Policies

Policies for the Asian Journal of Health and Life Sciences (AJHLS)

The Asian Journal of Health and Life Sciences (AJHLS) is dedicated to advancing biomedical, healthcare, and life-science knowledge while maintaining the highest ethical standards. The following policies outline the principles and processes that guide the journal’s editorial and publishing practices.

Aims & Scope

AJHLS publishes articles that explore the biological, environmental, and social determinants of human health, as well as clinical aspects, and the roles of plants and animals in our enviroment. We welcome submissions that can influence clinical practice, public health policy, or scientific understanding, with relevance to both national and international audiences. Priority is given to research addressing conditions or risk factors contributing significantly to morbidity, mortality, and quality of life.
The journal’s scope covers medicine, nursing, public health, health-system management, biomedical ethics, life sciences and translational research aimed at improving patient care.

Editorial Policies

Originality: Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Submission indicates that all authors agree to the journal’s terms.
Submission format: Articles should be submitted through the journal’s online system, accompanied by a cover letter, authorship statement, and ethical approval (if applicable).
Peer review: Submissions undergo initial screening for suitability and plagiarism, followed by double-blind peer review by at least two independent experts.
Editorial discretion: Acceptance is based on originality, significance, and scientific validity. The editorial board may make minor revisions for clarity, but responsibility for content rests with the authors.
Article length: Word limits are generally 3 000 words for original research, 4 000 for reviews, 2 000 for case reports, and 1 000–1 500 for letters or short communications. Structured abstracts are required for original research, and manuscripts should follow the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion) structure.

Authorship Criteria

AJHLS follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) standards. Authors must meet all of the following:

Substantial contributions to study conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation.
Drafting or critically revising the manuscript for intellectual content.
Final approval of the version to be published.
Accountability for all aspects of the work.

Those who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring compliance with authorship requirements and handling correspondence during and after publication. Changes in authorship are not permitted after submission of the authorship certificate.

Copyright and Open-Access Policy

Authors warrant that their work has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Upon acceptance, AJHLS obtains a non-exclusive licence to publish, while authors retain rights for non-commercial reuse with proper citation. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

Repository Policy

Authors may deposit the final published version of their articles in institutional or subject-based repositories, provided full citation and DOI/URL are included. Articles may be shared on non-commercial platforms under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.

Peer Review Policy

Initial screening: Submissions are checked for originality, formatting, and plagiarism.
Double-blind review: At least two independent reviewers evaluate eligible manuscripts anonymously.
Editorial decision: The editorial board has the final authority to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial or personal relationships that could influence their judgment. Disclosures include funding, consultancies, employment, stock ownership, or honoraria. Individuals with conflicts are recused from decision-making.

Data Sharing Policy

Authors must provide a data availability statement describing where data supporting the findings can be accessed or explaining restrictions. If privacy or ethical concerns prevent sharing, data should be available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Archiving Policy

All published content is preserved on secure servers and the journal’s official website. AJHLS also seeks indexing in international repositories and databases to ensure discoverability, citation, and permanent access.

Article Unique Identification

Each article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent identification and reliable citation.

Advertising Policy

The journal does not accept advertising in print or online editions. AJHLS maintains independence from commercial interests.

Research Ethics Policy

Human research: Studies must include ethics approval (with committee details) and informed consent. Research should comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Clinical trials must be prospectively registered. Identifiable material requires explicit participant consent.
Animal research: Authors must state compliance with institutional/national animal care guidelines and provide ethical approval details.
Manuscripts failing to meet ethical standards will not be accepted.

Informed Consent Policy

For human research, authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained. If not required (e.g., anonymised data), justification must be provided in the manuscript.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Corrections: Minor errors are corrected with linked notices.
Retractions: Plagiarism, duplication, or misconduct may lead to retraction. Retraction notices remain permanently linked to the article.
Expressions of concern: Issued when integrity concerns arise but investigations are ongoing.

Allegations of Research Misconduct

The journal follows COPE guidelines. Complaints must include evidence and will be investigated by the editorial office. Confirmed misconduct results in errata, rejection, or retraction. Outcomes are communicated to complainants.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions with a detailed explanation. Appeals are reviewed by the editorial board, and outcomes are communicated in writing. Investigations follow COPE guidelines and may take several weeks.

Final Notes

AJHLS is committed to transparent, ethical, and rigorous publishing. By following these policies, the journal aims to advance scientific integrity and provide high-quality knowledge to researchers, clinicians, and the wider community.