SUBMISSION PROCESS OVERVIEW

Initial Submission

Manuscripts for IMPAQT℠should be submitted through the IMPAQT℠  online link. There is no fee to submit a manuscript. Submission of a manuscript does in no way guarantee publication and does not create any rights to publication on the part of the author(s).

Each manuscript must be submitted via an introductory email from the Submitting Author. The introductory email must be concise and explain why the content of the manuscript is significant, describe the relevance of the work, explain why it fits within the scope of IMPAQT℠, and affirmatively declare and confirm that neither the manuscript nor any portions of its content are currently under consideration, being, or have been published in another journal, book, or publication of any kind, in digital, audio, or video recorded form, online, or in print. All required information, supplementary materials and data, files, declarations, certifications and other required matter and forms must be submitted with the manuscript as part of the introductory email.

The Submitting Author is solely responsible for all communications with the IMPAQT℠ editorial staff during the submission and peer-review process, although a back-up author may be named in case of emergency.

Acknowledgment of Receipt

When a manuscript is submitted via email through the IMPAQT℠  online link, the Submission Editor will acknowledge receipt via email and assign a unique, confidential manuscript number. Only the manuscript number will be used throughout the editorial process to maintain the anonymity of all authors. The editorial office will not release any information about the status of a manuscript, even to the Submitting Author or designated back-up author, without the manuscript number.

Initial Compliance and Conformity Review

Manuscripts will then be checked by the Submissions Editor to determine whether they are properly prepared, whether they comply with the submission requirements, purpose,

scope, and ethical requirements of the journal, including those for human subject experimentation and research. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements and standards will be rejected.

After these checks, the Submissions Editor will refer de-identified manuscripts to the journal’s Editor-in-Chief to confirm that the manuscript fits the purpose and scope of the journal, review whether research studies, reviews, and practice forum submissions submitted are scientifically sound, and are in compliance and conformity with ethical, applicable, and appropriate requirements for the type of healthcare research study submitted (if any), as set forth at EQUATOR Network. No judgment on the major content or potential impact of the work will be made at this stage. Only manuscripts that are not properly prepared but still meet the purposes, scope, and ethical requirements of the journal will be returned to the authors for revision and resubmission. Rejection decisions at this stage will be verified by the Editor-in-Chief.

Peer-Review

Once a manuscript passes the initial checks, it will be assigned to at least two (2) independent subject matter experts for peer-review. The Submissions Editor will retain control of the manuscript through the peer-review process. IMPAQT℠ uses a double-blind review process, which means that both the reviewer(s) and author name(s) are not revealed to one another for a manuscript under review. The identities of the authors are concealed from the peer-reviewers and vice-versa throughout the review process. Peer-review comments are confidential and will only be disclosed with the express agreement of the reviewer.

The editors of IMPAQT℠ enforce a rigorous peer-review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high-quality conceptual, scientific, and practical application works to the field of scholarly publication. Unfortunately, cases of plagiarism, data falsification, image manipulation, inappropriate authorship credit, and the like, do arise. The editors of IMPAQT℠ take such publishing ethics issues very seriously and will proceed in such cases with a zero-tolerance policy. IMPAQT℠ follows the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal also adheres fully to its Best Practice & Guidance recommendations. IMPAQT℠ uses the EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines for health research as applicable to the type of study submitted.

Post Peer-Review Editorial Decision and Possible Revision

All manuscripts published in IMPAQT℠ go through the peer-review process and receive at least two (2) peer-reviews. The Editor-in-Chief will communicate the decision of the peer-reviewers, which will be one of the following:

  • Accept After Minor Revisions: The manuscript is, in principle, accepted after minor revision based on the reviewer’s comments. The authors will be given ten (10) days to resubmit with compliant minor revisions, and correct manuscript formatting according to IMPAQT℠ guidelines, if necessary.

  • Reconsider After Major Revisions: The acceptance of the manuscript would depend on the revisions. The authors need to provide a point-by-point response or provide a rebuttal if some of the reviewer’s comments cannot be addressed or revisions cannot be made. Usually, only one round of major revisions is undertaken. The authors will be asked to resubmit the revised manuscript within a suitable time frame (including any formatting revisions required to bring the manuscript into compliance with IMPAQT℠ guidelines), and the revised version will be returned to the reviewer(s) for further comments.

  • Reject and Encourage Resubmission: If additional experiments, review, analysis, or other work are needed to support the conclusions, the manuscript will be rejected and the authors will be encouraged to re-submit the manuscript once further experiments, review, analysis, or other work has been conducted and properly laid out in written form.

  • Reject: The manuscript has serious flaws, and/or makes no original, significant contribution. No offer of resubmission to the journal is provided.

Where the authors disagree with a reviewer or otherwise choose to make a response, they must provide a clear, rational, and point-by-point response, maintaining author anonymity.

Attributions and Permissions

The last step before formal acceptance for publication is the verification of sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, and other attributions by the Attributions and Permissions Editor. If copyright permissions are necessary and have not already been submitted by the Submitting Author, the Submitting Author will be notified by the Attributions and Permissions Editor to obtain the necessary permissions for use of sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, and other attributions. Manuscripts will not be published without proper and correct sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, other attributions, and permissions.

Production and Publication

Once accepted, the manuscript will undergo professional content and copy-editing (English language usage, syntax, punctuation, paragraphing, cohesion, format, spell-checking), citation format checking and correction, and final proofreading. The proposed final version will be sent to the Submitting Author to be proofread by all authors. All authors must submit written approval of the final version, or final version with required edits or corrections to the Submitting Author. The Submitting Author will return either a written approval of the final version on behalf of all authors, or will submit a final version with required edits or corrections. Any final edits or corrections will be made to the manuscript and the final version will be sent to the Layout and Format Editor for final format corrections, pagination, journal design layout, and then published on the miMAHQ.org website in the edition of IMPAQT℠ for which it was scheduled.