Editorial Policy

Nigerian Journal of Counselling and Human Development (NJCHD)

ISSN: 2645-2774

The Nigerian Journal of Counselling and Human Development (NJCHD) is committed to promoting academic excellence, scholarly integrity, and ethical publishing practices. The Editorial Board ensures that all submitted manuscripts are evaluated fairly, objectively, and solely on their academic merit.

The journal adheres to internationally accepted standards of scholarly publishing and maintains a transparent editorial process designed to uphold the quality and credibility of published research.

Editorial Independence

The Editorial Board exercises full independence in making editorial decisions. Decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection are based exclusively on:

  • Originality of the work

  • Academic quality

  • Methodological rigor

  • Relevance to the journal's scope

  • Contribution to knowledge

  • Compliance with ethical standards

Editorial decisions are not influenced by authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, institutional affiliation, political beliefs, or religious views.

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board shall:

  • Maintain high standards of academic publishing.

  • Ensure fairness and objectivity in manuscript evaluation.

  • Protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts.

  • Promote ethical research and publication practices.

  • Address allegations of research misconduct appropriately.

  • Ensure timely processing of manuscripts.

  • Preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Manuscript Evaluation

All manuscripts submitted to NJCHD undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine:

  • Suitability for the journal.

  • Compliance with author guidelines.

  • Academic relevance and quality.

  • Ethical compliance.

  • Plagiarism screening results.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's minimum requirements may be declined before external review.

Peer Review Policy

NJCHD operates a Double-Blind Peer Review System.

Under this process:

  • Authors remain anonymous to reviewers.

  • Reviewers remain anonymous to authors.

  • At least two independent experts evaluate each manuscript.

The review process ensures objectivity, quality assurance, and scholarly credibility.

Confidentiality

Editors and reviewers shall treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents.

Information relating to submitted manuscripts shall not be disclosed to any person other than:

  • The corresponding author

  • Assigned reviewers

  • Editorial staff involved in processing the manuscript

Confidential materials shall not be used for personal advantage.

Conflict of Interest

Editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the review, evaluation, or publication of manuscripts.

Where a conflict exists, the affected individual shall withdraw from the decision-making process.

Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct

NJCHD maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward:

  • Plagiarism

  • Data fabrication

  • Data falsification

  • Duplicate publication

  • Citation manipulation

  • Unethical research practices

All manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software before entering the review process.

Manuscripts found to contain significant ethical violations will be rejected.

Corrections and Retractions

The journal reserves the right to publish:

  • Corrections

  • Editorial notes

  • Expressions of concern

  • Retractions

where necessary to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the scholarly record.

Publication Ethics

Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, honesty, transparency, accountability, and professional conduct throughout the publication process.

Open Access Commitment

NJCHD supports the dissemination of scholarly knowledge and encourages broad accessibility of published research for educational, scientific, and professional purposes.

Editorial Decision

The Editor-in-Chief retains the final authority regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

All editorial decisions are final and are communicated to authors through the official journal communication channels.

Editorial Office

Nigerian Journal of Counselling and Human Development (NJCHD)

Department of Guidance and Counselling
Faculty of Education
Ambrose Alli University
P.M.B. 14, Ekpoma
Edo State, Nigeria

Email: nigerianjchd@gmail.com

Telephone: 08034424715, 08055508112

ISSN: 2645-2774e