Editorial governance

Editorial policies

These policies govern editorial assessment, peer review, research integrity and post-publication action at IJGH. They apply to authors, editors and reviewers.

Read author instructions

JournalInternational Journal of Global Health

ISSN2693-1176 (online)

Peer reviewSingle-blind (double-blind on request)

LicenceCC BY 4.0

Peer review Ethics Authorship Integrity Publication record Appeals

Editorial assessment and peer review

Peer-review model

Single-blind (double-blind on request). After editorial screening, suitable manuscripts are normally assessed by at least two independent specialists.

Editorial independence

Decisions are based on scope, scientific merit, methodological validity and research integrity. Fees, waiver requests, memberships, editorial roles and paid services do not influence review or acceptance.

Accountability

The editorial office records decisions and manages questions, complaints and appeals. Editors recuse themselves where a competing interest could affect, or appear to affect, judgement.

The editorial office checks completeness, scope, ethics documentation and basic reporting requirements. A handling editor may decline work that is outside scope, methodologically unsuitable or missing essential ethical information. Reviewer recommendations are advisory. Only the Editor-in-Chief or an editor formally delegated final-decision authority by the editorial office may issue the final decision. Revised manuscripts may return to reviewers.

Independent handling

A submission authored by an editor or editorial-board member is assigned to another editor who is independent of the author. The author does not participate in reviewer selection, deliberation or the decision.

Research ethics

Human participants

Research requires an identifiable ethics committee or IRB approval, or a justified exemption. State the body, reference where available, consent process and privacy safeguards.

Multi-site research

Document the approvals required at each site or country and explain safeguards for vulnerable populations.

Animal research

Animal research is considered only when it addresses a clearly defined population-health, epidemiological, One Health or disease-surveillance question. Eligible studies must also have applicable institutional approval and demonstrate humane conduct.

Reporting responsibility

Ethical approval does not remove the duty to report methods, risks, limitations and governance conditions transparently.

Authorship, contributorship and AI tools

IJGH applies the ICMJE authorship criteria. Each author must make a qualifying contribution, approve the submitted and published versions and accept accountability for the work. Ghost and honorary authorship are not permitted.

An AI system cannot be an author or accept responsibility for a manuscript.
Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, citations and integrity.
Material use of generative AI in writing, analysis, coding, translation or image generation must be disclosed with the tool and purpose.
Routine spelling and grammar correction need not be disclosed.
Confidential participant data, unpublished manuscripts and peer-review material must not be entered into any unapproved externally hosted AI tool or service.

Originality, conflicts, data and reporting

Originality

Submissions must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. IJGH uses iThenticate and assesses similarity reports editorially; no numerical score alone determines a decision.

Misconduct

Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, inappropriate image manipulation, citation manipulation and undisclosed duplicate publication are assessed using evidence and COPE-informed guidance.

Competing interests

Authors disclose financial and non-financial interests. Editors and reviewers disclose relevant interests and recuse when impartial assessment is not possible.

Funding

State funders, grant identifiers and the funder role in design, analysis, interpretation and publication.

Data and materials

Empirical work requires a data-availability statement. Deposit data, code and materials when ethical, legal and governance conditions permit; explain restrictions.

Reporting guidelines

Use the design-appropriate standard, including STROBE, RECORD, PRISMA, CONSORT or GATHER. See Instructions for Authors.

Corrections, concerns and retractions

Erratum

Used for a material error introduced by the journal or publisher during production.

Corrigendum

Used for a material error originating with the authors that does not invalidate the article’s findings.

General correction notice

Used for another substantive amendment where neither an erratum nor a corrigendum is the clearest description. The notice and corrected version remain linked to the publication history.

Serious unresolved concern

An expression of concern may be issued while evidence is assessed.

Unreliable findings or serious misconduct

A retraction notice may follow a COPE-informed assessment. Notices remain public, state the reason and link to the article.

Articles are published under CC BY 4.0. Authors retain copyright and grant the rights needed to publish the version of record. Preprints are permitted and should be linked to the version of record after publication. Self-archiving is permitted without embargo with correct citation.

Complaints, appeals, confidentiality and privacy

A complaint should identify the manuscript or article, the decision or conduct at issue and supporting evidence. Complaints about reviewer or editor conduct should be sent to the editorial office. The matter is assigned to a senior editor or other authorised person who was not involved and has no relevant conflict.

An author may appeal an editorial decision in writing within 30 days. The appeal must identify a substantive error and supply supporting evidence. An appeal is not a new round of peer review and does not guarantee a different decision.

Last reviewed: 29 July 2026.

Confidential editorial record

Editors and reviewers use submitted material and correspondence only for assessment. Personal data are used for editorial and publishing administration. Report suspected legal, privacy or research-integrity concerns to [email protected].

Prepare a policy-complete submission

Review the author instructions before starting a manuscript submission.

Instructions for authors

Digital preservation

This journal’s content is committed to Portico, a not-for-profit digital-preservation archive run by ITHAKA (the organisation behind JSTOR). As articles are deposited they enter Portico’s permanent archive, so the scholarly record stays available for the long term — even if a title one day ceases to publish. Read our preservation policy.

International Journal of Global Health

Editorial policies