Editorial Policy

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

AJPT is a fully open-access journal, meaning that all content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose without prior permission from the publisher or the author.

AJPT aligns with the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

AJPT is a peer-reviewed journal committed to the unbiased, independent, critical assessment of all scholarly work - including the scientific process – submitted to it for publication. Peer review involves critical assessment of manuscripts by experts who are not part of the editorial staff with the objective of evaluating their suitability for the journal and also helping authors and editors to improve the quality of reporting.

AJPT operates a double-anonymous peer review process to ensure fairness and academic rigor.

AJPT undertakes not to disclose information about manuscripts (including their receipt, content, status in the reviewing process, criticism by reviewers, or fate) to anyone other than the authors and reviewers.

REVIEWER RESPONSIBILITIES

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely feedback that contributes to the improvement of manuscripts. They are free to comment on all aspects of the manuscript, including language, methodology, and ethical considerations.

Reviewers are required to recommend one of the following decisions: accept, accept with minor revisions, accept with major revisions, or reject.

Reviewers are encouraged to complete their evaluations within six weeks, and feedback shall be communicated to authors promptly. Authors submitting revised manuscripts must clearly indicate the changes made in response to reviewer comments. The overall publication process typically takes between six months and one year.

Reviewers should maintain confidentiality, disclose any conflicts of interest, identify relevant literature not cited by the authors, and report any suspected ethical issues, including plagiarism or data irregularities.

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The editorial team at AJPT is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. Editors ensure that all manuscripts are handled in a fair, unbiased, and timely manner without discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, institutional affiliation, or personal beliefs.

Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, including originality, methodological soundness, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s scope. The editorial team maintains strict confidentiality throughout the submission and review process and does not disclose information about manuscripts except to authors, reviewers, and the publisher as appropriate.

Editors take reasonable steps to detect and prevent plagiarism, data falsification, and other forms of research misconduct and follow established best practices when addressing ethical concerns. They also ensure transparency in handling conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where necessary.

Furthermore, the editorial team is responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record by issuing corrections, clarifications, or retractions when required.

The editorial team at AJPT maintains a database of potential reviewers and their area(s) of expertise, prioritizing previous reviewers who have produced high-quality reviews within the requested time frame. To avoid overloading reviewers, the database shall contain information on reviewing history, including the number of current assignments, reviews completed in the past year, the length of time taken, the date of the most recent review, and editor evaluation of submitted reviews.

AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Authors submitting manuscripts to AJPT must ensure that their work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal. They must properly acknowledge all sources cited, ensure the accuracy of their data and findings, and confirm that all co-authors have approved the submission. Authors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest and obtain permission for copyrighted materials used in their work. Manuscripts containing evidence of plagiarism or the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce text or data without appropriate disclosure are automatically rejected, and authors will not be permitted to resubmit such manuscripts.

PUBLICATION ETHICS, PLAGIARISM AND MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

AJPT adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics, including the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Cases of plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, unnecessary separation of data from one study into several publications, or improper authorship attribution are taken very seriously and strongly discouraged. All allegations of misconduct are investigated thoroughly, and appropriate actions are taken, including rejection, correction, or retraction of articles where necessary.

AJPT is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical publishing. Submitted manuscripts must not contain any form of plagiarism. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

·       Copying text, ideas, images, or data from other sources without proper acknowledgment.

·       Presenting another author’s work as one’s own.

·       Self-plagiarism (reuse of significant portions of previously published work without proper citation).

·       Improper paraphrasing or close imitation of another work’s structure or wording.

All submissions are subject to plagiarism screening using reliable detection software. If plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publication process:

·       The manuscript may be rejected immediately.

·       Authors may be required to revise and properly cite sources.

·       In cases of severe misconduct, the journal reserves the right to notify the authors’ institutions and/or impose a submission ban.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all sources are appropriately cited and that permissions for citation are obtained where necessary. By submitting to this journal, authors affirm that their work is original and has not been published elsewhere, nor is it under consideration by another publication.

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING

Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right to publish and disseminate it. All published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial (CC BY-NC) license, allowing sharing and adaptation with proper attribution for non-commercial purposes.

Submission of a manuscript to AJPT implies that readily reproducible material described in the manuscript will be freely available to any scientist wishing to use it for non-commercial purposes. The source (article and journal citation) of such material must, however, be acknowledged.

ARCHIVING AND REPOSITORY POLICY

All articles published by AJPT are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication. AJPT ensures long-term digital preservation of its content in the University of Nairobi institutional repository through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

PUBLICATION FEES

Open access publishing is not without costs. To support the fulfilment of administrative costs, authors will be required to pay 100 USD upon acceptance of the manuscript for publication. Payment is expected at or before submission of the galley proof.

The journal does not generate revenue from subscriptions or paywall access. All content is freely accessible immediately upon publication in line with open access principles.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

All participants in the publication process, including reviewers and editors, are required to disclose any conflicts of interest. Where such conflicts exist, appropriate measures are taken, including recusal from the editorial or review process. All manuscripts must be accompanied by a completed and signed Authors’ Responsibility and Conflict of Interest Form.

CORRECTIONS AND RETRACTIONS

AJPT is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. Errors identified after publication are corrected through errata or corrigenda sheets. Serious ethical breaches may result in retraction. All corrections and retractions are clearly documented and linked to the original articles.

INDEXING, METADATA, AND STANDARDS

AJPT undertakes to engage indexing and abstracting services.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to provide their Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) during submission. ORCID identifiers help uniquely distinguish authors and ensure proper attribution of their scholarly work. 

The journal may also use additional identifiers and metadata standards to enhance indexing, interoperability, and long-term digital preservation of its content. These practices support transparency, accurate citation, and the long-term accessibility of scholarly communication. The journal complies with international standards that ensure transparency, discoverability, and proper indexing of published content.

BUSINESS MODEL

AJPT operates as a fully open-access publication, providing immediate and free access to all published content without subscription barriers. All articles are available online to readers worldwide at no cost. The journal charges a nominal manuscript processing fee and accepts sponsorship and/or grants from well-wishers. This funding model ensures the sustainability of the journal while maintaining full editorial independence and adherence to ethical publishing standards.

The journal does not generate revenue from subscriptions or paywall access. All content is freely accessible immediately upon publication, in line with open access principles.