Editorial Policy
1. PREAMBLE
The Gazette of Medicine (TGM) is the official peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). The Journal is dedicated to advancing medical knowledge, promoting evidence-based clinical practice, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and supporting excellence in healthcare, medical education, biomedical research, public health, and health policy.
The Editorial Policy establishes the principles, governance, editorial standards, and procedures that guide the publication of high-quality scientific work in TGM. It is designed to ensure that all editorial decisions are fair, transparent, ethical, unbiased, timely, and based solely on scientific merit.
This policy is informed by internationally recognized best practices, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors (CSE), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
2. PURPOSE
The Editorial Policy aims to:
· Ensure the publication of high-quality, original, and scientifically sound research.
· Safeguard the editorial independence of the Journal.
· Promote fairness, transparency, and accountability in editorial decision-making.
· Uphold ethical standards in biomedical publishing.
· Ensure rigorous peer review.
· Protect the rights of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers.
· Promote integrity, reproducibility, and responsible research reporting.
· Enhance the international visibility and credibility of TGM.
3. SCOPE
This policy applies to:
· Editors
· Editor-in-Chief
· Deputy and Associate Editors
· Section Editors
· Managing Editors
· Editorial Board Members
· Guest Editors
· Reviewers
· Authors
· Editorial Office Staff
· Publishers
· Readers
· Editorial advisors
It governs every manuscript submitted to TGM regardless of article type.
4. EDITORIAL MISSION
The mission of TGM is to publish timely, accurate, ethical, and impactful scholarly work that advances medicine and healthcare, particularly within Nigeria, Africa, and the global scientific community.
The Journal seeks to:
· Disseminate clinically relevant research.
· Encourage innovation in healthcare.
· Improve patient outcomes.
· Promote evidence-informed policy.
· Support postgraduate medical education.
· Strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration.
· Contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being.
5. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE
Editorial independence is fundamental to the integrity of TGM. Editorial decisions shall be made without influence from:
· Advertisers
· Sponsors
· Institutional leadership
· Professional associations
· Funding agencies
· Political organizations
· Commercial entities
· Authors' institutions
· Personal relationships
The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over all editorial decisions and publication content.
No financial or institutional consideration shall override scientific merit.
6. EDITORIAL GOVERNANCE
6.1 Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief shall:
· Provide strategic leadership for the Journal.
· Maintain editorial independence.
· Ensure compliance with publication ethics.
· Make final decisions on manuscripts.
· Appoint editors and reviewers as appropriate.
· Oversee policy implementation.
· Represent the Journal nationally and internationally.
6.2 Associate Editors
Associate Editors shall:
· Manage manuscript assignments.
· Select qualified reviewers.
· Evaluate peer-review reports.
· Recommend editorial decisions.
· Ensure adherence to ethical standards.
6.3 Section Editors
Section Editors shall oversee submissions within their specialty areas and ensure scientific quality and relevance.
6.4 Editorial Board
The Editorial Board shall:
· Advise on editorial policy and strategy.
· Promote the Journal.
· Recommend reviewers.
· Encourage high-quality submissions.
· Contribute editorials and commissioned content where appropriate.
· Support ethical publishing practices.
7. EDITORIAL DECISION-MAKING
Editorial decisions shall be based exclusively on:
· Originality.
· Scientific validity.
· Methodological quality.
· Clinical or public health relevance.
· Ethical compliance.
· Statistical rigor.
· Clarity of presentation.
· Contribution to existing knowledge.
· Compliance with reporting guidelines.
Editorial decisions shall not be influenced by:
· Authors' nationality.
· Ethnicity.
· Race.
· Gender.
· Religion.
· Political beliefs.
· Institutional affiliation.
· Professional rank.
· Funding source.
Possible editorial decisions include:
· Accept.
· Minor Revision.
· Major Revision.
· Reject with invitation to resubmit.
· Reject.
The Editor-in-Chief retains final authority over all decisions.
8. MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
TGM accepts the following manuscript types:
· Original Research Articles
· Systematic Reviews
· Meta-analyses
· Scoping Reviews
· Narrative Reviews
· Clinical Reviews
· Randomized Controlled Trials
· Observational Studies
· Qualitative Research
· Mixed-Methods Studies
· Case Reports
· Case Series
· Short Communications
· Technical Notes
· Clinical Images
· Editorials
· Commentaries
· Perspectives
· Letters to the Editor
· Clinical Practice Guidelines
· Consensus Statements
· Protocol Papers
· Medical Education Articles
· Public Health Reports
· Health Policy Papers
· Conference Proceedings
· Supplements
· Special Issues
9. PEER REVIEW
All research manuscripts shall undergo rigorous peer review.
Peer Review Model
TGM adopts a double-anonymous (double-blind) peer-review process, whereby the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed to minimize bias. Each manuscript shall ordinarily be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. A third reviewer may be invited where reviews conflict or specialized expertise is required.
Peer review shall assess:
· Scientific originality.
· Methodological quality.
· Ethical compliance.
· Statistical validity.
· Clinical relevance.
· Interpretation of findings.
· Quality of writing.
· Completeness of reporting.
Editorial decisions are informed by reviewer recommendations but are not bound by them.
10. EDITORIAL QUALITY STANDARDS
Manuscripts must demonstrate:
· Originality.
· Scientific rigor.
· Ethical conduct.
· Transparent reporting.
· Appropriate methodology.
· Robust statistical analysis.
· Accurate interpretation.
· Proper referencing.
· Clear English language.
· Compliance with reporting guidelines such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE, SRQR, COREQ, ARRIVE, and SPIRIT, as applicable.
11. RESEARCH ETHICS
All research involving human participants, animals, identifiable data, or biological materials must comply with recognized ethical standards. Authors must provide evidence of:
· Ethics committee or institutional review board approval, where required.
· Informed consent from participants where applicable.
· Compliance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
· Protection of participant confidentiality and privacy.
Clinical trials should be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible registry recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), where applicable.
12. AUTHORSHIP
Authorship shall follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Authors must have made substantial contributions to:
· The conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
· Drafting the manuscript or critically revising it.
· Approving the final version.
· Accepting accountability for all aspects of the work.
Individuals who do not meet all authorship criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors.
13. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence their judgment. Editors with conflicts of interest shall recuse themselves from handling affected manuscripts. Conflict disclosures shall be published with accepted articles where relevant.
14. PLAGIARISM AND PUBLICATION MISCONDUCT
TGM maintains zero tolerance for:
· Plagiarism.
· Self-plagiarism.
· Fabrication of data.
· Falsification of data.
· Duplicate publication.
· Image manipulation.
· Citation manipulation.
· Peer-review manipulation.
· Undisclosed use of paper mills.
· Undisclosed ghostwriting.
All submitted manuscripts may be screened using plagiarism-detection software before peer review.
Confirmed cases of misconduct will be managed in accordance with COPE guidance and may result in rejection, correction, retraction, notification of institutions or funders, and restrictions on future submissions.
15. CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS, AND EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN
TGM is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where necessary, the Journal may publish:
· Errata (publisher errors).
· Corrigenda (author errors).
· Addenda.
· Expressions of concern.
· Retractions.
Retraction notices shall remain permanently linked to the original article, which will remain accessible with a clear indication of its retracted status unless removal is legally required.
16. APPEALS AND COMPLAINTS
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written justification to the Editor-in-Chief within the period specified by the Journal.
Appeals shall be reviewed independently, and additional peer review may be sought where appropriate.
Complaints relating to editorial conduct, peer review, publication ethics, or conflicts of interest shall be investigated promptly, fairly, and confidentially.
17. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IN EDITORIAL PRACTICE
AI-assisted tools may be used to support editorial processes such as language editing, plagiarism screening, or administrative tasks.
However:
· AI tools shall not make editorial decisions.
· AI tools shall not be listed as authors or reviewers.
· Human editors retain full responsibility for all editorial decisions.
· Any use of AI in manuscript preparation by authors must be transparently disclosed in accordance with the Journal's AI Policy.
18. OPEN ACCESS
TGM is an open-access journal. All accepted articles are published online without subscription barriers and are freely available to readers immediately upon publication.The Journal's licensing terms are detailed in its Copyright and Open Access Policies.
19. CONFIDENTIALITY
Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff shall maintain the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and related correspondence. Confidential information obtained through the editorial process shall not be used for personal advantage or disclosed to unauthorized persons.
20. ADVERTISING AND EDITORIAL SEPARATION
Editorial content is entirely independent of advertising and sponsorship.Acceptance of advertisements does not imply endorsement of products or services by TGM, ARD-UPTH, or the Editorial Board. Advertising shall have no influence on editorial decisions.
21. DATA SHARING AND REPRODUCIBILITY
TGM encourages authors to make underlying data, statistical code, protocols, and supplementary materials available in recognized repositories where ethical and feasible. Authors should provide data availability statements and comply with funder or institutional data-sharing requirements.
22. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The Journal is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in its editorial processes. Editorial decisions shall be free from discrimination based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, career stage, or institutional affiliation. TGM also strives for diversity in its Editorial Board, reviewer pool, and commissioned content.
23. POLICY REVIEW
This Editorial Policy shall be reviewed every three (3) years or earlier where necessary to reflect developments in publication ethics, scientific publishing, legal requirements, or international best practices. Revisions shall be approved by the Editorial Board.
24. CONTACT INFORMATION
Editorial Office
The Gazette of Medicine (TGM)
Journal of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD)
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH)
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Email: [Insert Official Journal Email]
Website: [Insert Official Journal Website]
25. REFERENCES AND GUIDING STANDARDS
This Editorial Policy has been developed in accordance with internationally recognized guidance, including:
1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices and Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.
2. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.
3. World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Recommendations on Editorial Independence and Publication Ethics.
4. Council of Science Editors (CSE). White Paper on Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications.
5. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
6. EQUATOR Network. Reporting guidelines including CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, SPIRIT, SRQR, and COREQ.
7. Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants.
8. World Health Organization (WHO). International standards for clinical trial registration.
9. Crossref. Best practices for metadata, persistent identifiers, and scholarly publishing.
Appendix A: Editorial Workflow
To ensure consistency, transparency, and quality, TGM follows this editorial workflow:
1. Manuscript Submission via the journal's online submission system.
2. Initial Administrative Check for completeness, formatting, and compliance with submission requirements.
3. Plagiarism Screening using approved similarity-detection software.
4. Editorial Triage by the Editor-in-Chief or an Associate Editor to assess scope, originality, and scientific merit.
5. Double-Blind Peer Review by at least two independent reviewers.
6. Editorial Evaluation of reviewer comments and recommendations.
7. Author Revision (minor or major revisions, where applicable).
8. Final Editorial Decision by the Editor-in-Chief.
9. Copyediting, Proofreading, and Typesetting.
10. Author Proof Approval.
11. DOI Assignment and Metadata Registration.
12. Publication on the TGM website under the Journal's Open Access Policy.
13. Indexing, Archiving, and Long-term Preservation through recognized repositories and preservation systems.
This Editorial Policy is designed to meet the standards expected by major indexing services, including DOAJ, AJOL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed Central (where eligibility criteria are met), while supporting TGM's mission to serve as a leading platform for high-quality biomedical scholarship in Nigeria, Africa, and the global medical community.
