Peer Review Policy
Editorial Evaluation Process
The Editorial Board of the Lafia Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research (LJSIR) comprises experienced academics and researchers drawn primarily from the Faculties of Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, Federal University of Lafia, alongside other specialists in relevant disciplines. Members of the board provide scholarly oversight and ensure that all submissions meet acceptable academic and ethical standards.
Initial Assessment by the Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Upon submission, manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening conducted by the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) and the Deputy Editor-in-Chief. At this stage, the manuscript is examined to determine whether it aligns with the aims, scope, and thematic focus of LJSIR. Suitable submissions are then assigned to the appropriate Section Editor under either the Physical Sciences or Life Sciences section of the journal.
Assessment by the Section Editor
The assigned Section Editor evaluates the scientific quality, structure, and academic relevance of the manuscript. The manuscript is also subjected to plagiarism screening using Turnitin or similar similarity-detection software. Manuscripts with a similarity index below 25% may proceed to the peer-review stage. Once the manuscript is forwarded for review, the corresponding author will be formally notified.
Peer-Review Procedure
All manuscripts submitted to LJSIR are subjected to a rigorous peer-review process involving at least two independent experts in the relevant field. The journal operates a blind peer-review system in which reviewer identities remain confidential unless reviewers voluntarily choose disclosure.
The Section Editor considers the reviewers’ evaluations and recommendations before making an editorial decision. In some cases, a single strong negative review may be sufficient grounds for rejection where the concerns raised are substantial and justified. Based on the outcome of the review process, the manuscript may:
- be accepted for publication;
- be rejected;
- be returned to the authors for minor or major revision; or
- require substantial correction and resubmission where the manuscript contains significant technical, analytical, or presentation-related deficiencies.
Submission of Revised Manuscripts
Authors submitting revised manuscripts are required to provide a detailed response to reviewers’ comments, clearly indicating how each observation or recommendation has been addressed. This response should be uploaded together with the revised manuscript. Where necessary, the revised submission may be returned to the original reviewers for further assessment to determine whether the required corrections have been satisfactorily implemented. Depending on the reviewers’ and editors’ evaluations, the manuscript may subsequently be accepted, returned for additional revision, or subjected to another round of review.
Final Editorial Decision
LJSIR reserves the right to reject manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope, fail to demonstrate sufficient originality, relevance, or scientific merit, exceed the acceptable similarity threshold, or contain technical flaws that undermine the reliability or validity of the findings.
In certain cases, a manuscript may still be rejected after peer review if major methodological weaknesses, insufficient novelty, or other critical concerns are identified during the evaluation process. A manuscript may also be declined where repeated invitations to qualified reviewers are unsuccessful, indicating limited alignment between the submission and the journal’s disciplinary focus or readership.
Where rejection occurs, the editorial office may advise authors to consider submitting the manuscript to a more appropriate journal or publication outlet better suited to the subject matter and intended audience.
