Policies

Open Access Policy

NJMS is an open access journal. All content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, or link to the full texts of the articles for non commercial purposes, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, provided proper attribution is given and no revisions are made.

Copyright and Licensing Policy

Authors retain copyright. Upon acceptance, authors grant NJMS the right of first publication. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY NC ND 4.0) licence. Full licence text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Author Fees Policy

NJMS is a diamond open access journal and does not charge any fees. There are no submission fees, page charges, colour charges, or article processing charges (APCs). No waiver policy therefore applies.

Similarity Check Policy

All submissions are screened for originality and Al content using Turnitin software prior to being sent for peer review and again at the acceptance stage. Excessive textual overlap or unattributed material may lead to rejection or request for correction.

Editorial/Peer-review Policy:

Overview

NJMS operates on a double-blind peer review process for all research content. Invited pieces may be reviewed at the Chief Editor discretion.

Initial screening

The Managing Editor screens submissions for scope fit, basic quality, originality, ethical compliance, and adherence to Author Guidelines. Submissions may be desk rejected at this stage with constructive feedback.

Reviewer selection

Submissions that pass the editorial screening stage are sent for peer review by at least two independent experts with relevant subject expertise and without conflicts of interest. The Managing Editor may invite additional reviewers when specialised input or further clarification is required.

Anonymity

Authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other throughout the review process (double blind). Reviewers are encouraged to provide evidence based, respectful, and actionable feedback.

Evaluation criteria

Significance and originality; methodological rigour and transparency; clarity of argument; ethical compliance; contribution to literature and/or practice; quality of writing and presentation.

Decisions

Possible decisions expected are accepted, minor revisions, major revisions, or rejected. Revised manuscripts may be reviewed. Final decisions rest with the Chief Editor.

Timelines

NJMS aims for a median time of 6–12 weeks from submission to first decision and 4–8 weeks from acceptance to online publication. Actual times may vary by article type and reviewer availability.

Conflicts of interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors must declare any potential conflicts. Editors will not handle manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists and will reassign as appropriate. Appeals & complaints Authors may appeal a decision by emailing [editor.njms@ium.edu.na], within 30 days of receiving feedback, with a detailed rationale. Appeals are reviewed by the Chief Editor and, if required, an independent editorial adviser. 

 Archiving/Preservation Policy

This journal is automatically preserved using the PKP PN service, available to PKP OJS journals.

Repository/Self-archiving Policy

Authors may deposit the submitted version, accepted manuscript, and the version of record (PDF) in institutional or subject repositories with citation and link to the DOI.

NJMS Contact

editor.njms@ium.edu.na