PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Notification of Manuscript Receipt and Preliminary Review
Manuscripts received by Clinical Medicine & Research are viewed as confidential documents. The corresponding author will be notified by email that the manuscript has been received immediately upon completion of submission to the journal's Editorial Manager manuscript submission and peer review system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/clinmedres). Manuscript submissions are automatically assigned a Unique Manuscript Reference Number (UMRN) that will be provided in the notification.
To determine the appropriateness of the manuscript for publication in Clinical Medicine & Research, a preliminary review will be conducted by at least one member of the executive editorial team: editor-in-chief, associate editor, scientific editor, senior editor. Comments from the preliminary review will be included, as needed, in publication decision letters sent to the corresponding author.
Peer Review Process
Manuscripts of original research (clinical research, meta-analysis, laboratory research, systematic reviews) case reports and clinical issues are entered into the peer review process to determine the originality, validity and relevance of the content and conclusions. The editorial board attempts to have all manuscripts reviewed by a minimum of three peer reviewers. In circumstances that allow for less peer reviewers, the author will be notified of this in the results of the review correspondence.
The author may suggest names of reviewers (limit of four) during the manuscript submission process. The potential reviewers will not have been co-authors, collaborators, or worked at the author's institution within the last three years. The author may also suggest names of individuals that they would prefer not be considered as potential reviewers, due to known conflicts of interest or competitive business relationships. Please note: Final selection of peer reviewers is at the discretion of the Clinical Medicine & Research editorial board and editorial staff.
The peer review process is a closed process. The reviewer will always be given the choice to sign reviews and comments. Clinical Medicine & Research does not include reviewer comments with a published manuscript. At the completion of the review process the author will receive a copy of the reviewer comments, accompanied by a cover letter stating the publication status of the manuscript.
Peer Reviewer Responsibilities and Suggested Guidelines
Potential reviewers receive a request by email to review a recently submitted manuscript. The request includes the manuscript title and abstract and provides electronic links to accept or decline the review request. The reviewer will receive access to the complete manuscript and review form immediately upon accepting a review request using the electronic link provided in the email invitation. The review form provides the peer reviewer a method to indicate any financial, subject, or other conflicts that may generate bias or prevent the review from being completed within the stated timeframe.
Upon receipt of the manuscript if the reviewer realizes that a bias or conflict of interest does exist, which will inappropriately influence the review, or circumstances prevent the completion of the review by the stated time, it is acceptable to notify the editorial office that you are declining the request to review the manuscript, or that you request additional time to complete the review.
The Clinical Medicine & Research Editorial Board is grateful for the time and expertise that a reviewer will give to the critique of the manuscript. Reviewer recommendations are the primary source in determining the acceptance of a paper. The reviewer should bear in mind that the results of several reviews may be compiled and returned to the author. Each recommendation made may not be employed.
Reviewers are asked to:
1. Transfer all notes created on the manuscript into the online review form in Editorial Manager.
2. Reviewers are not expected to correct errors in grammar or style. The editorial staff does appreciate any help the reviewer is able to offer.
3. Specific comments concerning the acceptability of the manuscript for publication should be placed in the Confidential Comments to the Editor section of the online review form in Editorial Manager.
4. Destroy all saved or printed copies of the manuscript upon completion of the review.
5. Contact the editorial office with questions or concerns regarding reviewing the manuscript or timelines. Email: [email protected].
Peer Review Ethics Statement
The peer review process of Clinical Medicine & Research is in accordance with the guidelines for peer review as stated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations). Clinical Medicine & Research also follows the Council of Science Editors (CSE) White Paper on Publication Ethics (https://www.councilscienceeditors.org/resourcelibrary/editorial-policies/white-paper-on-publication-ethics/), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices for Promoting Integrity in Research and its Publication (https://publicationethics.org/) guidance for editors, reviewers, and authors.
POST REVIEW PROCESS
Upon completion of the review process the corresponding author will receive notification by email that the manuscript is:
Accepted: A letter of acceptance will be sent to the corresponding author. Prior to publication, the author will receive the galley proofs for author review and approval or to request minor corrections. Content changes will be disallowed during this stage. The galley proofs will be returned to the editorial office within 48 hours of receipt.
Revision Required: A letter indicating the required revisions will be sent to the corresponding author. The author will return the revised manuscript by the required return date indicated in the letter.
Invitation to Resubmit: Based on reviewer comments and recommendations Clinical Medicine & Research may invite the author to resubmit a manuscript. Each resubmitted article is considered a new submission and is subject to the same peer review process as all new submissions.
Rejected: Based on reviewer comments and recommendations a manuscript may be rejected. Manuscripts that are rejected are archived in the online Editorial Manager manuscript submission and peer review system but remain the intellectual property of the authors. The manuscript and associated figures, tables and accompanying documents including but not limited to copyright transfer agreement, conflict of interest declarations, figure reproduction permissions, peer reviewer comments, and publication decisions are considered confidential components of the manuscript record and are not released from the journal's archive unless necessary for ethics or legal investigations. Reviewer comments are sent to authors regardless of whether a paper is accepted or rejected.