Several key steps should be taken to ensure smooth and trouble-free submission.

Double-check your manuscript

1. It is your responsibility to ensure that your manuscript is complete, grammatically correct, and free of spelling and typographical errors before submission. The following are some of the more important points:
   1. Go over the journal's aims and scope for the last time. Is your manuscript an appropriate fit? If not, the editor has the option to reject it without peer review.
   2. Is your manuscript following our research and publication ethics guidelines?
   3. Have you obtained any required publishing permissions?
   4. Have you followed all the formatting guidelines outlined in the author’s guidelines?
   5. Is there anything in the manuscript that could help the reviewer to identify you? This may jeopardize the blind peer review process.
2. A few tips:
   1. If you need to refer to your work, use wording such as ‘previous research has demonstrated’ not ‘our previous research has demonstrated’.
   2. If you need to refer to your own currently unpublished work, do not include this work in the reference list.
   3. Any acknowledgements or author biographies should be uploaded as separate files.
   4. Perform a final check to ensure that no author names appear anywhere in the manuscript. This includes figures and captions.

The corresponding author should submit all manuscripts through our editorial system. If you are submitting for the first time to this journal, please select the Create an account or register the now option in the editorial system. If one already has login credentials, one can use the same username and password. Please keep in mind that the next time you log in, you will be prompted to use your username. This is the email address that you used to create your account. Remember to include your ORCiD ID in the submission process. It will be embedded in your published article along with a link to the ORCiD registry, making it easy for others to match you with your work. You do not have one yet? Registering for a free ORCiD identifier requires only a few minutes. During the submission process, you will be able to indicate whether you want to publish your paper through the gold open-access route.

The journal editor will send you an automated email confirming your successful submission. It will assign you a manuscript number that you will use in all future correspondence regarding your submission. Please contact the editor if you have any reason to believe that the confirmation email you receive is fraudulent.

Review and Decision Process

The editor reviews each submission. At this point, they may decline or unsubmit your manuscript if it does not fit the journal's aims and scope or if they believe the language/manuscript quality is inadequate. If they believe that it is appropriate for publication, they will forward it to at least two independent referees for a double-blind peer review. Following the reviewers' feedback, the editor may decide to accept your manuscript, request minor or major revisions, or decline your work.

While each journal operates on a different timetable, the editor's goal is to notify you of their initial decision within 90 days. During this time, we will send automated updates on the status of your manuscript via our submission system, or you can log in to check its status. When we contact you, we will refer to the manuscript number you were assigned at the time of submission.

Open Access

The Malawi Journal of Nursing and Midwifery is an open-access journal, which means that all content is free of charge to the user or his/her institution. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search for, or link to the full texts of the articles or use them for any other lawful purpose without seeking permission from the publisher or author (see Sherpa Romeo). This finding conforms to the BOAI definition of Open Access.

Copyright

All the accepted authors received an email containing a link to a license. This should be checked for accuracy, such as whether your contact and affiliation information are up to date and your name is spelled correctly, before being returned to us electronically. If you are unable to assign copyright to us for any reason, please discuss it with MJNM's content editor. Their contact information can be found on the editorial team.

Proofing and Typesetting

After receiving your completed license form, the article goes directly into production. We will perform editorial checks, copyediting, and typesetting before returning the proofs to the corresponding authors for review. This is your chance to correct typos, grammatical errors, and incorrect author information. Currently, we are unable to accept requests to rewrite text.

How to Share Your Paper

Visit the author’s rights page to learn more about how to reuse and share your work. Read how to promote your work to learn how to increase the visibility of your published paper.

Correcting Inaccuracies in Your Published Paper

Errors can occur in research, writing, and publishing. When such problems arise, we have the option to withdraw the paper or publish a correction notice. Learn more about our article removal and correction policies.

When you submit your work to MJNM, you must confirm that it is original and unpublished. If you have already submitted your research to a preprint server, you can still submit it to an MJNM journal because it is not considered prior to publication. However, this policy only applies if you notify the Chief Editor when submitting that your paper is hosted on a pre-print server. The preprint server had not yet been assigned copyright at that point.

What to Do on Acceptance

If your submitted paper is accepted for publication, we expect the pre-print to be changed to say something like, "This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in the Malawi Journal of Nursing and Midwifery".

Peer Review Anonymity

Wherever possible, we will take steps to protect your anonymity during the double-blind peer-review process, such as requesting that editors remove any references to the conference before sharing the paper with reviewers.

What to Do After Publication

The preprint should be updated after publication to include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which will direct the reader to the version of the record hosted on our content platform.

We understand that you will submit working and conference papers that may be hosted online throughout your research career. This does not preclude you from submitting this work to MJNM, and we do not anticipate that the paper will be removed from the conference website. However, this policy is applicable only if:

1. You notify the MJNM Editor when you submit that your paper is hosted on a publicly accessible conference website.
2. Your submitted paper differs significantly from the conference paper, either in terms of additional discussion or conclusions.
3. In the submitted paper, you fully reference any working papers, for example, “This article is based on conference paper X, hosted on X.”
4. Conference organisers were not granted copyright.

Published Conference Papers

This policy does not apply to any work that has been published or included in a conference proceeding volume with an ISSN or ISBN. Please contact us before submitting your paper to these cases.

We believe in preserving the integrity of our content, as well as the role of publishers in scholarly debate. We consider the articles and book chapters we publish to be the "version of record"; the permanent bibliographic "minutes" of academic research. Only for good reasons can this version of the record be edited, changed, or withdrawn.

We follow the principles outlined in the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)/International Publishers’ Association (IPA) joint statement on retraction or removal of journal articles from the web. This clarifies that an article or chapter may only be removed from a publisher’s database if it:

1. Infringes professional ethical codes, such as violation of the privacy of a research subject.
2. Is subject to a legal dispute.
3. Includes the identification of false or inaccurate data that, if acted upon, would pose a serious health risk.

We retain the appropriate bibliographical citation of the removed content wherever possible (unless subject to legal dispute).

About Corrections

All published research is essentially a "snapshot" of a single point in time, and the version of the record cannot be updated to reflect changes such as new author affiliation or new findings. However, mistakes can occur during the research, writing, and publishing stages. When these problems arise, one of the following correction notices can be issued:

Erratum

In most cases, this refers to a production error introduced during the publication process. If an erratum is issued, it will appear in the abstract of the online version of the paper and in the hard copy of the publication's next volume or issue.

Corrigendum

This generally refers to author errors or oversight that occurred before the submission of the paper. If a corrigendum is issued, it will appear in the abstract of the online version of the paper, as well as in the hard copy of the publication's next volume or issue.

Author Name Changes

MJNM is dedicated to equality, diversity, and inclusion. As part of this, MJNM is always looking for ways to make positive changes that will help the authors. If MJNM receives a request from an author to change their name in a published article for any reason (including religious conversion, marriage, gender identity change, or divorce), we will do so immediately. We will not request additional information or the reason for the name change; however, we may occasionally require additional information (such as the article citation) to make the change more effective. We will make every effort to change the name of the article and, if necessary, any pronouns. We will also send the updated article to our third-party partners and request them to update their databases accordingly.However, we will not disclose how the article has been changed. MJNM will treat any name change requests made by someone other than the author as potential harassment and will take appropriate action.

Retraction Notice

In serious cases of ethical misconduct or where the research is flawed and misleading, a retraction notice will be issued. In most cases, the paper will be kept in an online version of the journal or book. A retraction notice will appear in the online version of the paper, as well as in the hard copy of the publication's next volume or issue. Papers will be kept online as much as possible but will clearly state that the article has been retracted.

Note of Clarification

A note of clarification is used when a point in the text needs to be highlighted or clarified, but it is not a correction. Please keep in mind that any correction must be highlighted as an erratum, corrigendum, or note of clarification and that the text cannot be changed. This is intended to inform the reader that changes have been made to the text that they may have cited or referred to in their subsequent research or practice.

Expression of Concern

We will publish an expression of concern about the paper if a conclusion is unclear or if we are unable to make a fair decision due to conflicts of interest or a lack of information. An expression of concern will appear at the abstract level in the online version of the paper, where it will be visible to all readers, including nonsubscribers.

MJNM and our editors are committed to ethical publication practices. We act following the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and advocate for the development and practical application of consistent ethical standards across the scholarly publishing community. If you require any additional information regarding our ethics policies, please contact us.

Summary of Our Research & Publishing Ethics

You should only submit your research to us if the following conditions apply:

1. The research has been conducted with the highest standards of rigour and integrity.
2. The article/chapter/book/case study is original.
3. This work has not been submitted elsewhere and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. See our preprint and conference paper policies for the exceptions.
4. This work does not include libellous, defamatory, or unlawful statements.
5. Permission has been cleared for any third-party material included.
6. Proof of consent has been obtained for any named individuals or organisations.
7. Authorship has been agreed upon before submission and no one has been ‘gifted’ authorship or denied credit as an author (ghost authorship).

If we discover that any of these conditions have not been met after your research has been published, we may act by following the COPE Guidelines, which may result in one of the following correction notices, or we may remove or retract the article or book chapter from our database. We may be unable to act until all matters have been fully resolved, either for legal reasons or because an article or chapter is used as evidence in an independent hearing.

Authorship

When it comes to listing the authors of your paper, we understand that it is tempting to include everyone who has assisted you in your work. It is also easy to forget someone who may have been involved in the process at the beginning. Authorship issues vary, but include the following:

1. Ghost authorship: exclusion of a contributor from the list of authors.
2. Gift/guest authorship: Inclusion of someone who has not contributed to the paper or who has chosen not to be associated with the research.
3. Disputes regarding the order of the authors and the level of contribution that each has made to the paper.

These issues have the potential to overshadow your work and lead to retractions; therefore, it is critical to agree on authorship before submitting your paper.

At MJNM, we subscribe to the authorship principles outlined by the International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). This states that for someone to be considered an author, they must have:

1. Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2. Drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3. Given final approval of the version to be published; AND
4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work were appropriately investigated and resolved.

This does not constitute authorship if an individual is solely responsible for obtaining a grant that funded the research. If a contributor does not meet all four ICMJE criteria, they should be acknowledged.

Any listed author should be able to identify which co-author wrote which section of the paper and have complete trust in the integrity of their work. If you have any doubts about whether you meet the above criteria, please discuss them with your co-authors before submitting your paper.

When authorship disputes arise, we always make every effort to assist the parties involved in reaching an agreement. However, because this is a research stage, neither we nor our editors can comment on the contribution of each author. Please see the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) website for more information on the procedures used. If we are unable to resolve an issue, we may refer it to the authors' institutions or issue an expression of concern.

If your article has a medical focus and involves a human subject, you must obtain approval from your institutional ethics board and confirm that recognized standards (such as the Declaration of Helsinki) have been followed to minimize harm to participating individuals. If your article contains an image of someone's face or any other information that could be used to identify them, you must provide proof of informed consent in the form of a completed consent to publish the form.

Self-citation

Authors should refrain from excessively citing their previously published works. Citations must be relevant and add value to the article; they should not be included solely to increase an author's citation score. When discussing methodologies or literature reviews, authors should limit their use of self-citations.

Coercive Citation

During the peer review process, you may be directed to papers that the reviewer believes will help you develop and improve your ideas. While there may be legitimate reasons to cite other sources, 'coercive citation' is unethical (this is where a reference is included as a condition of acceptance or without academic justification). We support both author freedom and editorial independence. If you feel pressured to include a specific reference in your article, or if an editor is unsure about the best ethical practice, please contact the editor.

Citation Pushing

Citation pushing occurs when an author includes superfluous or irrelevant references to boost the citation score of another specific individual; this frequently occurs among groups of individuals who aim to boost each other's citation scores. This type of behaviour is monitored in all our publications. MJNM takes this behaviour very seriously and will act under the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines, including escalation to the author's institution, as necessary.

Before submitting your work, you must obtain written proof of consent for studies involving specific organisations or people. If you make inaccurate, unsubstantiated, or emotionally charged statements about organisations or people in a submission, you may be asked to change the text or reject the work before it is published.

Product and service criticisms and reviews are welcome; however, comments must be constructive and not malicious. A retraction notice will be published if statements made in the work published by MJNM are defamatory. In some cases, and when legally required, the paper will be removed from the journal's online version.

We advise all authors of the case studies to inform the subject (person or organisation) and seek their consent. If we think that the study is potentially libellous or contains sensitive information, we will require written proof of consent before placing the paper in the production process.

The content you submit to a publisher should be researched and written in your own words. If this is not the case, plagiarism may be considered. The MJNM editors have access to the Crossref Similarity Check plagiarism detection service. This, combined with our knowledgeable reviewers and editors, makes it increasingly difficult for plagiarised works to slip through cracks. Plagiarism can take several forms.

Data fabrication or manipulation is fundamentally wrong and violates the integrity of the research. We have the option of reviewing data or requesting the original data files. If we have reason to believe that the data are not credible, we reserve the right to reject the paper and notify your institution as appropriate.

Dual publication is another term. Any work you have sent to us must be unique and unpublished. It is an unacceptable academic practice to submit to more than one journal at the same time; you are expected to wait until one journal has decided against submitting to the next.

Image manipulation can be classified into two categories:

1. Inappropriate Manipulation: The adjustment of an image or figure, which violates established research guidelines but does not impact the interpretation of the data shown.
2. Fraudulent Manipulation: Deliberate adjustment or manipulation of an image or figure affects the interpretation of data.

Manipulation may include the addition or removal of elements from a figure, or adjustments to image formatting designed to obscure or highlight a particular result.

Images or figures submitted to MJNM should be processed to the extent possible. We may screen images, and if evidence of potential manipulation is found, editors will request the original data. If we discover intentional manipulation, we reserve the right to reject the paper and contact your institution by following the COPE guidelines.

We or the editors are unable to adjudicate in all cases because all research is conducted before the work being submitted to MJNM. We will try to assist the parties involved in reaching an agreement, and if necessary, refer the matter to the authors' institutions. Please refer to the relevant COPE flowcharts for more information on the procedures used.

Any previous publication or presentation of ideas featured in your current submission should be cited. Conference papers, workshop presentations, and listserv communication are examples of this. This ensures that the work's complete history is documented.

For MJNM journal, references to other publications should be in APA 7th style; more information can be found in the author guidelines on this site. All references should be checked thoroughly for completeness, accuracy, and consistency.

The authors, reviewers, and editors have to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. In the case of authors, you should disclose anything that may have influenced your research or that may have influenced the review process or the publication of your article. If you are unsure whether a conflict of interest exists, consult with the editor or publisher before submitting your work. Conflicts of interest may exist, including:

1. Prior relationship between the author and editor.
2. Financial or personal interests in the outcomes of the study.
3. Undisclosed financial support for research by an interested third party.
4. Financial or personal interest in the suppression of research.
5. Pending patent.

When submitting your work, include a note explaining the background of any third-party financial support for the research and highlight any other potential conflicts of interest. If you are concerned that the editor or reviewer working on your submission may have a conflict of interest, please notify the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi. In every case, we will adhere to the COPE guidelines. If a conflict of interest is discovered, the editor or reviewer will be removed from the manuscript.

MJNM recognises that mistakes can occur, and wishes to allow authors to inform us when things do not go as planned. When you file a complaint, MJNM will treat you professionally and respectfully, and we would appreciate it if you would do the same for us. Any abuse or harassment directed at the editorial teams will not be tolerated, and your complaint may be dismissed.

Complaint about an Editorial Decision

MJNM supports editorial independence and does not comment on a journal editor's decision unless there is evidence that the article was not handled following best practices. If your article is rejected and you believe there are grounds to appeal the decision, such as new evidence or a reviewer's misunderstanding of your article, you may do so. To accomplish this, the steps outlined below must be followed:

1. The complaint must be submitted in writing to the journal’s editor.
2. The journal’s editorial team will consider this complaint.
3. The complaint will be acknowledged within 10 days of receipt, and we aim to resolve it within 45 days.
4. The decision will be made in writing and will be final. You may not appeal more than once to the same article.

Complaint about the Editorial Management of a Journal

If you have a complaint about the journal's editorial management, such as believing that the journal process has been compromised or that an editorial stakeholder has a conflict of interest, please contact the National Organization of Nurses and Midwives of Malawi secretariat. NONM guarantees that your complaint will be handled with confidence and that we will conduct an objective review of the complaint. We will make every effort to be transparent in all our correspondence and keep you updated as we deal with the complaint. If something is the subject of a legal dispute, we may be unable to comment on it. We will try to respond to your email within ten days of receiving it.

Our Promise

Whenever a research or publishing ethics issue arises, we promise the following:

1. Act professionally and efficiently.
2. Be fair and objective.
3. Always approach the accused party to establish its position before deciding or committing to a course of action.
4. Ensure that we provide sufficient time for all parties to respond.
5. Keep all parties informed of decisions, including the copyright owners, editors, and authors.
6. As members of the Committee on Publication Ethics, follow the processes highlighted in the flowcharts presented by COPE.
7. Protect authors' moral rights as being acknowledged as the author and not to be misrepresented, and ensure the correct record of the literature.

If a case of ethical misconduct is discovered before publication, the right to withdraw and rescind any acceptance is reserved. It is impossible to please all parties in any situation. Following a fair and considered process, the editor and MJNM will make the final decision in any disputed case.