The International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR) follows a double-anonymous peer-review process for scholarly manuscripts submitted for publication. Peer review is used to assess the academic quality, relevance, originality and overall contribution of a manuscript before a publication decision is made.

Initial Editorial Screening

Every submitted manuscript is first examined by the editorial team. The initial screening considers whether the manuscript falls within the Aims & Scope of the journal, meets the basic submission requirements and is suitable for academic review.

The manuscript may also be checked for originality, completeness and matters relating to publication ethics. A submission may be returned to the author for necessary corrections or declined at this stage if it is outside the journal’s scope, does not meet the minimum academic requirements or raises a significant ethical concern.

Manuscripts that successfully complete the initial screening proceed to external peer review.

Double-Anonymous Peer Review

Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent external reviewers with appropriate knowledge or expertise in the subject area of the submission.

Under the double-anonymous system, the identities of the authors are not disclosed to the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are not disclosed to the authors. Editors handling the manuscript may have access to author information where this is necessary for editorial administration and decision-making.

Reviewer selection is based on subject expertise, suitability and independence from the work being evaluated. Reviewers should not have a conflict of interest that could affect their assessment of the manuscript.

Peer-review reports are confidential. They are not published with the article, and reviewers remain anonymous to the authors.

Review Criteria

Reviewers are asked to consider the manuscript as a scholarly work and to provide a reasoned assessment. Depending on the nature of the paper, the review may consider:

• relevance of the manuscript to the journal’s scope;
• clarity and significance of the research question or scholarly objective;
• appropriateness of the research method or academic approach;
• quality of the analysis, interpretation or argument;
• use and acknowledgement of relevant literature;
• clarity and organisation of the manuscript;
• validity of the findings or conclusions; and
• contribution of the work to the relevant field.

The particular emphasis of the review may vary according to the discipline and type of manuscript.

Reviewer Recommendations

After evaluating the manuscript, reviewers may recommend:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

Reviewer recommendations inform the editorial decision but do not constitute the final decision on publication.

Where the two reviews differ substantially, or where additional specialist assessment is considered necessary, the editor may obtain a further independent review before reaching a decision.

Revision and Re-review

Where revision is requested, the relevant reviewer comments are communicated to the author. Authors should address the points raised and submit a revised manuscript where they wish to continue with the publication process.

Minor revisions may be assessed by the handling editor. A manuscript requiring substantial revision may be returned to one or more reviewers for further assessment.

A request for revision does not guarantee subsequent acceptance. The revised manuscript must adequately address the academic and editorial concerns identified during the review.

Editorial Decision

The final decision on a manuscript is made by the responsible editor after considering the reviewers’ reports, the manuscript itself and, where applicable, the author’s response to requested revisions.

Editorial decisions are made independently of any Article Processing Charge (APC) or other financial consideration. Payment of a publication charge does not influence peer review and does not guarantee acceptance.

A manuscript proceeds to publication only after it has successfully completed the applicable editorial and peer-review process and has received a formal acceptance decision.

Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest

Editors and reviewers must treat submitted manuscripts and related review material as confidential.

A reviewer or editor should not participate in the assessment of a manuscript where a personal, professional, financial, institutional or other conflict could reasonably affect impartial judgement. Where such a conflict exists, another suitably qualified person should handle the manuscript.

Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members

A manuscript submitted by an editor, editorial board member or another person closely associated with IJSSR is subject to the same standards of peer review as other submissions.

The individual concerned must not participate in reviewer selection, assessment or the publication decision for their own manuscript. Editorial responsibility is assigned to another suitable editor so that the decision is made independently.

Special Issues

Articles submitted for a special issue are subject to the same editorial standards and external peer-review requirements as articles submitted for a regular issue.

The Editor-in-Chief retains overall responsibility for the academic and editorial quality of special issues. Where a guest editor is involved, the journal provides editorial oversight of the review process.

A manuscript submitted by a guest editor is handled independently and the guest editor does not participate in the review or decision concerning that manuscript.

Article Types and Peer Review

Original research articles, review articles, theoretical papers and case studies submitted as scholarly articles undergo external peer review in accordance with this policy.

If IJSSR publishes material that is not subject to the journal’s standard external peer-review process, such as an editorial notice or correction, the nature of that material and the type of editorial assessment applied to it will be clearly identified.

Review Period

IJSSR does not guarantee acceptance of any submitted manuscript or promise a fixed period within which peer review or acceptance will be completed. The time required may vary according to the subject of the manuscript, reviewer availability, revisions required and the complexity of the assessment.

Where an unusual delay occurs, the editorial office may inform the corresponding author about the status of the manuscript.