Publication Policies

Publication Frequency

Starting January 2025, Health Innovation Journal Africa (HIJ Africa) will operate on a quarterly publication schedule (four issues per year). This frequency is designed to provide timely opportunities for disseminating pioneering research, critical reviews, and case studies relevant to the African healthcare landscape.

Open Access Policy

HIJ Africa is dedicated to breaking down barriers to knowledge. To ensure the broad dissemination of African health research, all articles are published as Open Access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license allows for unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This policy ensures that vital health information remains accessible to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers across the continent without subscription paywalls.

Archiving Strategy

HIJ Africa is committed to the long-term preservation of the scholarly record. We participate in the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN), utilizing a LOCKSS-based distributed archiving system. This ensures that the journal's content remains securely preserved and accessible to the global scientific community regardless of future technological changes. Additionally, every article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent traceability.

CrossMark Policy Statement

To maintain the integrity of our publications, HIJ Africa assigns a DOI to every published article. We are committed to maintaining the scholarly record and will transparently document any necessary corrections, updates, or retractions via the CrossMark system, ensuring readers always access the most accurate version of the work.

Publication Ethics and Policy Guidelines

HIJ Africa strictly adheres to the ethical guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). We demand full transparency and integrity from all participants:

• Authorship and Contributions: Authorship must be based on significant contributions to the conceptualization, design, execution, or interpretation of the research. All authors must approve the final version.
• Conflict of Interest: All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as influencing the research.
• Human and Animal Research Ethics: Studies involving human participants or animals must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant regional animal welfare standards. Institutional Ethical Review Board (IRB) approval is mandatory.

Informed Consent Policy

• Requirement: Authors must obtain written informed consent from participants (or their legal guardians) for all research involving human subjects. This includes consent to participate and consent to publish identifiable data.
• Documentation: Authors must confirm compliance upon submission.
• Privacy: Researchers must protect participant anonymity in accordance with local and international data protection laws.
• Verification: The Editorial Team verifies these declarations during the review process. Published articles will explicitly state compliance.

Plagiarism Policy

HIJ Africa maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. All submissions are screened using Turnitin.

• Threshold: A similarity index of <20% is generally expected. Higher values are reviewed on a case-by-case basis (excluding references).
• Consequences: Confirmed plagiarism results in immediate rejection or retraction and may lead to a ban on future submissions.

Repository Policy

HIJ Africa encourages authors to maximize the impact of their work. Authors are permitted to deposit all versions of their articles (Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and Version of Record) in institutional or subject-specific repositories (such as university repositories across Africa) immediately upon acceptance, with no embargo period.

Advertisement Policy

HIJ Africa accepts limited advertisements relevant to the medical and scientific community.

• Approval: All ads are subject to management approval. Acceptance does not imply endorsement.
• Distinction: Advertisements remain distinct from editorial content.
• Compliance: Ads for pharmaceutical products must comply with regional and international regulations.

Appeals and Complaints Processes

• Appeals: Concerns regarding rejection, review delays, or technical issues can be directed to the Editor-in-Chief. An Appeals Committee will review the case neutrally.
• Complaints: Allegations of misconduct against authors or staff are handled by the Complaints Process Committee, ensuring a fair investigation.

Authorship Criteria

HIJ Africa follows ICMJE guidelines. Authorship is limited to those who have:

1. Contributed substantially to conception, design, or data acquisition/analysis.
2. Drafted or critically revised the work.
3. Approved the final version.
4. Agreed to be accountable for the work's accuracy and integrity.

Contributors not meeting these criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section.

Double-Blind Peer Review & Editorial Process

HIJ Africa employs a rigorous double-blind peer review process where both reviewer and author identities are concealed.

• Timeline: We strive for an efficient process, with an initial decision typically reached within 15–20 days of submission.
• Stages: Initial Quality Check → Peer Review (2+ experts) → Revision → Final Decision.

Withdrawal Policy

Authors may withdraw manuscripts prior to publication. However, a valid reason must be provided. Withdrawals after acceptance are discouraged and permitted only under exceptional ethical circumstances.

Privacy Statement

Personal data entered into the HIJ Africa site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Author Fees and Waivers

To sustain open-access publishing, HIJ Africa may apply Article Processing Charges (APCs).

• Waiver Policy: We are committed to inclusivity. Waivers or significant discounts are available for authors from low-income countries or those demonstrating financial hardship. Decisions are made based on need, ensuring inability to pay never prevents the publication of high-quality research.

Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Health Innovation Journal Africa is deeply committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We actively encourage submissions from researchers across all regions of Africa and the Global South. We strive to ensure our editorial board and reviewer pool reflect the gender, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the continent. We welcome research that addresses health disparities and social determinants of health in underrepresented populations.

Data Sharing Policy

HIJ Africa promotes transparency and reproducibility. Authors are encouraged to deposit research data in public repositories (e.g., Figshare, Dryad, or institutional servers) and provide a Data Availability Statement. If data cannot be shared due to ethical or privacy reasons (common in clinical data), this must be explicitly stated.

Accessibility Statement

We are committed to making our research accessible to all. Our website and published PDFs are designed to be compatible with screen readers and assistive technologies. We continuously work to improve the digital accessibility of African health research.

Environmental Policy

HIJ Africa operates primarily as a digital journal to minimize our carbon footprint. We encourage research that explores the intersection of Climate Change and Health in Africa and advocate for sustainable practices within the healthcare sector.