Publishing Process

Impact Surgery is committed to transparent, rigorous, and ethical scholarly publishing. All submissions are handled according to established standards of editorial independence, research integrity, and publication ethics. The journal follows recognised best practice guidance, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices, and applies its policies consistently to all manuscripts.

This page provides an overview of the journal’s editorial processes. Detailed editorial and ethical policies governing authorship, peer review, plagiarism checks, conflicts of interest, funding disclosure, human research ethics, consent for publication, corrections and retractions, and allegations of misconduct are publicly available on individual journal website pages and apply to all submissions.

Submission

Manuscripts are submitted via the journal’s online submission system. Authors must ensure that submissions comply with the journal’s author guidelines and include all required declarations, including funding statements, conflicts of interest, ethics approval, and consent statements where applicable. All submissions are screened on receipt to ensure they fall within the journal’s scope and meet basic editorial and ethical requirements before being considered for peer review.

Peer review

Impact Surgery operates a double-blind peer review process. Submissions that pass initial editorial screening are assessed by an academic editor and, where appropriate, sent to at least two independent expert reviewers. Peer review focuses on scientific validity, methodological rigour, ethical conduct, and relevance to the journal’s readership. Editorial decisions are based solely on these criteria and are independent of financial or commercial considerations.

Editorial decision-making

Editorial decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or delegated academic editors with relevant subject expertise. Decisions may include acceptance, revision, or rejection. Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists. Where necessary, alternative editors are appointed to ensure impartial decision-making.

Revisions and acceptance

Authors may be invited to revise their manuscript in response to peer review. Revised submissions are assessed to determine whether reviewer and editorial concerns have been adequately addressed. Once a manuscript is accepted, it proceeds to production. Acceptance is final and is not influenced by payment of any fees or charges.

Production and publication

Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting, typesetting, and proofing prior to publication. Authors are given the opportunity to review proofs before final publication. Impact Surgery publishes six issues per year on a bimonthly schedule. All articles are published online as open access under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0).

Editorial and ethical policies

Impact Surgery maintains a comprehensive set of editorial and ethical policies that apply to all submissions and publications. These include policies on authorship and contributorship, peer review, conflicts of interest, funding disclosure, human research ethics and informed consent, consent for publication, corrections and retractions, and the handling of allegations of misconduct. These policies are designed to safeguard research integrity, protect participants, and ensure transparency for readers, authors, and reviewers. Links to the full policies are provided on the journal website.

Corrections, retractions, and misconduct

The journal takes concerns about the accuracy, integrity, or ethics of published work seriously. Where errors or concerns are identified, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions, as appropriate. Allegations of research or publication misconduct are handled confidentially and impartially in accordance with COPE Core Practices and relevant guidance.

Editorial independence

Impact Surgery maintains a clear separation between editorial decision-making and commercial activities. The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board operate independently of the publisher’s financial interests. All editorial decisions are based on scholarly and ethical considerations alone, in order to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.