Standards Operation Procedures – SOPs

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PROCEDURE NUMBER 1: PROCEDURES FOR THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

  • General
    • Purpose

This procedure ensures that the Council executes its mandate by the law provided under Sections 6(e) of the Nutritionists and Dieticians Act 2007, read together with the Rules and Regulations.

 

  • Scope

This procedure generally covers the appointment of the editor-in-chief and the editors, the selection of the peer reviewers, and the manuscript submission, review, and publishing process.

 

  • Terms and Definitions

JND- Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

DOI- Digital Object Identifier

SOPs- Standard Operating Procedures for JND

KNDI- Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute

ORCID ID- Open Researcher and Contributor ID

 

  • Principal Responsibility

Implementation of the procedure herein shall be entrusted to the KNDI ATRI-PLC Board.

 

  • Procedures for the Editor-In-Chief (Selection & Operations)
    • Procedures for selecting the Editor-In-Chief for the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics
  1. The Editor-In-Chief shall be nominated or apply for the position; they must be
  2. Registered and Licensed with the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute.
  3. A PhD holder with ten years of post-doctoral experience
  • Published at least 20 papers in Nutrition and Dietetics in peer-reviewed journals.
  1. Must have served as an Editor for at least two years in a peer-reviewed Journal.
  2. Must be a reviewer of an international peer-reviewed journal for at least five years.

 

  1. The Editor-in-chief shall be assessed against
  2. Their vision and their capacity to be creative, to brainstorm interesting content for each issue and come up with innovative solutions to complex problems
  3. Their editorial skills: They need to have a strong command of language and writing to maintain the Journal’s audience, voice and scope both in their writing and when determining if submitted or solicited articles are appropriate for publication.
  • Their leadership skills set the tone for the office environment, and they need to be comfortable leading a team and making decisions for the entire organization.
  1. Interpersonal skills: they must feel comfortable representing the publication at publishing conferences and social functions. This involves key marketing, networking and fundraising opportunities for the publication.

 

  1. The editor-in-chief, once appointed, shall serve a maximum of two terms, each term equal to three years.
  2. In case the Editor-in-chief wants to terminate their contract before the end of their term, they shall give a one-month notice to identify a suitable replacement

 

  • General Operations in the Office of the Editor-in-Chief
  1. The Editor-In-Chief shall determine the tone and scope of the Journal of nutrition and Dietetics.
  2. The editor-in-chief shall create the editorial board for each issue and ensure the content is consistent with the publication’s scope.
  3. The Editor-In-Chief shall review the content for each issue and ensure it is free of copy errors or inappropriate content.
  4. The Editor-In-Chief shall hire and lead the editorial team and set the tone for the office environment.
  5. The Editor-In-Chief shall periodically contribute written pieces to the publication, either as full articles or as introductory editorial pieces that serve as a prologue to the issue’s content.
  6. The Editor-In-Chief shall manage the publication’s budget and determine where incoming money will be best used.

 

  • Procedures for the Editorial Board (Selection & Operations)
    • Procedures for Selecting the Members of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  1. Members of the Editorial Board shall be nominated or apply for the position of Editor in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. They should meet the following criteria;
  2. They must be Registered and Licensed with the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute or a professional body or equivalent in their country.
  3. They Must hold a PhD and at least five years of post-doctoral experience in their chosen field.
  • They should have published at least 15 publications in Nutrition and Dietetics specific and sensitive areas.
  1. Must have been a reviewer of an International Peer Reviewed Journal for at least three years.

 

  1. A well-formulated Editorial Board shall have:
  2. Sufficient person to actively assist in handling manuscripts
  3. A representation across all the major sub-divisions in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  • A representation from leading research centres in Nutrition and Dietetics; they can be academic institutions or independent research organizations.
  1. A representation of people from various nationalities, languages, geographic locations, and genders.
  2. Persons from emerging fields in Nutrition and Dietetics
  3. The Editors shall serve a maximum of two terms, each term equal to two years.
  4. If an Editor wants to terminate their contract before the end of their term, they must give one month’s notice to allow for the identification of a suitable replacement.

 

  • General operations in the Editorial Board
  1. The Editors shall advise and support the office of the Editor-In-Chief.
  2. They shall expand the Journal’s scope by identifying new topics for commissioning special editions and advising on the direction of the Journal.
  3. They shall provide content by writing occasional editorials and other short articles.
  4. They shall approach potential contributors to the Journal and request them to submit manuscripts.
  5. They shall improve peer review time by helping identify peer reviewers and building up the length of the peer review record. They shall also give a second opinion on papers that conflict between two or more reviewers.
  6. They shall identify appropriate conferences, workshops, and seminars for the editors to attend as part of capacity building.
  7. They shall increase the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics’ visibility by endorsing it to authors, readers, subscribers and various audiences.
  8. They shall also be part of the scientific committee for the conference.

 

 

 

 

  • Procedures for the Peer Reviewer Team (Selection)
    • Procedures for Selecting the Scientific Peer Review Team Members for the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The peer reviewers shall be in two categories: junior reviewers and Senior reviewers.

  1. Senior Reviewers shall be nominated or apply for the position of reviewer in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. They shall be expected to meet the following requirements;
  2. They must be registered and licensed by the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute or a relevant professional body in their country.
  3. They Must hold a PhD and at least five years of post-doctoral experience in their chosen field.
  • They should have published at least ten publications in Nutrition and Dietetics in their chosen area of specialization.
  1. The journal editorial team must complete peer review training.
  2. Junior Reviewers shall be nominated or apply for the reviewers’ position in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. They shall be expected to meet the following requirements:
  3. They must be Registered and Licensed with the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute or a relevant professional body or equivalent in their country.
  4. They Must hold a PhD and have graduated within 3 years.
  • They should have published at least three publications in Nutrition and Dietetics in their chosen area of specialization.
  1. Must complete a peer review training by the Editor-In-Chief and the Editorial Board.

 

 

  • Procedures for Manuscript Review
    • Procedures before submission
  1. The author shall align the manuscript with the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics requirements, as shown in Appendix 9.

 

  • Procedures for Submitting a Manuscript
  1. The author shall log in to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics Portal, where they shall create an account and fill in their full names, affiliations, active phone number, email address, ORCID ID and the corresponding author names, email, active phone number and ORCID ID.
  2. The author shall select the article type they wish to submit from the following categories: Short Communication, Original Article, Review Article, Systematic Review Article, Meta-Analysis Review, Case Report/Case Series, and Commentary papers.
  3. The author shall then upload their manuscript to the online portal in Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX) format.

 

  • Procedures for Stage 1: Editorial checks Process
  1. The editorial secretariat shall receive the manuscript and assign a serial number in 1st stage checks.
  2. The manuscript shall undergo plagiarism checks, and if the plagiarism rate exceeds 14%, it shall be sent back to the author for corrections.
  3. If the manuscript passes the plagiarism test, it shall also undergo an Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection test. If AI exceeds 19%, the manuscript shall be returned to the author for corrections.
  4. Suppose the manuscript passes both the AI test and the plagiarism test. In that case, it shall undergo further basic editorial checks, including grammar and writing style, and ensure the article is aligned with the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics manuscript guidelines.
  5. Suppose the manuscript does not pass the editorial checks. In that case, it shall be returned to the author for corrections before it proceeds to the 2nd review stage.
  6. The Pre-Review Process should take a maximum of two weeks.

 

  • Procedures for Stage 2: External Peer Review Process
  1. Once the manuscript passes the basic editorial checks, the editorial secretariat team shall format the manuscript by line numbering (per page) and identify external peer reviewers based on their area of expertise.
  2. The editorial secretariat shall assign and share the manuscript with two reviewers.
  3. The reviewer shall confirm within 48 hours of receiving the manuscript.
  4. The peer reviewers shall review a manuscript within two weeks.
  5. If the email does not receive feedback, the reviewer will receive a follow-up phone call as a reminder, after which the manuscript will be reassigned to another reviewer within 3 days.
  6. Once the two independent reviewers have reviewed and accepted the manuscript, the author shall receive the response and a rebuttal form to make corrections and submit it within two weeks. Otherwise, the author shall re-submit the manuscript for a fresh review.
  7. Suppose the manuscript has been accepted by one reviewer and rejected by another. The Editorial team shall assign a third reviewer to review the manuscript again. If the third reviewer accepts the manuscript, the author shall make the required corrections for possible publication.
  8. In case of rejection, the author shall be encouraged to rewrite and re-submit the manuscript.
  9. Once positive feedback is received from both reviewers, the Editor-In-Chief shall prepare a letter for the author. Synthesizing the comments & advising on how to address queries & edits.
  10. The letter shall be sent to the authors, who shall respond to comments from the peer reviewers & re-submit the work.
  11. The Editor-in-chief may request additional changes until the manuscript meets peer review requirements.

 

  • Procedures for the Final Review Process
  1. The manuscript shall be sent to the Editor – In -Chief who shall:
    1. Carry out a complete & final review of the manuscript
    2. Ask for any additional changes for clarity where applicable.
  • Send the manuscript to the author for proofreading.
  1. Approve the final manuscript for publication.

 

  • Procedures for Publishing Articles
  1. Once the manuscript is accepted, authors pay a USD 50 publication fee. The final manuscript then undergoes final formatting and copyediting into an article.
  2. The manuscript shall be assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
  3. The manuscript shall be published in print and online versions in the upcoming issue.
  4. The authors will receive an email stating that the article has been published, and they can then share it on their social media platforms.

 

POLICIES IN THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

POLICY 1: POLICY ON CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Editors, authors, and peer reviewers shall disclose interests that might affect their ability to present or review work objectively. These might include relevant financial interests (patent ownership, stock ownership, consultancies, or speaker’s fees) or personal, political, or religious interests.

The following measures shall protect the Journal against conflict of interest.

  • Journal Editors, Board Members, and staff involved with publication decisions shall declare their interests. The Journal of nutrition and Dietetics will publish these on their website and update them as required,
  • Authors shall describe relevant funding, including the purpose of the funding (for example, travel grant and speaker’s fees), and describe relevant patents, stocks, and shares they own.
  • The authors shall also disclose how conflicts of interest were managed for specific papers.
  • All manuscripts shall include a conflict-of-interest statement; if authors state no conflicts of interest, editors shall publish a confirmation.
  • Editors shall manage peer reviewers’ conflicts of interest. An invitation to review a manuscript shall be accompanied by a request for the reviewer to reveal any potential conflicts of interest and a request for the peer reviewer to disqualify or recuse themselves when relevant.
  • When editors, members of editorial boards, and other editorial staff are presented with papers whose interests may be perceived to impair their ability to make an unbiased editorial decision, they shall withdraw from discussions, deputize decisions, or suggest that authors seek publication in a different journal.

 

 

 

POLICY 2: POLICY ON RESEARCH ETHICS

The following essential practices shall be established to ensure that the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics publishes ethical and responsible research.

  1. Animals in Research
  • Ethical and Legal approval shall be obtained before the start of the study, the name of the body approving shall be clearly stated, and a copy of the approval shall be attached during initial submission.
  • Research involving animals shall be conducted with the same rigour as human research. Authors shall implement the 3Rs principles of
  1. Replacement (approaches which avoid or replace the use of animals),
  2. Reduction (methods which minimize the number of animals used) and
  3. Refinement (methods which minimize animal suffering and improve welfare).

 

  • All authors shall adhere to animal research reporting standards. The ARRIVE reporting guidelines describe the details the journals shall require from authors regarding:
  1. Study design and statistical analysis.
  2. Experimental procedures.
  3. Experimental animals.
  4. Housing and husbandry.

 

  1. Human Studies and Subjects
  • For manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants, including but extending beyond medical research, authors shall include a statement to confirm that the appropriate ethical approval has been received, along with details of the approving ethics committee, and that the study conforms to the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • The Journal shall only publish original research papers in which the authors obtained prior consent from all participants before data collection.
  • If manuscripts contain information that may identify a person, then consent to publish from the participants shall also be obtained.
  • Bias Language: For research that includes or refers to human participants, it shall be necessary to detail the study population, which requires descriptors. It is important that the language and descriptors used to describe research populations are bias-free.

For research related to gender, age, racial and ethnic background, sexual orientation, disability status, and socio-economic status, there may occasionally be qualitative data from participants (i.e. direct quotes or transcribed interviews), including derogatory demographic descriptors. Wherever possible, authors should avoid using derogatory demographic descriptors or offensive language unless it is essential to the research in question. For example, offensive language may be appropriate to include if it is a direct quote (noted as such) from a participant reporting their own experiences using such language.

  • Clinical Trials: Clinical trials shall be registered prospectively before enrolling participants. They shall also follow the CONSORT(Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines. Clinical trial registration numbers shall be included in all papers that report their results.

 

POLICY 3: DATA SHARING POLICY

Authors shall be encouraged to share or make available any data and materials supporting the results or analyses presented in their paper. Please note that data shall only be shared if it is ethically correct to do so, where this does not violate the protection of human subjects or other valid ethical, privacy, or security concerns.

  • Depositing Data: Authors shall be advised to deposit data in a recognized data repository that can mint a persistent digital identifier, such as a digital object identifier (DOI), and recognize a long-term preservation plan.
  • Data Availability Statement (DAS): Authors shall be encouraged to provide a data availability statement detailing where data associated with a paper can be found and how it can be accessed. The DAS shall be submitted within the article manuscript before the ‘References’ section. If data cannot be made open, authors shall state why in the data availability statement.
  • The Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes data as important, citable products of research and that data citations shall be both understandable by humans and machine-readable. Authors shall be expected to cite any datasets in the body of the article, with a corresponding reference in the reference list.
  • Peer Review: The authors shall ensure the soundness of any data. Any errors in the data rest solely with the producers of the dataset(s). Peer reviewers and editors shall consider a manuscript’s data availability statement and whether the authors have complied with the Journal’s data-sharing policy.

 

 

 

EXEMPTIONS

  • In some cases, authors’ data or materials cannot be shared for legal or ethical reasons, including issues of author consent, third-party rights, institutional or national regulation or laws, or the nature of data gathered. In such cases, the author must inform the editors at the time of submission. It is understood that in some cases, access shall be provided under restrictions to protect confidential or proprietary information.
  • Editors may grant exceptions to data access requirements provided authors explain the restriction on the data set and how they preclude public access. If possible, describe the steps others should follow to gain access to the data.
  • If the author cannot or does intend to make the data publicly available, a statement to this effect, along with the reasons that the data is not shared, shall be included in the manuscript.

 

 

POLICY 4: CORRECTIONS, RETRACTIONS AND WITHDRAWAL POLICY

  1. Corrections
  • The Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages authors to notify the editorial board if errors occur in the context of the published article. Once notified, the Editorial Board shall work closely with the authors to correct the error. The error is significant if:
  • Important content is incorrect.
  • The error affects the interpretation of data or information presented in the article.
  • The article’s funders are not acknowledged in compliance with their rules or
  • The article’s metadata (author list, title, etc.) is wrong, affecting its discoverability on third-party abstracting and indexing sites.

 

  • While the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics welcomes feedback on all errors to improve, not all errors shall require correction after publication. Minor copyediting or typesetting that do not affect the meaning or interpretation of an article are generally not corrected after publication.

 

  • Comrrections in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics shall be neutral in tone, included in indexing systems, and linked to the original article online.

 

  • For articles already published in an issue, a corresponding correction statement will be published separately and linked to the original article. An accepted article yet to be published shall not be corrected, as a new version shall replace it as appropriate.

 

  • The editor-in-chief shall decide if the paper will undergo peer review again or if corrections will be added and the paper published.

 

 

  1. Retractions
  • The Editorial board of the Journal of Nutrition shall be committed to playing its part in maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. It shall, on occasion, retract articles. Retractions shall be considered for articles when
  • The Journal has clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either as a result of a major error (e.g. miscalculation or experimental error) or as a result of fabrication (e.g. of data) or falsification (e.g. image manipulation).
  • It constitutes plagiarism
  • The findings have been published elsewhere without proper attribution to previous sources or disclosure to the editor, permission to republish, or justification (i.e., cases of redundant publication).
  • It contains material or data without authorization for use
  • Copyright has been infringed, or there is some other serious legal issue (e.g. libel, privacy)
  • It reports unethical research
  • It has been published solely based on a compromised or manipulated peer review process.
  • The author(s) failed to disclose a major competing interest or conflict of interest that, in the editor’s view, would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers.

 

  • The Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics Editorial board shall adopt the following retraction process.
  • An article requiring potential retraction shall be brought to the journal editor’s attention and the integrity assurance and case resolution team (IACR).
  • With the assistance of the IACR auditor, the editor-in-chief shall evaluate the article, evaluate a response from the article’s author in question, and decide whether retraction is appropriate.
  • The final decision to retract shall be communicated to the authors and, if necessary, any other relevant bodies, such as the author’s institution.
  • The retraction notice shall be posted online, linked to the article being retracted and published in the next available issue of the Journal.

 

  • The Journal’s Editorial board shall follow the following steps when issuing a retraction notice.
  • The retraction notice shall appear on the last numbered page of the Journal’s issue;
  • The retraction notice shall be listed on the contents page and shall include the title of the article being retracted;
  • The text of the retraction notice shall explain why the article is being retracted.
  • The retraction notice and the retracted article shall be linked on the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics website so that the retraction will be apparent to anyone who comes across the retracted article.

 

  1. Withdrawals

The Editorial board of the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics strongly discourages the withdrawal of papers once published. However, there shall be circumstances under which an article shall be withdrawn following publication. This shall include

  • Where there shall be a violation of the privacy of a research subject;
  • Where there shall be errors to which a member of the general public might be exposed and, if followed or adopted, would pose a significant health risk.
  • Where a defamatory comment about others in the relevant field or their work has been made.

 

 

 

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Reply on the First submission

JOURNAL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS: PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Thank you for submitting your article to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. These are the timelines for the peer review process. If you don’t hear from us within the expected timelines. Please feel free to contact us via the email: kndijournal@kndi.institute

Pre-Review Checks Two weeks  to Four Weeks

·         You shall receive your plagiarism, Artificial Intelligence and Basic editorial check report within two weeks of submitting your manuscript.

·         If you have passed the basic editorial checks, you shall receive these reports in the first review stage.

·         You must re-submit the corrections for the basic editorial check within two weeks.

This process should take a maximum of four weeks.

 
Peer Review Checks Four weeks

·         Within 2-4 weeks after the Basic Editorial Checks, You shall receive the results of the peer review process; your manuscript will be accepted or rejected.

·         If accepted, you must re-submit the corrections within two weeks.

·         If you have not submitted the manuscript within 2 weeks after receiving the corrections. You will have to re-submit your manuscript as a new paper.

·         If you satisfy the peer review requirements. Your paper shall proceed to the publication section.

This process should take a maximum of four weeks.

 
Proofreading and Publication Four weeks

·         Once the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics accepts your paper. You shall receive an invoice to pay 50 USD

·         Within Two weeks after payment, you shall receive the final paper for proofreading. You should re-submit the article within one week.

·         Your paper shall be assigned a Unique Digital Object Identifier and published online.

·         Immediately after publication, you shall receive an email with the publication details you shall use on your social media platforms.

 

The Whole Publication process should take a maximum of Twelve weeks. (3Months)

 

 

 

APPENDIX 2: DESK EDITORIAL CHANGES

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for submitting your manuscript [TITLE] to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. After careful consideration by our editors, we kindly request that you make the following changes before the paper is sent out for external peer review.

We discovered that your paper has [PERCENTAGE] plagiarism. Our AI detection platform has also detected that AI-generated [PERCENTAGE] of this paper and thus cannot be published; [NUMBER] of references do not have a DOI.

Please find attached the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics Guidelines to help you align your manuscript. Attached are the Vancouver referencing styles. (Ensure ¾ of your references include the Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Kindly work on this document within ten days and re-submit the manuscript by [DATE]. If not submitted by then, we presume you have withdrawn your submission.

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

APPENDIX 3: REPLY ON ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF MANUSCRIPT

Manuscript Acceptance Letter

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for submitting [TITLE] to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. We are pleased to inform you that we would like to publish your manuscript. To proceed with publishing, we need you to make the following corrections [DEADLINE DATE & TIME]. Once you have completed the corrections, our production editor will contact you with more information about the next steps in our publishing process, including copy editing, proofing and payment of publication costs. You will have the opportunity to review your article proof before publication.

 

Manuscript Revise and Re-submit Manuscript (Major Revision)

Dear [NAME]

Thank you for submitting your manuscript [TITLE] to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. After carefully assessing your submission, our editorial team and a group of expert reviewers feel it has potential for publication, so we invite you to revise the paper and re-submit it for further review.

Please see the attached file, the reviewer’s comments, for further details about necessary revisions. We ask that you submit the revised version of your manuscript by [LINK TO RE-SUBMIT]. Your revised manuscript should accompany a rebuttal; see attached a sample rebuttal. You have 2 weeks to respond to the revised and re-submit request ending on [DATE]. After this point, we presume you have withdrawn your submission from the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Please feel free to contact us via email at kndijournal@kndi.institute with any questions.

 

Manuscript Rejection

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for submitting your manuscript [TITLE] to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. Following careful consideration by the Journal’s editorial board and a group of expert reviewers, I regret to inform you that we cannot accept your submission. I am including the reviewers’ comments in this email for your reference. I hope you find this information helpful if you submit your paper to another journal.

 

 

 

APPENDICE 4: REVIEWERS FORM

 

 

 

 

 

Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

(ISSN 2415-5195)

http://www.kndi.institute/journal

The Official Publication of Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI)

 

Manuscript Review Form

 

Instructions to Reviewers:

Please remember that all materials submitted for consideration to the Kenya Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics (KJND) are confidential and should not be distributed, shared, used or otherwise supplied to third parties before publication.

Tell the Editors about any conflict of interest in reviewing the paper.

 

Please phrase your reviews politely; even ‘bad’ papers represent a lot of work on the part of the authors. The review may be the basis for further revisions of the paper or the work that the paper reports. We all know how hurtful a needlessly negative review can be and how helpful a positive one can be; please try to bear that in mind when writing yours. Meanwhile, the author will give the reviewer’s evaluation feedback to the Editors. It provides evidence for Editors to decide whether the reviewer is qualified.

 

Please respond within the allotted time so we can give the authors timely responses and feedback.

Manuscript Number: JND_05_01_12
Article Title: POTENTIAL OF EDIBLE SEAWEED ON THE KENYAN COAST AS A MICRONUTRIENT SOURCE

 

Overall Evaluation: Please put a checkmark ☑ in the appropriate box.

  1. Publish; no significant alterations suggested.
  2. Publish but suggest changes to the article as specified in this review.
  3. Publish, but suggestions, as specified in this review, must be addressed by either making changes or explaining why changes would be inappropriate.
  4. Reject, but encourage the author to try a major revision and a second peer review.
  5. Reject, do not encourage a rewrite.

 

 

 

 

 

Answer the 3 Questions Below:

Questions
1.      Is the purpose or purported significance of the article stated explicitly?
 
2.      Is the significance of the paper explained relative to previous work?
 
3.      Is the paper written and well organized?
 

Specific Reviewer Comments and Suggestions:

Note that these comments may be in addition to or in lieu of reviewer comments inserted into the text of the article. Use as many lines as needed.

a)     Please give a frank account of the strengths and weaknesses of the article (in 100-200 words):
 

 
b)    Please provide detailed suggestions on how to improve the paper (in 100-200 words):
 

 
c)     Minor comments (if any)
 

 

Confidential Comments (if any):

Note that any comments in this section will not be shown to the authors.

 

 

 

Authors’ Feedback of Reviewer’s Work to Kenya Nutritionist and Dieticians Institute

Specific evaluation of the reviewer’s review result Rating Result

[Poor] 1-5 [Excellent]
   

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 5: REBUTTAL

Sample of Rebuttal for The Journal of Nutrition And Dietetics.

 

 

Code (Example JND_04_01),

Date.

 

 

The Editor-In-Chief

Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

PO BOX 20436-00100

Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Dear Sir,

RE: REBUTTAL FOR REVIEWER 1 COMMENTS.

 

Study Title: (Example: Socio-economic, Socio-demographic Factors and Maternal Nutrition of Mothers aged 15-49 years in Kibera slums, Nairobi Kenya.)

 

Following the corrections suggested in the proposal, I wish to indicate the comments addressed as follows:

(Below is an example; for all the corrections, kindly do the same)

 

No JND Editorial Board Comments Rebuttals
1 Summarize the consent form (too long) The consent form, which is on page 39, has been summarized and is now one page long.
2 Harmonize the specific objectives in the abstract with those in the proposal. The Specific objectives in the abstract have been harmonized with those in the proposal. The specific objectives are on page (i) and in the document on page 5.

 

Your positive consideration will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

(Manuscript code; Example JND_04_01_01)

APPENDIX 6: SUBMISSION PROGRESS UPDATE

 

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for submitting your manuscript [TITLE] to the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. We are in the process of evaluating your submission. At this point, your manuscript

Option 1:

It has been assigned to an editor and is awaiting reviewers’ confirmation. Please note that the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics requires at least two external reviews for each submission.

 

Option 2:

Is under external review and [insert number of reviews you’ve received] of the [insert number of reviews you will require]; external peer review we require before making a decision has been submitted.

 

Option 3:

It has undergone external peer review, with all necessary reviews submitted, and is now awaiting the final editorial board review. You can expect to receive a decision within 15 days.

 

We evaluate all submissions as expeditiously as possible and appreciate your patience throughout the peer review process [you can track the status of your manuscript within our peer review system by navigating to…]

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX 7: ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS PRODUCTION PROCESS LETTER

Dear [NAME],

We are pleased you accepted our offer to publish your manuscript [TITLE] in the [VOLUME NO, ISSUE NO] Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. Your manuscript will now move into production, which includes copy editing and proofreading. You will have the opportunity to review your article proof before publication.

Here is what we will need you to do before the article proofing stage

  1. Answer any questions on the proof.
  2. Note any necessary corrections to the text of your article (e.g.) misspelt or missing words.
  3. Return your proof to us within ten working days.

Our production team will reach out when your article is ready for proofing. You should expect to hear from the team within 14 working days.

Please note: the proof stage is the only opportunity for the author to review their articles before publication, so please check your proof carefully. Proof edits should be reserved for necessary corrections to the article text to ensure the accuracy and flow of information. Substantive changes to the content or structure of the article cannot be made at this stage. Once your final proofed article is published, it will remain the version of the record with no opportunity for post-publication changes unless the publication record is seriously affected.

We look forward to publishing your manuscript. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

 

APPENDIX 8: REVIEW REQUEST

Dear [NAME],

I hope this email finds you well. I’m glad to inform you that you have been selected to serve as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. The editorial board wishes that you would kindly accept our appointment.

 

KNDI-JOURNAL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS NEW REVIEWERS FORM

 

Greetings,

To ensure the effectiveness of the peer review process. Kindly fill out this form as accurately as possible.

 

  1. Official Email Address 

Your answer

  1. Active Phone Number

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  1. Prefix (e.g.) Prof, Dr, Mr, Ms, etc
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  1. Full Name (First, Middle, Last)
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  1. Institution/Organization (provide One )
    Your answer
  2. Designation in the Institution/Organization

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  1. Areas of Expertise (Kindly list the areas of expertise vertically,g. (1. Maternal and Child Nutrition, Non-Communicable Diseases)

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  1. We want to include our Scientific reviewers team on social media. To support the procedure, kindly share your LinkedIn handle.  

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  1. Recommend at least 1 Senior Reviewer(PhD with at least 5 years ) and 1 Junior Reviewer(PhD who has graduated within 3 years) by sharing their Name and Email address.

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  1. Please provide your ORCID ID. It connects individuals and their professional contributions across disciplines, organizations, and time. It also links all your research together, and you control the visibility of each piece of data.
    To have an ORCID ID, you need to:
    Search ORCID ID on the website.
    2. Register and sign in to the account.
    3. You will receive a code in your email; for example, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
    1824-7269.*

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  1. Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) PDF

Upload 1 supported file: PDF/RTF. Max 10 MB.

 

 

APPENDIX: 9 REVIEWERS’ LETTER

SUBJECT: INVITATION TO REVIEW MANUSCRIPT FOR JOURNAL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

 

Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI) has identified you as a potential peer reviewer for the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics. The editorial board has completed stage one of the in-house review of the manuscript below and has approved the content for further peer review from your expertise. This communication requests you to review the manuscript attached and provide the details of your review by filling out the attached form.

 

Manuscript Details:

Title:

 

The editorial committee would be grateful if you could review the above-mentioned manuscript and send your valuable comments within 14 (two-week) calendar days.

 

Upon completion of a timely quality peer review, we’ll be pleased to provide you with an Official Certificate as a peer reviewer bearing the KNDI official logo (signed PDF copy). To facilitate the preparation of the certificate, please submit your full affiliation in the review comments forms.

 

The Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics upholds confidentiality of documents as part of the review team. The editorial committee requests that you treat the documents associated with this review with utmost confidentiality.

 

Note: Detailed comments to the author (s), should indicate the line number (s) for sections to be corrected or reviewed.

 

 

Dr David Omondi Okeyo, MSc, PhD, MPH

Editor-In-Chief

Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

PO Box 20436-00100, Nairobi.

Tel.: +254 (0) 20 2608882

Email: chiefeditor@kndi.institute

Website: www.kndi.institute