientific
methodology
- Data
analysis and interpretation
- Ethical
and regulatory compliance
- Contribution to the field of psychiatry and behavioral sciences
Review outcomes may include:
- Accept
- Minor Revision
- Major
Revision
- Reject
The review process is typically completed within 4–6 weeks.
All review reports are archived in the journal’s submission system.
5. Author Revisions
and Response
Authors are expected to revise their manuscripts based on
reviewer and editor comments and to submit a detailed response letter.
- Deadlines
for revisions are based on the extent of the changes (typically 7–21 days)
- Inadequate
or incomplete revisions may result in rejection
- Authors
may disagree with reviewer comments by providing a justified explanation in
their response letter
Revised manuscripts may be re-evaluated by the original
reviewers when necessary.
6. English Language
Editing
After scientific and peer review approval, manuscripts are
evaluated by the journal’s English Language Editor.
- Authors
may be asked to make grammar and style corrections
- This
process is completed within 7 days
7. Editorial Board
Decision
Following successful peer review, ethical compliance, and
language editing, the final decision regarding publication is made by the
Editorial Board.
- The Board
reviews the full process and votes by majority if necessary
- Rejected
manuscripts are retained in the system for record-keeping
8. Typesetting and
Proofreading
Accepted manuscripts undergo typesetting and layout formatting. Authors are invited to review the final version before publication. Once approved, articles are scheduled for the upcoming issue.
Ethical and Legal Standards
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences require full compliance with
international publishing ethics. Specifically:
- COPE
principles are applied in all cases of conflict, authorship disputes, or
misconduct
- Patient
data, images, or any personal information must be anonymized or used with
explicit written consent
- Authors must declare any conflicts of interest and funding sources
Transparency and Archiving
- All
review reports, editor decisions, and author revisions are securely stored in
the submission system
- Manuscripts
not accepted for publication are not deleted; their history is archived for
transparency and integrity
