All Original Research, Reviews, Policy Analyses, Field Reports, Short Communications and Study Protocols submitted to JMCHS undergo double-blind peer review: authors and reviewers do not know each other’s identities. Commentaries, Editorials and Letters to the Editor are assessed by the editors and are marked as not externally peer reviewed.

Stages and timelines

Maintaining anonymity

•     Authors submit a separate title page and an anonymised manuscript; the editorial office checks anonymity before review.

•     Reviewers receive only the anonymised files and must not attempt to identify authors, including by searching for preprints or conference abstracts.

•     Reviewer identities are never revealed to authors.

•     In community studies, names of villages, institutions and ethics committees are masked during review.

Choice of reviewers

•     At least two external reviewers, chosen for expertise in the topic and methods. At least one reviewer should have experience of public health research in South Asia or comparable settings where possible.

•     Reviewers must not have worked at the same institution as any author or co-authored with them in the last three years.

•     Reviewer identities are verified through institutional email, ORCID or publication profiles.

•     Authors may suggest up to three potential reviewers and request exclusions with reasons. Author-suggested reviewers are never the only reviewers.

•     If reviewer reports conflict, the editor may invite an additional reviewer.

Decisions

Possible decisions are: accept, minor revision, major revision, reject with encouragement to resubmit, or reject. The editor’s decision is based on the reviewers’ reports, the manuscript’s scientific quality and ethical soundness, and its relevance to readers — not on a count of reviewer votes. Authors receive all anonymised reviewer comments. Acceptance cannot be guaranteed in advance and is never linked to payment.

Manuscripts by editors and board members

Submissions from the Editor-in-Chief, editors, board members or Corvus Medical Press staff are handled by another editor with no conflict, with the author-editor excluded from all access to the review process. The same double-blind process applies, and the published article discloses the author’s editorial role.

Confidentiality and AI

Manuscripts are confidential. Editors and reviewers must not upload manuscripts or reports to generative AI tools or share them with others.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a decision once, following the Appeals Process.