Preliminary Editorial Review
Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial editorial assessment to determine:
- Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope
- Compliance with submission and formatting guidelines
- Completeness of required documents and declarations
- Basic ethical compliance, including plagiarism screening
Timeline: The preliminary review is typically completed within 7 days of submission.
Double-Blind Peer Review
Manuscripts that pass the preliminary assessment are sent for double-blind peer review. Each manuscript is evaluated by a minimum of two independent expert reviewers.
Reviewer Selection
- Reviewers are selected based on subject-matter expertise
- All reviewers must declare conflicts of interest
- Conflicted individuals are excluded from review
- Reviewer identities remain confidential
Evaluation Criteria
- Originality and scholarly significance
- Methodological rigor
- Validity of analysis and interpretation
- Ethical compliance
- Clarity of writing
- Quality of references
Review Timeline
The full peer review process generally takes 30–45 days depending on reviewer availability and revision rounds.
Editorial Decision
- Accept without revisions
- Accept with minor revisions
- Major revisions required
- Reject
Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and are final.
Ethical Standards and Confidentiality
All manuscripts and review materials are treated as confidential. Ethical concerns are handled according to COPE guidance and journal policies.
Appeals and Queries
Authors may submit formal appeals with supporting evidence if they believe the review process was not properly conducted.
