Author Guidelines

Submission-to-Publication Process

Submission Method

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.

Submissions sent only by email are not treated as formal submissions unless specifically authorized by the editorial office.

Required Submission Documents

A complete submission should include:

• Manuscript in Microsoft Word format;
• Cover letter;
• Title page;
• Author names and affiliations;
• Corresponding-author details;
• Completed Author Agreement Form;
• Author contribution statement;
• Conflict-of-interest declaration;
• Funding statement;
• Data Availability Statement;
• Ethical approval document, where applicable;
• Informed-consent statement, where applicable;
• Tables and figures;
• Supplementary files, where applicable.

Incomplete submissions may be returned to the corresponding author before editorial assessment.

Step 1: Submission Receipt

The corresponding author submits the manuscript and all required documents through the online portal.

An acknowledgement is issued after successful submission.

Step 2: Administrative and Technical Screening

The editorial office checks:

• Completeness of the submission;
• Presence of mandatory documents;
• File format and manuscript organization;
• Author and affiliation details;
• Basic formatting requirements;
• Similarity-screening results;
• Relevance to the journal’s scope.

Submissions with missing documents or correctable deficiencies are returned to the author for completion.

Step 3: Editor Assignment

A suitable editor is assigned according to the manuscript’s subject area and article type.

Step 4: Preliminary Editorial Assessment

The assigned editor evaluates:

• Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
• Originality and scholarly contribution;
• Methodological suitability;
• Ethical compliance;
• Clarity of language and presentation;
• Suitability for external peer review.

A manuscript may be declined at this stage if it falls outside the journal’s scope or does not meet minimum scholarly, ethical or reporting standards.

Step 5: Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts approved for external review are normally sent to at least two subject experts.

Reviewers assess:

• Originality;
• Research question and objectives;
• Study design and methodology;
• Analysis and interpretation;
• Validity of conclusions;
• Use of relevant literature;
• Ethical compliance;
• Clarity and organization;
• Contribution to knowledge.

The identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another as far as reasonably possible.

Step 6: First Editorial Decision

After considering the reviewer reports, the editor may issue one of the following decisions:

• Accept;
• Minor revision;
• Major revision;
• Resubmit for further review;
• Reject.

Reviewer comments and editorial instructions are sent to the corresponding author.

Step 7: Author Revision

Authors should submit:

• A revised manuscript;
• A point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments;
• A clear indication of the changes made;
• An explanation where a suggested change has not been made;
• Updated documents or declarations where required.

Step 8: Reassessment or Additional Review

The revised manuscript is reassessed by the editor.

It may be:

• Returned to the original reviewers;
• Sent to additional reviewers;
• Evaluated directly by the editor.

More than one revision round may be required.

Step 9: Final Editorial Decision

The Editor-in-Chief or authorized academic editor makes the final decision after considering:

• The manuscript;
• Reviewer reports;
• Author responses;
• Revised files;
• Ethical documentation;
• Administrative requirements.

The final decision may be acceptance, further revision or rejection.

Step 10: Publication Fee and Production

After formal acceptance:

• The Article Processing Charge is requested;
• The manuscript enters copyediting;
• Language and formatting are reviewed;
• References are checked;
• Tables and figures are prepared;
• The article is typeset according to the journal format.

Step 11: Author Proof Review

The corresponding author receives the final proof and should:

• Check author names and affiliations;
• Review tables and figures;
• Check references;
• Identify minor typographical or production errors;
• Approve the article for publication.

Major changes to the research, results or conclusions are not normally accepted at proof stage.

Step 12: Publication and Archiving

After proof approval:

• A DOI is assigned or activated;
• The article is published online;
• Article metadata are deposited with relevant services;
• The article is included in the appropriate journal issue;
• Publication information is communicated to the authors;
• The article is submitted to relevant indexing and archiving services, where applicable.

Indicative Processing Times

These periods are estimates and are not guaranteed deadlines. Processing time may vary because of reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, revision requirements, ethical concerns, delayed author responses or technical requirements.