Publication process

Every manuscript submitted to The Journal of Medicine, Law & Public Health passes through the stages below. Timings are those published in the journal's publication ethics and peer review policy (section 8.2); authors are notified if a manuscript is delayed beyond them.

Flowchart of the JMLPH publication process. A submission from the author enters an initial screening phase, which may reject it, return it to the author for revision, or pass it to double-blind peer review. Peer review leads to rejection, a request for revision that returns the manuscript to the author, or acceptance. Accepted manuscripts go to proofreading, then to a readiness check that returns the manuscript for revision if linguistic changes are needed, then to the production phase, and finally to publication on the website.
The publication process in outline. The stages set out below are the authoritative description; this diagram summarises them. View full size.

  1. Submission

    The corresponding author submits through the journal's online system. The manuscript must be anonymised, with the title page carrying author names, affiliations and email addresses supplied as a separate file. Submission is open year-round and free of charge.

  2. Initial screening

    The editorial office checks the manuscript against the journal's scope and submission requirements and screens it for similarity using Turnitin. Three outcomes are possible at this stage: the manuscript passes to peer review; it is returned to the author for revision before review; or it is rejected without review where it falls outside scope or fails the journal's standards.

    Typically 5–7 working days

  3. Double-blind peer review

    A handling editor assigns expert reviewers. Author and reviewer identities are withheld from each other throughout. Reviewers assess scientific merit, methods, ethical conduct, and clarity, and declare any conflict of interest before accepting the assignment.

    Typically 3–4 weeks, depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript

  4. Editorial decision

    The handling editor weighs the reviewer reports and reaches one of three decisions: accept, revision required, or reject. Authors are notified of the outcome with the reviewers' comments. Rejected manuscripts are accompanied by an explanation of the decision.

    Typically 1–2 weeks from receipt of the reviewer reports

  5. Revision

    Where revision is requested, the author returns a revised manuscript with a point-by-point response to the reviewers. Revised manuscripts may be sent for a further round of review. Authors who wish to contest a decision may appeal under section 19 of the ethics policy.

    Authors normally have 30–60 days, depending on the extent of the revisions requested

  6. Proofreading and copy-editing

    Accepted manuscripts are copy-edited for linguistic clarity and consistency. The journal uses British spelling. Where substantive language changes are needed, the manuscript is returned to the author before it proceeds.

  7. Production

    The article is typeset, checked by the author at proof stage, assigned a Crossref DOI and given its volume, issue and page range.

    Typically 2 days from approval of the proof

  8. Publication

    The article is published open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, with the author retaining copyright. Its metadata is registered with Crossref and the article is deposited to the PKP Preservation Network. Articles may appear as Early Access ahead of the completed issue.

Questions about a manuscript in progress should be sent to editorial.board@jmlph.net. Technical problems with the submission system should go to info@jmlph.net.