Peer Review Process

The manuscripts will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that they are being submitted to one journal at a time and have not been published, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. The Editors review all submitted manuscripts initially.

Manuscripts received from all authors as well as Editorial Board members will be screened by the Editor in Chief and sent to external peer reviewers. The editorial board members who are authors will be excluded from publication decisions.

Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific flaws, or absence of importance of message are rejected. The journal will not return the unaccepted manuscripts. All manuscripts are sent to two or more expert reviewers without revealing the identity of the contributors to the reviewers.

Within a period of 10-12 weeks, the contributors will be informed about the reviewers’ comments and acceptance/rejection of manuscript. Articles accepted would be copy edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format and shall be formatted as per the journal. The page proofs are sent to the corresponding author for approval.

Once the journal conveys acceptance under no circumstance will the paper be withdrawn and no letter of withdrawal shall be accepted. In case of withdrawal earlier to this period, the author shall email the Editor-in-Chief stating the reason for the same.

The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within 3-4 days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The whole process of submission of the manuscript to final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed via email and in soft copy.

To achieve faster and greater dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes articles online as ‘Ahead of Print’ on Acceptance.


Peer Review Policy

All manuscripts submitted to Indian Journal of Mental Health shall undergo double-blind, external peer review, unless they are either out of scope or below threshold for the journal, or the presentation or written English is of an unacceptably low standard. The key characteristics of peer review are listed below:

  • All submitted manuscripts are reviewed by at least two suitably qualified reviewers. The Editor and reviewers involved in the review process are asked to disclose conflicts of interest resulting from direct competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, and remove oneself from cases in which such conflicts preclude an objective evaluation.
  • All publication decisions are made by the journal’s editor-in-chief on the basis of the reviews received from the reviewers. Members of the editorial board lend insight, advice and guidance to the editor-in-chief generally and to assist decision making on specific submissions.
  • In addition, the Editor has the option of seeking additional reviews when needed. Authors will be informed when the editor decides that further review is required. Authors of papers that are not accepted are notified promptly.
  • The journal editorial team provides the administrative support that allows Indian Journal of Mental Health to maintain the integrity of peer review while delivering rapid turnaround and maximum efficiency to authors, reviewers and the Editor alike.
  • The review process is confidential and the identity of reviewers is not revealed.