Editorial Policies

Peer Review Process
Initial Manuscript Screening
• All submitted manuscripts are screened by the assigned editor for originality, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, overall quality of presentation, and adherence to submission guidelines. Manuscripts that do not meet basic standards may be desk-rejected with constructive feedback.

Assignment to Reviewers
• Manuscripts that pass initial screening are sent to 2–5 external reviewers with subject expertise. Reviewers are selected based on expertise, availability, and absence of conflicts of interest. The journals use a single-blind peer review process (reviewers know authors’ identities; authors do not see reviewer identities).

Review Timeline
• Reviewers are normally given 4–8 weeks to complete their evaluation. Extensions may be granted in special circumstances.

Reviewer Evaluation Criteria
• Reviewers assess: originality and contribution, methodological rigor, clarity and structure, relevance to scope, ethical compliance, and quality of references. Reviewers submit detailed comments and a recommendation: Accept, Consider after Minor Changes, Consider after Major Changes, or Reject.

Editorial Decision
• The editor considers all reviews and makes the final decision. If two or more reviewers recommend rejection, the manuscript will be rejected. The editor may require further revisions or consult additional reviewers when necessary.

Revision Process
• Authors receiving revision requests should provide a point-by-point response to reviewer comments and highlight changes in the revised manuscript. Typical revision windows: 2–4 weeks for minor revisions, 4–8 weeks for major revisions; extensions may be granted upon request.

Final Acceptance
• Once the editor is satisfied that reviewer concerns have been adequately addressed, the manuscript is accepted. Accepted manuscripts undergo a final editorial check for formatting, grammar, and conformity to journal style.

Transparency and Ethics
• The journals adhere to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines. Reviewers and editors must disclose conflicts of interest. Authors must secure ethical approvals for research involving human or animal subjects and declare funding sources and competing interests.

Open Access Policy
• All ten journals provide immediate open access to published content. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, allowing free use, distribution, and reproduction provided proper attribution is given to the original authors and the journal.

Archiving
• The journals employ distributed archiving mechanisms (for example, LOCKSS or similar) to ensure long-term preservation of published material. Participating libraries may maintain archival copies for preservation and restoration purposes.

Copyright
• Authors retain copyright of their published articles. By publishing, authors grant the journal a license to publish and distribute the work and to identify itself as the original publisher. Third parties may reuse content under CC BY terms with appropriate citation and attribution.

Reasons to Publish With Us
• Rapid publication through an efficient editorial workflow and online production.
• User-friendly online submission and manuscript tracking system.
• No space constraints — unlimited supporting material, figures, datasets, and multimedia.
• Global visibility — articles are promoted to a broad international readership and indexed in major bibliographic services.
• High editorial standards through rigorous peer review.
• Ethical publishing practices and transparent policies.

Publication Timeline & Acceptance Rate
• Review process: typically 4–8 weeks (depending on reviewer availability and manuscript complexity).
• Publication after acceptance: typically 1–2 weeks for online publication.
• Acceptance rate: approximately 30% (varies by journal and subject area).

Plagiarism Policy
Definition and Detection
• Plagiarism (including direct copying, mosaic plagiarism, paraphrasing without attribution, and data fabrication) is strictly prohibited. All submissions are screened using iThenticate or equivalent similarity-detection software prior to peer review. A similarity index higher than 15% (excluding references and common phrases) will be flagged for editorial review.

Consequences
• Minor overlap (approx. 15–25%): authors will be asked to revise text and provide appropriate citations.
• Moderate plagiarism (approx. 25–40%): manuscript will be rejected and authors may be barred from submission for a defined period (e.g., 1–2 years).
• Severe plagiarism (over 40%): immediate rejection; if already published, the article will be retracted, a retraction notice published, and the authors’ institutions/funders may be notified. Permanent bans may apply in cases of severe misconduct.

Author Response
• Authors flagged for overlap will be given an opportunity to explain or correct issues before final action is taken.

Ethical Standards & COPE
• The journals follow COPE guidelines for investigation and remediation of publication misconduct, corrections, and retractions.