Publication Policies

  • Peer Review Policy

Peer review procedures make sure that only high-quality research, case studies, reports, surveys, and scientific articles are published. It is a methodical procedure at the core of excellent scholarly publication.

After a manuscript is submitted, it is sent to the Editor most suited to handle it based on the document’s subject and the Editors’ availability. The Editor rejects the article without further consideration if the Editor decides that it is not of sufficient quality to undergo the regular review procedure or if the Editor determines that the manuscript’s subject is not acceptable for the journal’s scope.  Those that are rejected at this stage are either not sufficiently unique, include significant scientific errors, exhibit poor grammar, or fall beyond the journal’s objectives and purview. This decision is made within 24-48 hours. 

An informal acceptance letter is often sent out at this phase if the paper is accepted. To ensure the publication process is reliable and guaranteed, once an informal acceptance letter has been sent, a manuscript cannot be rejected at a later stage.

After the editor has determined that the submitted material is of adequate quality and fits the journal’s scope, the publishing fee is paid. The manuscript is given to a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 3 months outside reviewers for peer review. Peer evaluation lasts for three to seven weeks. The reviewers send in their reports on the manuscripts and suggestions as well.

Type of Peer Review

The journal employs double blind reviewing, where both the reviewer and author remain anonymous to each other.

Selection of Peer Reviewers

Reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise and field of study.

Reviewer reports

Reviewers are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

  • Is original
  • Is practically sound
  • Follows appropriate ethical guidelines
  • Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
  • Correctly references previous relevant work

Reviewers are not expected to correct or copy edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process. Copyediting is done at a later stage.

 

  • Copyright Policy

Authors retain the copyrights of their papers, and all open access articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, CC BY, which allows users to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in publications, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. 

While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.

  The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) supports the need for authors to share, disseminate and maximize the impact of their research and these rights are summarized as follows:

  • Copyright on any open access article in The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) is retained by the author(s).
  • Authors grant a license to The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.
  • Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified.
  • Authors retain patent and trademark rights.
  • Authors can re-use their own material in new works without permission or payment (with full acknowledgement of the original article).

 

  • Open Access Policy

Under an open-access license, The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) instantly makes all of its papers publicly accessible around the world. The full-text of every article published in the Journal is therefore freely and unrestrictedly accessible to everyone.

What is Open Access?

An Open Access Publication is one that meets the following two conditions:

The author(s) and copyright holder(s) grant(s) to all users a free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship, as well as the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal use.

A complete version of the work and all supplemental materials, including a copy of the permission as stated above, in a suitable standard electronic format is deposited immediately upon initial publication in at least one online repository that is supported by an academic institution, scholarly society, government agency, or other well-established organization that seeks to enable open access, unrestricted distribution, interoperability, and long-term archiving.

  The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) does not explicitly state a view on open-access publication but rather publishes papers as a communication tool for policy-makers and media to increase the reach and understanding of research findings. Moreover, open-access publication makes research findings available to the general public as well as scholars from all over the world, particularly those in underdeveloped nations. Whilst   The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) uses the open-access model for all of its publications, we think that open access is a valuable component of academic communication that may coexist alongside other types of communication and publication, such as society-based publishing and conferencing events.

Please be aware that certain articles may use text, figures, or tables that were previously published elsewhere for which The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) does not possess the copyright or the authority to relicense the work. Please be aware that you should check to see if this content may be reused by contacting the original copyright holder.

Permissions

Reusing an entire or a portion of an article published in The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME), including figures and tables, does not need specific authorization. Any portion of articles distributed under the open-access Creative Common CC BY license may be used again without asking permission as long as the source is acknowledged. Reusing an article doesn’t mean the editors or   The African Journal of Monitoring and Evaluation (AfriJME) are endorsing it.

  • Conflicts of Interest Policy 

Authors

Authors should recognize a probable Conflict of Interest in their publications. In this situation, authors can still be held accountable for the truthfulness of their work, but they must notify the reader appropriately in the Acknowledgements. Conflicts include the following:

  • Having received fees for consulting.
  • Having received research funding.
  • Having been employed by a related company where the research was done.
  • Holding stocks or shares in a company which might be affected by the publication
  • Having received funds reimbursing you for attending a related symposia, or talk.
  • Patents or trademarks owned by someone or their organization
  • Critiquing other people’s work

The editorial board and peer review team will take into account declared conflicts of interest and incorporate them in the final paper.

The Journal Editorial team Staff

If editors who make final judgments regarding manuscripts have ties or conflicts of interest that might potentially conflict with the articles under consideration, they should desist from making such conclusions. In order to participate in editorial decisions, additional editorial staff members must disclose to editors any present financial interests or other conflicts they may have and refrain from participating in those decisions. Editorial personnel cannot exploit information they learn from working with submissions for their own benefit. Editors should routinely publish disclosures about any possible conflicts of interest relating to their personal obligations and the obligations of the journal personnel. The same guidelines should be followed by guest editors.

The Peer Review Team

When invited to evaluate a paper, reviewers should be questioned about any potential conflicts of interest that could affect their judgment. Reviewers are required to notify editors of any conflicts of interest that could sway their judgment of the manuscript, and they should refrain from assessing any particular submissions if they have a chance to be biased. Reviewers are not allowed to further their personal agendas by using information about the work they are reviewing before it is published. 

  • Retraction of a Manuscript Policy and Refund of Publication Fee Policy

A submitted paper can be retracted at various stages:

  1. Immediately After Submission and Acknowledgment by the Editor
  • At this stage, the manuscript has been submitted and acknowledged by the editor, but no formal acceptance letter has been issued. Usually, no publication fee has been paid at this point.
  • Retraction should be requested via email to the editor, asking for the manuscript to be disregarded and expunged from the publisher’s records.
  • No withdrawal fee is charged by the journal.
  • If a publication fee has already been paid (in rare cases), it will be fully refunded.
  1. After Formal Acceptance and Payment of Publication Fee
  • At this stage, the manuscript has been reviewed, formally accepted, and a formal acceptance letter has been issued. The publication fee has already been paid.
  • Retraction should be requested via email to the editor, requesting a Letter of Approval for the Withdrawal/Retraction of a Manuscript. This letter serves as proof of withdrawal and may be required by other journals.
  • The publication fee is not refunded in this case.
  • No additional withdrawal fee is charged by the journal.
  1. After Online Publication
  • Once the manuscript has been officially published online, it is considered part of the journal’s record.
  • Retraction should be requested via email to the editor, requesting a Letter of Approval for the Withdrawal/Retraction of a Manuscript.
  • The publication fee is not refunded.
    • A withdrawal fee of $50 is charged to cover the inconvenience caused by altering the journal’s issue.
    • The withdrawn manuscript cannot be replaced with another paper. A new submission would require a fresh review and a new publication fee.

This policy ensures transparency and fairness while maintaining the integrity of the publication process.