Stage one: The peer review process starts with submitting your research manuscript to an appropriate scholarly journal. Check if our journal matches your study’s scope and follows our author guidelines and formatting requirements. Once your manuscript is ready, submit it through our journal’s online system.

Stage two: Once the manuscript is submitted, one of our editors conducts an initial assessment which involves evaluating if your manuscript aligns with the journal’s scope, its overall quality, and compliance with formatting guidelines. If the manuscript meets these criteria, it will move on to the next step. However, if it is determined to be unsuitable for publication, it may be rejected at this stage, and the researcher will receive a rejection notification.

Stage three: Once the manuscript passes the initial assessment, your paper will be peer-reviewed by an anonymous researcher in our editorial team. The reviewers are chosen based on their expertise and ability to provide constructive feedback.

Stage four: Reviewers first assess the content, methodology, originality, and significance of your manuscript. Secondly, they evaluate strengths and weaknesses, identify any errors or gaps in the research, and provide constructive feedback to improve the study. Reviewers additionally may recommend revisions, additional results, or further analyses if necessary. The review process is time-framed, details of which can be found in our journal’s policies.

Stage five: The reviewers submit reports to editors in chief, who decide on the manuscript based on their feedback. The decisions generally fit into four categories: a) Acceptance with no revisions necessary; b) Minor revisions before acceptance; c) Major revisions and further review or d) Rejection where the manuscript is unsuitable for publication.

Stage six: If revisions are needed, the researcher revises the manuscript and resubmits it together with a response letter explaining the changes.

Stage seven: After receiving the revised manuscript, the editor re-evaluates it with the provided responses. If necessary, the manuscript may be returned to the reviewers for further assessment. The final decision is made by the editor based on the reviewers’ recommendations and the revisions. If accepted, the manuscript undergoes copyediting, typesetting, and proofreading before official publication in the journal.