About the Journal
Publisher
Hammer Head Production Limited 13/14 Gwari/Arochukwu Road Kaduna, Nigeria on behalf of the School of Medical Laboratory Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto, Nigeria
Sources of Support
Article processing fees
Institution Funds
Sale of Hard Copies
Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)
Peer Review
Review of Article
Our team of reviewers are sourced from among volunteer experts in the various fields of Medical Laboratory Sciences from Universities and Institution both within Nigeria and internationally across the globe.
Initial Manuscript Evaluation
Once an article is submitted, the Editors-in-Chief initially evaluates the article for relevance to the scope of the journal and originality to ensure that article constitutes a significant addition to scientific knowledge on the subject. Articles outside the scope of the journal with significant scientific flaws are rejected before being sent to review. Those that meet the minimum criteria are assigned to two peer reviewers from the journal’s team of reviewers with expertise in the subject matter.
Type of Peer Review
Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science uses ‘double blind’ reviewing process, in which the reviewers and author remain anonymous throughout the entire review process.
Reviewers Reports
Reviewers are requested to critically review/evaluate whether the manuscript/study and ensure that; the article is original, scientific and constitute a significant scientific information (for scientific papers); that the study adhered to appropriate ethical guidelines and that the methodology, techniques and statistical analyses implemented are appropriate; that the results that are clearly presented and that the literature citations are relevant, current and according to the instruction for authors.
Length of the Article Review Process
Once the appropriate 2 reviewers have been identified from our team of reviewers, they are sent the article for review. Reviewers are expected to review and return their review report to the Editor in Chief within 2 weeks. Should the reviewer’s reports contradict one another or if there is a delay in reverting by any of the reviewer, a reminder is sent and if necessary, a third reviewer’s opinion may be sought to prevent a delay in the editorial process.
Decision on Publication status of article
Based on the reviewer’s report, there are 3 possible decisions: to accept the article; reject the article; accept subject to implementation of minor or major revisions. Reviewers and Editors comments and advice is aimed at improving the quality of the article. It must be confidential, constructive, prompt and unbiased.
Withdrawal, Refund and Cancellation Policies
Authors have the right to withdraws their article by writing to the Editor in Chief to that effect. No refunds will be processed for an accepted article once payment has been made after the review process. No refund will be entertained if the paper is removed from our website due to copyright or retraction issues.
Copyright Policy
Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science (SJMLS) is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The journal holds the copyright for all the published articles. The signed copyright form submitted by the authors is a publication agreement between the journal and the authors.
Galley Proofs
Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author as a PDF file by e-mail. To avoid delays in publication, proofs should be checked immediately for typographical errors and returned within 72 hours of receipt by the authors.
Funding and Conflicts of Interest Policy
Conflicts of interest may arise in a variety of situations. It is a requirement that authors include a statement in their submission on sources of funding for the study and any conflict. A conflict of interest may exist when a manuscript under review represents a position contrary to the actual finding in the study, or when an article author or reviewer has a substantial direct or indirect financial interest/gains in the subject matter of the article. Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science requires that all authors must disclose any commercial associations or other arrangements such as; financial compensation received, patent-licensing agreements and all potential to profit, situation that may constitute a conflict of interest in relation to the submitted article.
Ethics on Research Policy
Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science requires that experiments or testing for all articles involving the use of human subjects be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Subjects must be duly counselled and informed consent (verbal or written) obtained. Also, the protocol for the study must be approved by the relevant institution’s ethics review committee. If experimental animals are used, authors must include a statement in their article to indicate that procedures followed institutional policies regarding animal research.
Article Processing Fees
Article Processing Fee for each article accepted is Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000). This covers cost of processing the article, upload online and receipt of a complimentary hardcopy of the journal containing all the articles published in the 4 volumes for the year. This will usually be sent to the corresponding author at the end of the year. Authors that require additional copies can order their copy at the cost of Five Thousand Naira (inclusive of cost of delivery).
Open Access Policy
Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science (SJMLS) is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Publication Scheduling
This journal publishes quarterly.
General
The Publisher Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science cannot be held accountable for errors or any consequences arising from the use of information contained in this journal. The views and opinion expressed are exclusively those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect that of the Publisher Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science or the Editor neither does the publication of advertisement constitute any endorsement by the Publisher nor Editor of the product advertised.
