Peer Review Policies

The Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation operates a double-blind peer-review system. Under this system, the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the review process, ensuring an impartial and unbiased evaluation of all submissions.

About the Journal

Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes significant and novel contributions in occupational health, workplace safety, and labour/occupational health law. The journal, which is supported by the Japan Association of Occupational Health Law, the journal aims to promote the dissemination of knowledge and advance research and practice in occupational health and safety regulation worldwide.

Conflict of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when there are actual, perceived, or potential circumstances that could influence an editor’s ability to act impartially when assessing a manuscript. Such circumstances might include having a personal or professional relationship with an author, working on the same topic or in direct competition with an author, or having a financial stake in the work or its publication.
Members of the journal’s Editorial Board undertake to declare any conflicts of interest when handling manuscripts. An editor who declares a conflict of interest is unassigned from the manuscript in question and is replaced by a new editor.

Timing

Efficient peer review and rapid editorial decisions are important to Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation. Reviews should be completed within 4 weeks. If you believe that you cannot submit your review by the deadline, please let the Editorial Office know as soon as possible. This allows us to keep authors informed and to make alternate arrangements if necessary.

Confidentiality

As part of their responsibilities, reviewers agree to maintain the confidentiality of unpublished manuscripts at all times. By accepting the invitation to review a manuscript, reviewers agree

not to:

disclose their role in reviewing the manuscript
reveal their identity to any of the authors of the manuscript
discuss the manuscript or its contents with anyone not directly involved in the review process
involve anyone else in the review (for example, a post-doc or Ph.D. student) without first requesting permission from the Editor
use any data or information from the manuscript in their own work or publications
use information obtained from the peer review process to provide an advantage to themselves or anyone else, or to disadvantage any individual or organization.

Reviewer identity

It is Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation policy to keep reviewers’ names confidential. Journal staff will not disclose a reviewer’s identity.

Writing your review

A good review is clear, concise, and constructive. It highlights a manuscript’s contribution to the field and outlines how it might be improved. If a manuscript is not publishable, a good review explains why its flaws are fatal.

Comments to the author(s)

The reviewer’s report has two main functions. First, it provides the Editor with sufficient information to reach a decision on the suitability of the manuscript for publication in Journal of Work Health and Safety Regulation. Setting out clear arguments for or against publication is more helpful than simply stating your recommendation to accept or reject the manuscript. Second, the review provides authors with feedback on their manuscript and, if necessary, advice on how to strengthen it.

Comments to the Editor

Reviewers should submit their reviews to the Editorial Office using the review form provided in the Reviewer assignment email. If you encounter any difficulties, please contact the Editorial Office.

Next step

If you recommended revision, the Editor may assign you to comment on the manuscript when it has been revised.