Journal of Healthcare Administration

Editorial Process

A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to JOHA alone at that point in time and has not been published anywhere, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere (except in the form of abstract, or as part of a published lecture, academic thesis, or archived in an institutional repository and author's web page - see deposit policy). 

Upon submission, the Editor conducts an initial assessment of all manuscripts to determine their suitability for further review. If a manuscript lacks originality, fails to present new ideas, contains significant scientific or technical flaws, shows high similarity to previous publications (indicating plagiarism), or lacks a substantial message, it is rejected before entering the formal peer review process. Additionally, manuscripts that are unlikely to capture the interest of readers of JOHA may also be rejected during this stage. The editorial review typically concludes within a short timeframe of one to seven days.
Once a manuscript is deemed appropriate for publication in JOHA, it is forwarded to one or more Editorial board members who then suggest suitable Expert Reviewers. In the event that the board members are unable to provide recommendations, the Editor-in-Chief will personally select the reviewers. To ensure fairness and impartiality, JOHA employs a double-blind review system, wherein both the reviewers and authors remain anonymous to each other. At least two independent expert reviewers or external reviewers are involved in this process. The peer-review process typically spans a duration of four to six weeks. However, for editorials and letters to the editors, the decision is made during the editorial review stage, bypassing the need for a formal peer review process.
The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for reviewing every manuscript and making the final decision based on feedback from reviewers and editorial board members. The Editorial Board Members can only offer an initial editorial decision or recommendation, which is then sent to the Editor-in-Chief for further discussion until a final decision is reached. The comments and suggestions received from reviewers and editorial board members, whether it be acceptance, rejection, or a request for revision, are communicated to the corresponding author. If necessary, the author is asked to address each point raised by the reviewers and submit a revised version of the manuscript. This iterative process continues until both the reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript.
Manuscripts that are approved for publication undergo copy editing to ensure proper grammar, punctuation, print style, and formatting. The corresponding author receives a page proof in doc. format at this stage. During this process, the copyeditor may request the author to finalize the reference format and provide clarification or verification for any modified sentences or paragraphs. The corresponding author is responsible for returning the corrected proofs within a timeframe of three to seven days. Corrections received after this period may not be able to be incorporated. 
The proofreader or the layout editor will provide the authors with the final proof of the article in PDF format, which will reflect the journal's predetermined layout. At this stage, there are no substantial modifications made to the content. Authors are requested to review and verify their names, affiliations, and the overall writing format, including typos, grammar, punctuation, and layout format. The corresponding author is expected to return the finalized proof within a five-day timeframe.
In order to expedite the dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes articles online as 'Early View' immediately after the proofreading process. Subsequently, these articles will also be included in the forthcoming regular issue of the journal. This approach ensures that the research findings reach a wider audience in a timely manner.

Early View articles are peer-reviewed and accepted articles officially published in JOHA. When the article is assigned to a volume/issue, the Early View article version will be removed, and the Final version will appear in the journal's associated published volume/issue. The only difference between the Early View and Final versions is that the Early View article does not have page numbers yet, and the DOI number has not been registered/activated yet to Crossref. However, the DOI number and the layout format of the article remain the same.