1. Submission of Manuscript
The corresponding author submits the manuscript through the journal’s Open Journal System (OJS). Upon submission, the system automatically sends an acknowledgment email to the author and notifies the Editor-in-Chief (EiC).
2. Preliminary Administrative Completeness Check
Before entering the Initial Editorial Assessment stage, all submissions are checked for basic administrative completeness by the editorial office, assistant editor, or editorial team. This check is intended to ensure that the submission has met the journal’s minimum submission requirements before it is considered for editorial assessment.
The administrative completeness check includes, but is not limited to:
- completeness of required submission files;
- submission of the manuscript in the required editable file format;
- completeness of author metadata in OJS;
- completeness of author affiliation and email information;
- submission of a signed Integrity Pact;
- completeness of required statements or supporting documents;
- basic conformity with the Submission Preparation Checklist.
Submissions that do not meet these basic administrative requirements may be returned to the author for completion before entering the Initial Editorial Assessment stage. This administrative return does not constitute an initial editorial assessment, a peer-review decision, or a rejection based on the scholarly merit of the manuscript.
3. Initial Editorial Assessment
Submissions that have passed the Preliminary Administrative Completeness Check undergo an Initial Editorial Assessment before being considered for external peer review. This assessment is conducted by the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial team and is documented in a single Initial Editorial Assessment Form.
The Initial Editorial Assessment consists of two integrated components: Submission & Technical Compliance and Journal Scope & Scholarly Assessment. These components may be reviewed simultaneously as part of one editorial assessment process, and the results are communicated to the author in a single editorial decision notification.
a. Submission & Technical Compliance
At this stage, the editorial team examines whether the manuscript complies with the journal’s Author Guidelines, technical requirements, and manuscript preparation standards. This includes, but is not limited to:
- conformity with the official journal template;
- manuscript formatting and technical presentation;
- manuscript length;
- title length;
- abstract and keywords;
- completeness of article structure;
- quality and readability of figures, tables, and visual materials;
- citation and reference consistency;
- compliance with the required reference style;
- use of a reference manager;
- similarity check requirements.
b. Journal Scope & Scholarly Assessment
As part of the same Initial Editorial Assessment, the Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor evaluates the manuscript’s academic and editorial suitability in relation to:
- relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
- clarity of the research problem and objectives;
- appropriateness of the methodology or design approach;
- scholarly contribution;
- originality and relevance of the topic;
- overall manuscript quality;
- readiness for external peer review.
Based on the integrated assessment of both components, the Editor-in-Chief or editorial team may make one of the following editorial decisions:
- Proceed to Peer Review: The manuscript meets the journal’s technical, editorial, and scholarly requirements and may proceed to external peer review.
- Revision: The manuscript requires technical, editorial, citation-reference, structural, methodological, or scholarly revision before it can proceed to peer review. The revision must address all issues identified in the Initial Editorial Assessment Form.
- Reject Submission: The manuscript cannot proceed further because it does not meet the journal’s academic, editorial, ethical, scope, or fundamental publication requirements. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are not sent to external reviewers.
If the editorial decision is Revision, the author must submit the revised manuscript within 7 days from the date of the revision notification. Failure to submit the revised manuscript within this period may result in the submission being declined from further editorial processing.
Estimated time for Initial Editorial Assessment: 14 days.
4. Assignment of Section Editor and Reviewer Invitation
For manuscripts that pass the Initial Editorial Assessment, the Editor-in-Chief assigns a Section Editor. The Section Editor identifies and invites at least two independent reviewers whose expertise is relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript.
Each manuscript is evaluated by two independent reviewers under a double-blind peer review system, in which the identities of the authors and reviewers are concealed from one another. Authors do not know the identities of the reviewers, and reviewers do not know the identities of the authors.
If one of the invited reviewers declines the invitation, does not respond, or is unable to complete the review, the Section Editor may invite another qualified reviewer.
Estimated time: 7 days.
5. Response to Reviewer Invitation
Invited reviewers are expected to respond to the invitation based on their expertise, availability, and any potential conflicts of interest. If an invited reviewer declines or does not respond within the specified period, the Section Editor may invite another reviewer.
Estimated time: 7 days.
6. Review Process
Once the reviewer invitations have been accepted, the manuscript is normally evaluated independently by two reviewers. Each reviewer is given time to complete the evaluation and is expected to provide a substantive, objective, and constructive assessment through the Peer Review Evaluation Form, together with a recommendation regarding the manuscript.
Possible reviewer recommendations may include:
- Accept Submission;
- Revision Required;
- Resubmit for Review;
- Decline Submission.
Estimated time: 28 days.
7. Evaluation of Review Reports
The Section Editor evaluates the reviewers’ reports and recommendations. Where the reviews present substantially differing judgments, the Section Editor may consult the Editor-in-Chief or the Editorial Advisory Board before an editorial decision is reached.
Estimated time: 7 days.
8. Communication of Editorial Decision
The editorial decision is communicated to the author by the Section Editor or Editor-in-Chief together with the anonymized reviewer comments.
Possible editorial decisions include:
- Accept Submission;
- Revision Required;
- Resubmit for Review;
- Decline Submission.
Where revision is required after peer review, the following timelines apply:
Revision Required
For manuscripts receiving a Revision Required decision, the revised manuscript must be submitted within 14 days of the editorial decision notification.
If the author does not submit the revised manuscript within 14 days, the journal may send a second reminder. Failure to submit the revised manuscript after the reminder may result in the submission being declined. Depending on the editorial schedule, late revisions may also be considered for a subsequent issue rather than the current issue.
Resubmit for Review
For manuscripts receiving a Resubmit for Review decision, the revised manuscript must be submitted within 30 days of the editorial decision notification.
The author must respond to each reviewer comment and clearly indicate the changes made in the revised manuscript. The resubmitted manuscript may be sent for another round of peer review.
Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance for publication.
9. Post-Review Revision Process
For manuscripts requiring revision, the author must revise the manuscript in accordance with the reviewer comments and editorial recommendations.
The author is required to submit:
- the revised manuscript;
- a response to reviewers;
- any additional files required by the editorial team.
Minor revisions may be assessed directly by the Section Editor or Editor-in-Chief. Major revisions or manuscripts submitted under the Resubmit for Review decision may be returned to the reviewers for further evaluation.
Failure to submit the revised manuscript within the required revision period may result in the submission being declined.
10. Final Decision
The final decision on the manuscript is made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the reviewers’ evaluations, the revised manuscript, and the recommendation of the Section Editor.
Before final acceptance, manuscripts recommended for acceptance may be subject to a final similarity check, technical check, and editorial verification.
Upon final acceptance, the author will receive an official Letter of Acceptance (LoA), together with information regarding the Article Processing Charge (APC), where applicable.
Where an APC applies, payment must be completed within 14 days of the issuance of the LoA or invoice. Failure to complete the payment within this period may result in a delay in the production and publication process.
11. Copyediting and Layout Editing
After final acceptance and, where applicable, confirmation of APC payment, the manuscript proceeds to the copyediting and layout editing stages prior to publication.
During copyediting, the manuscript may be edited for clarity, consistency, grammar, citation style, and journal formatting. During layout editing, the manuscript is prepared in the journal’s publication format.
Estimated time for copyediting: 14 days.
Estimated time for layout editing: 14 days.
12. Author Proofreading of Galley Proofs
Once layout editing has been completed, the galley proof is sent to the author for final proofreading.
At this stage, the author is expected to review the final layout carefully and provide feedback only on typographical errors, formatting issues, author information, figure/table placement, or other minor corrections. Substantive changes to the manuscript are generally not permitted at the proofreading stage.
The proofreading feedback must be returned within 7 days of the galley proof notification.
Estimated time: 7 days.
13. Online Publication
After the author’s proofreading feedback has been received and the final corrections have been incorporated, the article will be published online as part of the journal issue.
Publication scheduling is determined by the editorial team based on the journal’s production schedule, issue availability, and completion of all editorial, technical, and administrative requirements.
