JOECSA is the official peer-reviewed journal of the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COECSA), serving over 500 members.
It is an open access journal published in English, both online and in print.
The journal focuses on ophthalmology and community eye health across the region.
JOECSA publishes high-quality research in eye care and blindness prevention.
It aims to increase the regional and global visibility of African ophthalmic research.
Peer Review Process
JOECSA's Peer‑Review Process
Peer review is central to JOECSA’s quality assurance and ensures that only rigorous, clinically relevant work is published.
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Initial Editorial Screening
All submissions are first screened by the editorial team for fit with the journal’s scope, basic scientific quality, ethical compliance, formatting, and originality (including a similarity/plagiarism check). Manuscripts that do not meet these basic requirements may be rejected at this stage. -
External Peer Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent for anonymous peer review via the JOECSA OJS system. Expert reviewers assess originality, scientific rigor, clinical relevance, clarity of presentation, and ethical soundness, and recommend one of the following: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject. The handling editor considers all reports and makes an editorial decision, which is communicated to the corresponding author together with reviewers’ comments.pkp.sfu+2 -
Revision and Resubmission
Where revisions are requested, authors are invited to submit a revised manuscript with a detailed, point‑by‑point response to reviewers’ comments. Revised manuscripts may be evaluated by the editor alone or sent back to reviewers for further assessment. One or more rounds of revision may be requested before a final decision is made.ejournal.uluwiyah+1 -
Acceptance and Production
Once a manuscript is accepted, it proceeds to copyediting, typesetting, and proofreading within the OJS production workflow. Authors review and approve page proofs before publication.swinburne+2 -
Online Publication
Final, approved articles are published online on the JOECSA website and assigned a DOI, ensuring rapid dissemination and long‑term accessibility of the work.
