Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts are subject to an initial appraisal by the editor to see whether the article meets the scope of the journal and the guidelines and passes the plagiarism screening (similarity less than 25%). If found suitable for further consideration and publication, manuscripts are subject to peer review by independent, competent experts and anonymous double-blind reviewers prior to final acceptance. The end result of peer review is a recommendation. The next stage is a review done by the editor of the journal. The end result of this stage is a decision on the final acceptance. Types of decisions: Declined, Resubmit (major revision needed), Revision (minor to moderate revision needed), and Accepted.

Declined
Following peer review, the paper is judged not to be acceptable for publication in the journal and resubmission is not possible.

Resubmit
The submitted version of the paper is not acceptable and requires major revision but there is clear potential in the work and the journal is prepared to consider a new version. Authors are offered the opportunity to resubmit their paper as a new submission. Concerns will remain regarding the suitability of the paper for publication until the editors are convinced by the authors that their paper fits the scope and standards of the Journal of Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention and Control. The resubmitted manuscript will be returned to the original associate editor if at all possible.

Revision
The manuscript requires changes before a final decision can be made. Authors are asked to modify their manuscript in light of comments received from referees and editors, and to submit a new version for consideration within 2 weeks of receiving the decision letter. A point-by-point explanation of how comments have been addressed must be supplied with the revised version of the paper. Revisions may undergo further peer review and papers may undergo more than one round of revision. If the authors do not revise their papers to the satisfaction of the editors, the paper can still be declined from publication in the journal.

Final acceptance
The paper is acceptable for publication, subject to conditions that need to be addressed in producing a final version of the manuscript. These may include sub-editing changes and a minor amendment to ensure the paper fully matches our criteria. After final checking in the editorial office, acceptance is confirmed and the paper is forwarded to the publishers for publication.

The receipt of the manuscript will be acknowledged by email. Every effort will be made to complete the review process within the shortest possible time. The accepted articles will be scheduled for publication and will be available online on the journal’s website.


Accepted Manuscript/Galley Proof
After a manuscript has been peer reviewed, the reviewer’s and editor’s comments are sent to the corresponding author. Authors should respond to every comment noted on the manuscript and send it back within a week. The reviewer and/or editor will decide whether there is a need for further revision or whether to accept the manuscript. A further revision will undergo a similar cycle in order to comply with the quality of the published article. If the manuscript is accepted, the editor will send it as a galley proof to the corresponding author. Authors should review proofs in detail to ensure that the text and figures are correct. Authors are encouraged to return proofs within three days by email attachment to ensure a timely publication schedule.


Editorial and Publishing Process
This journal uses Open Journal System, which is open-source journal management and publishing software developed, supported, and freely distributed by the Public Knowledge Project under the GNU General Public License.