• All manuscripts are subject to a strict peer review process (double blind peer review process) involving members of the editorial board and external reviewers with expertise in the subject matter.
• The process starts with an initial review by the Editor-In-Chief or Co-Editor-In-Chief, who makes an initial assessment of suitability for The Egyptian Orthopaedic Journal.
• All new submissions to The Egyptian Orthopaedic Journal are automatically screened for plagiarism within the editorial system. The Editor-In-Chief may also choose to run a similarity report at any other stage during the peer review process or post-publication. Authors can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting http://www.ithenticate.com/
• If the manuscript is deemed of interest and technically suitable for starting the peer review process, it is then assigned to a member of the editorial board, who serves as the principal reviewing editor.
• The reviewing editor invites external peer reviewers (a minimum of two independent expert reviewers), who are blinded to the manuscript’s author(s) to assess the manuscript further, recommend any revisions, and offer their opinion on acceptability.
• Editors are responsible for selecting expert reviewers within the topic of each submitted manuscript from the journal database or suggested by Publons (WOS). Editors are also responsible for ensuring that reviewer comments are properly assessed and interpreted with declared conflicts of interest.
• Depending on the reviewing editor/reviewers' recommendations, the Editor-In-Chief is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles.
• Manuscripts can be accepted, with minor or major revision, or rejected. If the decision is 'revision', the authors are requested to take the remarks of the referees and editors into account. A second or multiple reviewing processes can follow. Upon final acceptance, the authors will be notified by email, and the accepted manuscript will be finally edited by the language editor for a free linguistic editing service.
• After the linguistic edit of the accepted article, the Galley Proof will be sent as a PDF file to the corresponding author. This proof must be carefully corrected and sent back within two working days.
• Reviewers are encouraged to follow a systematic approach to manuscript review guided by the “COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers" (Please, see: https://publicationethics.org/guidance/guideline/ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers).

Privacy and Confidentiality

The Egyptian Orthopaedic Journal upholds the highest standards of confidentiality according to the “ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals”.

• All manuscripts submitted for review are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must ensure that the privacy of authors is fully respected throughout the review process. The unauthorized disclosure of any confidential information may infringe upon the authors’ rights and undermine the integrity of the peer review process.
• Reviewers also have the right to confidentiality, which editors are obligated to protect. Confidentiality will only be breached in cases where there is clear evidence or strong suspicion of misconduct, such as fraud or dishonesty.
• Editors must not share any details about submitted manuscripts—including receipt confirmation, content, review status, reviewer comments, or editorial decisions—with anyone outside of those directly involved in the editorial process. This includes requests for access related to legal matters.
• Reviewers are prohibited from:
  • Saving or reproducing the manuscript for personal use.
  • Sharing the manuscript or its content with others without explicit permission from the editor.
  • Publishing or disclosing their review comments without prior consent from the editor, the author(s), and the reviewer involved.

• Confidentiality is essential to maintaining the trust and integrity of the scholarly publication process, and all parties involved are expected to uphold this commitment.

Peer review and timelines:

• Editors will do their best to ensure the timely processing of manuscripts as per the peer review policy. The journal's first decision for the first-round revision may be expected at the earliest 3-4 weeks after submission, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection is expected within 6-8 weeks.

The full peer-review process, including editorial workflow, can be understood through the following flow chart: