Editors Guidelines

The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic and scientific publishing. All editors and members of the Editorial Board are expected to adhere to internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing, research integrity, and publication ethics.

  1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the overall editorial management of the journal and shall:

  • Provide overall leadership and supervision of the journal’s editorial policies and activities.
  • Make the final editorial decision regarding the acceptance, revision, or rejection of submitted manuscripts.
  • Appoint editors and reviewers, as appropriate, based on their expertise and academic qualifications.
  • Monitor the quality, integrity, and efficiency of the peer-review process.
  • Ensure that the journal adheres to recognized standards of publication ethics and research integrity.
  • Ensure that editorial decisions are based on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, and academic merit of manuscripts.
  • Represent the journal before academic, scientific, professional, and indexing organizations.
  • Take appropriate action when ethical concerns or allegations of research misconduct arise.
  1. Duties and Responsibilities of the Editorial Board

Members of the Editorial Board are expected to:

  • Conduct an initial editorial assessment of submitted manuscripts.
  • Recommend qualified and independent reviewers with appropriate subject-matter expertise.
  • Monitor and support the peer-review process.
  • Provide editorial recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief.
  • Contribute to maintaining and improving the academic and scientific quality of the journal.
  • Support the development of the journal’s scope, policies, and editorial standards.
  • Propose relevant topics for special issues and thematic collections.
  • Promote academic integrity and responsible research and publication practices.
  1. Responsibilities of the Managing Editor

The Managing Editor is responsible for the day-to-day administrative and editorial coordination of the journal and shall:

  • Receive and process manuscripts submitted through the journal’s electronic submission system.
  • Verify that submitted manuscripts comply with the journal’s submission and formatting requirements.
  • Ensure that the required author information and submission documents have been provided.
  • Coordinate correspondence with authors, reviewers, and editors.
  • Monitor peer-review deadlines and publication schedules.
  • Maintain accurate editorial records and documentation.
  • Coordinate the preparation of accepted manuscripts and journal issues for electronic publication.
  1. Manuscript Processing Procedures

4.1 Initial Submission and Technical Screening

Upon submission, each manuscript shall undergo an initial screening to determine whether it:

  • Falls within the scope and aims of the journal.
  • Complies with the journal’s prescribed manuscript template and formatting requirements.
  • Contains complete and accurate information about all authors.
  • Meets the journal’s basic academic and language requirements.
  • Has undergone an appropriate similarity check in accordance with the journal’s policies.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s basic submission requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before entering the peer-review process.

4.2 Editorial Screening

Following the initial technical screening, the assigned editor shall assess the manuscript with regard to:

  • Originality and contribution to the field.
  • Scientific and academic significance.
  • Relevance to the journal’s scope.
  • Clarity and appropriateness of the research methodology.
  • Adequacy of the analysis and interpretation of results.
  • Quality and appropriateness of references and citations.
  • Overall compliance with academic and ethical standards.

The journal may reject manuscripts at the editorial screening stage when they are clearly outside the journal’s scope, fail to meet minimum academic standards, or present substantial ethical or methodological concerns.

4.3 Peer-Review Process

The journal adopts a Double-Blind Peer Review system, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another to the extent practicable.

  • Each manuscript considered suitable for peer review shall normally be evaluated by at least two qualified and independent reviewers.
  • Reviewers shall be selected based on their subject-matter expertise, research experience, academic qualifications, and independence.
  • Reviewers are required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the manuscript and its contents.
  • Reviewers shall provide objective, constructive, and scientifically justified assessments.
  • Reviewers shall disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest before accepting an assignment.
  • Reviewers shall not use unpublished information contained in submitted manuscripts for personal or professional advantage.
  • Reviewers shall submit their reports within the period specified by the journal.

4.4 Editorial Decisions

Following completion of the peer-review process, the editorial decision may be one of the following:

  • Accept:The manuscript is accepted for publication without further substantive changes.
  • Minor Revisions:The manuscript may be accepted subject to limited revisions.
  • Major Revisions / Resubmission:Substantial revisions are required, after which the manuscript may be subject to further editorial or peer review.
  • Reject:The manuscript is not considered suitable for publication in the journal.

Editorial decisions shall be based on the scientific and academic merits of the manuscript and shall not be influenced by the authors’ nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, personal characteristics, or other irrelevant considerations.

  1. Publication Ethics

The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Editors shall:

  • Maintain the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and associated editorial correspondence.
  • Ensure that manuscripts are evaluated fairly and objectively.
  • Avoid discrimination against authors on any irrelevant or non-academic grounds.
  • Identify and appropriately manage actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.
  • Protect the integrity and independence of the editorial decision-making process.
  • Address allegations of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, and other forms of research or publication misconduct in accordance with the journal’s policies and applicable ethical standards.
  • Take appropriate corrective action when ethical concerns are substantiated.
  1. Conflict of Interest Policy

Editors, Editorial Board members, and reviewers must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived as influencing, the editorial or peer-review process.

Where a conflict of interest exists, the manuscript shall be reassigned to another qualified editor or reviewer, as appropriate.

Authors are also required to disclose relevant conflicts of interest in accordance with the journal’s submission requirements.

 

  1. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

The journal takes allegations of plagiarism and research misconduct seriously. Such misconduct may include, but is not limited to:

  • Plagiarism or inappropriate use of another person’s work without proper attribution.
  • Fabrication or falsification of research data.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication.
  • Manipulation or inappropriate alteration of research results.
  • Other practices that violate accepted standards of research integrity.

Where evidence of misconduct is identified, the journal may take appropriate action, which may include:

  • Rejection of the manuscript.
  • Requesting clarification or corrective action from the authors.
  • Retraction of an article after publication, where appropriate.
  • Publication of a correction, expression of concern, or retraction notice, as applicable.
  • Notification of the relevant academic or research institution when warranted.

All cases shall be handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with established publication-ethics procedures.

  1. Confidentiality Policy

All manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, author information, and related data submitted to or generated during the editorial process shall be treated as confidential.

Editors, Editorial Board members, reviewers, and other individuals involved in the editorial process must not disclose, share, or use confidential information obtained through their work for purposes unrelated to the editorial process.

  1. Criteria for Selecting Peer Reviewers

The journal shall select reviewers according to appropriate academic and professional criteria, including:

  • Relevant and specialized subject-matter expertise.
  • Demonstrated research experience in the relevant field.
  • Appropriate academic and scientific qualifications.
  • A suitable scholarly publication record.
  • Independence and impartiality.
  • Absence of any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest.

Where possible, reviewers should not be selected if they have a close professional or personal relationship with the authors or any other relationship that could compromise the objectivity of the review.

  1. Peer-Review Timeline

The journal aims to complete the peer-review process within approximately 2–6 weeks, depending on the nature and complexity of the manuscript, the availability of qualified reviewers, and the time required to obtain appropriate review reports.

The stated timeframe is an indicative target rather than a guaranteed publication schedule, as delays may occur when reviewers are unavailable or additional review is required.

  1. Use of Similarity-Detection Systems

The journal uses appropriate similarity-detection software and procedures to assess the originality of submitted manuscripts before publication.

A similarity report is considered an editorial screening tool and does not, by itself, constitute definitive evidence of plagiarism. Editors may examine the nature, source, and context of identified similarities and may request clarification from authors or take further action where necessary.

Manuscripts containing unacceptable levels or forms of unattributed similarity may be returned to the authors, subjected to further investigation, or rejected in accordance with the journal’s publication-ethics policies.

  1. Commitment to Editorial Independence and Integrity

The journal is committed to ensuring that editorial decisions are made independently, objectively, and transparently. Editorial decisions shall be based primarily on the academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical compliance, and relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope.

The journal does not tolerate undue influence, discrimination, or interference in the peer-review and editorial decision-making processes.