Step to Step Guides for Authors

Welcome to the Author Submission and Review Guide. This resource is designed to assist you throughout the submission, peer-review, revision, and proofreading stages of your manuscript, ensuring a smooth and efficient publishing process with the Nigerian Journal of Orthopaedics and Trauma (NJOT).

Adherence to the instructions outlined in this guide is mandatory. Manuscripts that do not comply with these requirements may be returned to authors without review or may experience delays in the editorial process.

Submission Process

Description of the Submission Process

Account Creation:
Begin by creating an account on our submission platform. Provide your contact information and details about your institutional affiliation.

Manuscript Submission:
Once your account is ready, you can start the submission process by clicking the “Submit New Manuscript” button. Follow the prompts to upload your manuscript files, select keywords, and add co-authors. Please refer to the Author Instructions page for further information regarding manuscript preparation and submission requirements.

Confirmation:
After submission, you will receive an email confirmation along with a manuscript ID for tracking purposes.

Submission Page:
To begin your submission, please visit our Submission Page on the NJOT website.

Submissions that do not comply with the journal’s Author Guidelines or that are incomplete may be returned to authors for correction prior to editorial or peer review.

Responding to Reviewers

How to Address Reviewer Comments

Initial Review:
Upon receiving the editorial decision and reviewers’ comments, carefully read all feedback in full before beginning your revision. Ensure that you understand both the specific points raised by the reviewers and the broader editorial expectations for revision.

Preparing Your Response to Reviewers

In addition to the revised manuscript, authors must submit a point-by-point response to all reviewer comments presented in a table format. Each response should clearly indicate:

  • The reviewer’s comment or concern
  • The author’s response
  • Where the corresponding change can be found in the revised manuscript (page and line numbers)

Authors should address all reviewer comments sequentially and completely. Where a reviewer’s suggestion has been adopted, the response should clearly describe the change made. Where a reviewer’s comment is not accepted, authors may respectfully explain their position, supported by appropriate scientific reasoning or evidence.

Detailed guidance on how to prepare an effective table-based response to reviewers is available at: https://njot.org/njot/responding-to-reviewers

Failure to provide a clear, respectful, and point-by-point response to all reviewer comments may result in rejection of the manuscript or further revision requests.

Instructions for Revising Your Manuscript

Document Revisions

All revisions must be made using the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word. This allows editors and reviewers to clearly identify modifications made to the originally submitted version.

Authors must revise the same version of the manuscript originally submitted. Submitting a new document instead of the original tracked version is not permitted.

How many documents must be submitted at the revision stage?
Authors are required to submit three separate documents when uploading a revised manuscript:

  • Revised manuscript with Track Changes enabled
    This version must clearly show all modifications made in response to reviewer and editorial comments. Authors must revise the originally submitted file and use Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature throughout.

  • Clean revised manuscript (without Track Changes)
    This version should reflect the final revised text exactly as it should appear if accepted, with all tracked changes accepted and comments removed.

  • Point-by-point response to reviewers (table format)
    A separate response table addressing each reviewer comment individually, indicating:

    • The reviewer’s comment
    • The author’s response
    • The exact location of the revision in the manuscript (page and line numbers)

    Submission of Revised Manuscript

    Log In:
    Begin by logging into your account on the submission platform.

    Navigate to Your Manuscript:

    • Go to My Queue
    • Locate your manuscript under My Assigned
    • Click View to open the manuscript details

    Access Reviewer Comments:
    Click on the item listed under Review Discussions to view the reviewer comments. This section may include downloadable files or written comments only.

    You may copy reviewer comments into a text editor (e.g., Notepad) for easier reference. Download any associated files using the provided links, and use them as the basis for preparing your revisions in line with the guidance above.

    Upload Your Response

    • Log back into the submission website using the same username and password.
    • Navigate to the Review Discussions section where you accessed the reviewer comments.
    • Click Add Discussion to the right of Review Discussions.
    • On the next page, your name will already be selected; please also select the editor’s name.
    • Enter any explanatory comments in the message box provided.
    • Upload the three documents prepared above using the upload button below the message box.

    This process is the official means by which authors communicate revisions and responses directly to the editorial team.

    All three documents (response table, tracked-changes manuscript, and clean copy) are required. Submission of an incomplete revision package may delay review or result in return of the manuscript to the authors.

    Deadline for Submission

    Please ensure that your revised manuscript and response table are submitted within one week from the date of the editorial decision email. If you anticipate any difficulty meeting this deadline, contact the Editor-in-Chief at the earliest possible time.

    Failure to submit revisions within the specified timeframe, without prior communication and approval from the Editor-in-Chief, may result in the manuscript being treated as withdrawn.

    Proofreading Stage

    Finalizing Your Manuscript

    Proofs:
    Once your manuscript is accepted, you will receive a galley proof copy for review. This stage allows you to identify typographical errors and confirm that formatting meets the journal’s publication standards.

    Submitting Corrections:
    Please return any corrections within the designated timeframe to avoid delays in publication.

    At the proofreading stage, only minor typographical or formatting corrections are permitted. Substantive changes to content are not allowed and may necessitate additional review or delay publication.

    Link to Author Instructions Page

    For additional details on manuscript formatting and preparation, please refer to the Author Instructions page on the NJOT website. Authors are also advised to review the pre-submission checklist available on the same page.

    Resources and Support

    1. How to Anonymise Comments and Track Changes

    To maintain the integrity of the anonymous peer-review process, authors must ensure that all documents are fully anonymized, including document properties and comments.

    For Microsoft Word (Windows):

    1. Go to File > Info
    2. Click Check for Issues, then select Inspect Document
    3. In the Document Inspector dialog box, deselect everything except “Document Properties and Personal Information”
    4. Click Inspect, then Remove All, close the dialog box, and save the document

    Important Note for Word 365 Users:
    After removing personal information using the Document Inspector, save the document for the anonymization to be effected. In some versions of Word 365, you may need to close and reopen the file for the anonymization to fully appear in the comment bubbles

    For Microsoft Word (macOS):

    1. Go to Tools > Protect Document
    2. Select Remove personal information from this file on save
    3. Click OK and save the document

    If you prefer that your name does not appear in comment bubbles or track changes, you will need to change your username:

    1. Go to File > Options > General
    2. Navigate to Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office
    3. Change your username to a non-identifiable format (e.g., initials)
    4. Click OK to save the changes
    1. Submitting an Article (Video Guide)

    Authors are encouraged to watch the instructional video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZUlgCS0vEc) demonstrating the manuscript submission process for the Nigerian Journal of Orthopaedics and Trauma (NJOT).