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Peer-Review Process

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All articles submitted to the Journal of Hematology Oncology Pharmacy (the Journal) are first reviewed internally by section editors for the relevance and appropriateness of the topic and the manuscript. Articles that are found appropriate to the scope of the Journal and are properly presented are assigned 2 or 3 peer reviewers, by the section editor, according to the expertise needed and the professional and scientific expertise of the reviewers. The majority of articles are assigned 2 reviewers; articles that require specific expertise beyond the medical field, such as a statistician, are assigned 3 reviewers.

Reviewers
The editors select reviewers from the Journal’s editorial board members based on their respective expertise and from a pool of external peer-review experts who have requested to serve as reviewers for the Journal, as well as other healthcare experts in specific fields. The review is voluntary and does not carry any honoraria. 

Instructions to Reviewers
Reviewers are asked to follow these directives:

  • Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Aid Peer Reviews: The use of AI to aid peer reviews is prohibited: uploading any of the Journal’s articles into an AI tool represents a breach of confidentiality. In addition, the Journal’s editors believe that all peer reviewers should be solely responsible for the accuracy of their reviews.
  • Review Guidelines: Follow the Journal’s guidelines based on the type of article submitted (available above); the Journal requests that the reviewers provide written, unbiased feedback in a timely manner by focusing on the scholarly merits and the scientific and practical value of the work to the readers of the Journal, and document the basis for their opinions.
  • Quality Assessment: Indicate whether the writing is clear, concise, and relevant, and rate the work’s originality and relevance to the scope of the Journal. 
  • Critique: Provide fair, constructive, and informative critique of the work; avoid personal or insulting comments; and maintain the confidentiality of the review process.
  • Time Frame: Complete the review within 2 weeks and inform the editor immediately if they are unable to meet the deadline.
  • Conflict(s) of Interest: Inform the editor if they have a potential conflict of interest with the content of the article, in which case they may be excused from the review of the particular article.
  • Subject Matter Expertise: Inform the editor if their expertise is insufficient to provide an adequate assessment; reviewers are not expected to have expertise on every aspect of the article, but must have sufficient expertise to recommend acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. 
  • Methods and References: Ensure the methods are detailed clearly and adequately; ensure that all relevant references are cited in the article or suggest where missing references are to be included.
  • Connecting Science to Practice: Ensure the Connecting Science to Practice paragraph provides a useful plain-language summary of the article’s key points and how the article impacts the hematology/oncology pharmacy practice.
  • Overall Evaluation: Determine the scientific merit, originality, and scope of the work; indicate ways to improve it; and recommend the final acceptance or rejection of the article based on the Journal’s criteria of scientific accuracy, relevance of content, appropriate and complete presentation of the information, timeliness of the work, and contribution to the medical literature.

Final Decision
The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of an article is done by the co-editors-in-chief and the section editor based entirely on the recommendations of the peer reviewers and the final assessment of the editors regarding the value of the article to the Journal’s readers and the overall contribution to the medical literature. Articles that are rejected are deleted from the Journal’s records and all signed forms, including copyright and disclosure forms, are voided.