MyJA endorses the ICMJE’s Recommendations for peer review. Original articles, reviews, case series, and case reports will undergo peer review by at least two external reviewers. Editorial Board members may serve occasionally as reviewers as long as they have no competing interests regarding the submission and are not linked to the submission in an editorial role. Although, letters to the editor do not undergo peer review, they will be subject to vetting and editing by the Editorial Board.

MyJA employs a double-blind review process; authors’ and reviewers’ identities are concealed from each other. For this reason, we ask that authors thoroughly anonymize submissions, as outlined in the author guidelines. Reviewers are asked to disclose any competing interests regarding the submission prior to agreeing to review and are bound to confidentiality for the duration of the process.

Review stages

• Technical review: The submission (manuscript and accompanying files) is evaluated for compliance with author guidelines. Only submissions that are complete and comply with author guidelines will move to the next stages of peer review. Submissions that do not comply with author guidelines will be returned to the authors for revision. If the revised submission still does not comply with author guidelines, the submission will be declined. Authors have the option to resubmit, albeit as a new submission. MyJA therefore encourages authors to read the author guidelines thoroughly and structure their manuscript accordingly.
• Quick editor review: The manuscript is evaluated by the Chief and Deputy Editors for scientific merit and fit to the journal’s focus and scope. Submissions that satisfy this evaluation move on to review stage. Chief and Deputy Editors may also decline the submission at this point without sending to review.
• Review: Section editors select at least two reviewers who are experts in the manuscript’s topic. The review process is double-blind so that authors’ and reviewers’ identities are concealed. Section editors send only the main article text, figures, and other supplementary materials to review; title pages and declarations, which contain information about the authors’ identities, are excluded from review. Reviewers can only recommend a decision for a given manuscript; the final decision for acceptance or rejections rests with the Editorial Board. When reviewers have conflicting recommendations for the same manuscript, the Section Editors and ultimately the Chief Editor will resolve these differences.

MyJA limits peer review to three rounds, after which the manuscript is accepted or declined. Although MyJA aims to appoint the same set of reviewers throughout all review rounds, this is not always possible.

• Initial round: The reviewers evaluate the manuscript for overall scientific merit including appropriate research questions, study design, and methodology, robust results, and sound conclusions.
• First revision round: If revisions have been requested in the prior round, the revised manuscript is reviewed to check whether the authors have addressed all points raised in the first round. If the revised manuscript is fit for publication, it is accepted. If the manuscript fails to address all issues raised in review, it is sent back to the authors for a second revision.
• Second revision round: In this final round, the revised manuscript is reviewed once again to check whether the authors have addressed all points raised in the prior round. If the revised manuscript is fit for publication, it is accepted. If the manuscript fails to address all issues raised in review, it is declined.

When a manuscript is declined, the authors have the option to resubmit, albeit as a new submission.

Reviewer selection

MyJA reviewers are experts in specific fields who work are not part of the Editorial Board and undertake peer review without remuneration from the journal. Editorial Board members may serve occasionally as reviewers as long as they have no competing interests regarding the submission and are not linked to the submission in an editorial role. Section Editors are in charge of selecting suitable reviewers for manuscripts according to fields of expertise.

Handling Editorial Board submissions

MyJA Editorial Board members may submit two manuscripts per calendar year to MyJA. To ensure transparency and fairness in the editorial process, Editorial Board members who submit to the journal will be locked out of all stages of the editorial process. In the covering letter included in the submission, the Editorial Board member must clearly state they recuse themselves from handling the submission in an editorial capacity at all stages.

Appeals

In cases where authors believe the review process has been unfair or biased, they may appeal the process by contacting the Section Editor, who will review the case with the Chief Editor.