AUTHOR GUIDELINE
About the Journal
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) is an online, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research and knowledge in the multidisciplinary field of formulation science. The journal provides a comprehensive platform for academic and industrial researchers to share their ground-breaking innovative research, cutting-edge theories and practical applications across a diverse spectrum of formulation science.
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) publishes original research articles, reviews, mini reviews, perspective articles, opinions, letters to the editor, short communications and editorials.
Scope
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) welcomes contributions spanning a wide array of sectors and applications, including, but not limited to:
֎ Pharmaceutical Formulations: Manuscripts addressing the formulation design, development, and optimization of pharmaceutical products, drug delivery systems and dosage forms.
֎ Cosmetic and Personal Care Formulations: Research focusing on the formulation of cosmetics, skincare products, hair care products, perfumes and other personal care items.
֎ Household and Domestic Product Formulations: Studies encompassing the formulation of household cleaning agents, detergents, disinfectants, air fresheners and other domestic products.
֎ Agrochemical and Pesticide Formulations: Investigations into the development and optimization of agrochemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and other products used in agriculture.
֎ Food and Beverage Formulations: Manuscripts exploring the formulation of food products, beverages, additives and supplements.
֎ Paints, Coatings, and Inks Formulations: Research articles related to the formulation of paints, coatings, varnishes, inks and other surface-applied products.
֎ Industrial and Specialized Formulations: Studies addressing formulations for specialized applications such as adhesives, lubricants, polymers and various industrial products.
֎ Formulation Engineering: Investigations into the engineering aspects of formulation, encompassing materials selection, process optimization and scale-up considerations.
֎ Analytical Techniques: Studies showcasing advancements in analytical methods, characterization, and evaluation of formulations, including spectroscopy, microscopy, chromatography and other relevant techniques.
֎ Sustainability and Green Formulation: Research promoting eco-friendly and sustainable practices in formulation development, reducing environmental impacts and maximizing resource efficiency.
֎ Computational and Modelling Approaches: Articles utilizing computational tools, artificial intelligence, and modelling techniques to predict and optimize formulations, leading to more efficient and cost-effective results.
֎ Regulatory Compliance: Discussions on the regulatory challenges and requirements related to formulation science, ensuring safe and compliant products in various industries.
More information about International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) is available at About IJFS.
Types of Manuscripts
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) publishes the following types of manuscripts:
Original research articles: These articles report on original research that presents new findings, data, or concepts with significant impact in the field. These articles should include an Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions sections.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 300 words; 3 – 8 Keywords; word limit is 5000 words, excluding references and legends.
Review articles: These articles provide an overview of current research in a particular field, analyzing the findings of multiple studies, highlighting gaps and limitations in current research and suggesting future directions for research. The format of these articles can include an Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Relevant Sections, Discussion, Conclusions and Future Directions.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 300 words; 3 – 8 Keywords; no word limit.
Mini Reviews: These articles provide a concise overview of recent developments or advances in specific research area. They aim to provide readers with a clear and succinct overview of the current state of knowledge in a particular field or sub-field.
Specific requirements: abstract should not exceed 250 words; 3 – 5 keywords; word limit is 3000 words, excluding references and legends; no more than three figures/tables.
Perspective articles: These articles offer the expert’s perspective on a particular topic or issue. They provide critical analysis of existing research from the previous 3 years or propose new ideas and theories to stimulate discussion and debate among the scientific community. The structure of the manuscript may be similar to a review.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 250 words; 3 – 5 keywords; word limit is 3000 words, excluding references and legends; no more than three figures/tables.
Opinions: An opinion in a short article that expresses the author’s personal perspective or viewpoint on a particular topic or current issue related to the journal’s scope. It may include calls to action, recommendations or suggestions for future research or policy changes. The article structure is similar to a review, however, it is considerably shorter.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 250 words; 3 – 5 keywords (optional); word limit is 3000 words, excluding references and legends; no more than three figures/tables.
Letters to the editor: These letters are brief communications that comment on or respond to previously published articles. They may offer constructive criticism, additional information or alternative interpretations of the research. No specific structure is required.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 250 words; 3 – 5 keywords (optional); word limit is 1000 words, excluding references and legends; no more than two figures/tables.
Short communications: Short communications report on preliminary or exploratory research, present new research methods, techniques, or instruments or convey novel or important. They include a brief introduction, a clear statement of the research question, methods and a summary of the results. They may also include a brief discussion.
Specific requirements: Abstract should not exceed 250 words; 3 – 5 Keywords; word limit is 3000 words, excluding references and legends; no more than three figures/tables.
Editorials: Editorials are articles written by the journal’s editor or a member of the editorial board to express the author’s perspective on a particular issue or topic related to field. Editorials may also address issues related to the publication process, the introduction of new sections or features of the journal, as well as to highlight important articles or authors, or to promote upcoming events or conferences in the field. No specific structure is required.
Specific requirements: No abstract required; no keywords required; word limit is 1000 words; no more than two figures/tables.
Cover letter
The cover letter is a brief introduction to the manuscript that is addressed to the editor of the journal.
A cover letter should be submitted along with each manuscript. The cover letter may include the following contents:
֎ A statement of the research problem.
֎ A brief summary of the findings and an explanation of why the research is important and relevant to the journal’s readership.
֎ A statement to highlight any unique or novel aspects of the research, to address any potential concerns or questions that the editor may have,
֎ A statement indicating that the manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Manuscript Preparation
Authors should use a single-spaced format with page and line numbers included throughout the document to ensure ease of review. Microsoft Word or a compatible word processing software should be used to prepare the manuscript.
Title Page
The first page of the manuscript should contain the title of the paper, the names and affiliations of all authors and the corresponding author’s contact information.
Title
The title should be concise, specific and accurately reflect the content of the article and clearly convey the main focus or findings of the research. It should be no more than 20 words. Technical language, uncommon abbreviations and excessive punctuation should be avoided. It is recommended to include relevant keywords in the title can help readers find your article more easily when searching for related content.
Author Names & Affiliations
List authors in order of contribution: The first author listed should be the one who made the greatest contribution to the research, followed by the other authors in order of decreasing contribution.
Use full names: Authors should be listed using their full names. Given name(s) followed by family name(s) should be clearly indicated, with capitalized initials, and checked for accurate spelling. Middle names can be abbreviated to an initial and a dot should be added after the initial, for example, if an author’s name is Mary Elizabeth Johnson, the abbreviated form of the name could be listed as Mary E. Johnson. Titles (e.g., Prof., Dr., Mr., Ms., etc.) and academic suffixes (e.g., MD, MSc., BSc., etc.) should be avoided.
Provide author affiliations: authors’ affiliation addresses, where the actual work was carried out, should be listed below the author’s name. The address of each affiliation should include the full postal address in following format: institution, city post/Zip code, and region/state (if applicable) and country. For example, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41012, Spain. In addition, include the e-mail address of each author, if available. If multiple authors have the same affiliation, superscript numbers can be used to indicate this. For example, if three authors are all affiliated with the same university, their names would be listed followed by superscript numbers (e.g., John Smith1, Jane Doe1, and Lucia Johnson1).
In cases where multi-author groups designate authorship by a group name, the group name should be listed as an author. Group members, if provided, will be listed in a separate section at the end of the article.
In cases where work is presented by the author(s) on behalf of a group, it should be included in the author list separated with the wording “on behalf of.”
Correspondence
The corresponding author should be clearly indicated and marked with an asterisk (*). Complete and up-to-date contact information for the corresponding author, including their full name, affiliation, email address and other contact details should be provided in a separate section.
For more details on the roles typically played by contributors to research outputs, please refer to CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).
Equal Contributions
To indicate equal contributions, a symbol (†) should be added next to the authors’ names to indicate that they contributed equally.
For example:
John Smith1, Jane Doe1† and Lucia Johnson1†
†These authors contributed equally to this work and share senior authorship
Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of the research study and its key findings. It consists of one paragraph and must not cite references or contain any images or tables.
Keep it concise, include key elements, use clear and concise language, and define acronyms and abbreviations the first time they appear in the abstract, highlight the novelty and significance of the study, and ensure that it is free of errors and effectively communicates the main points of the study.
The abstract should follow the specific requirements for word count as detailed in Types of Manuscripts.
Keywords
Immediately after the abstract, list between 5-8 keywords, as detailed in Types of Manuscripts. Choose relevant and specific keywords and use standard terminology. Keywords should be separated by commas, and should not include any punctuation other than hyphens or slashes to separate compound terms.
Graphical Abstract
The graphical abstract should be a high-quality illustration or diagram: minimum requirements for size are 560 pixels × 1100 pixels (height × width) and for resolution 300 dpi (dots per inch). It should be submitted in one of the following formats: JPG (.jpg), PNG (.png) or GIF (.gif).
Main Text Structure
The structure of the manuscript may vary depending on the type of the article. International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) follows standardized format known as IMRAD structure.
Authors should use clear and concise headings and subheadings to organize the content of the article. Authors may use up to five heading levels in the manuscript (e.g. 1.2.3.4.5. Heading Title).
The overall structure of a research article typically includes the following sections:
Introduction
This section provides background information on the research topic, which can include a literature review that summarizes previous research in the area, highlighting the gaps or limitations of the existing literature that the study aims to address. The introduction should also clearly state the research question or hypothesis that the study aims to answer explaining the significance of the study, i.e. why the study is important and what contribution it makes to the field. This can include highlighting the practical, theoretical, or methodological implications of the study. The introduction should not contain subheadings.
Materials and Methods
Materials: This section should provide a detailed description of the materials used in the study, such as chemicals, reagents or biological samples. The source and quality of the materials should also be described.
Methods: This section should provide a clear and detailed description of the research design, methodology, and data analysis procedures used in the study. It should include details on the sample size, data collection methods, and statistical analyses. The methods section should include a statement on ethics, including any ethical considerations that were taken into account in the study, such as obtaining informed consent from participants, protecting participant confidentiality, and ensuring that the study was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines.
Results
This section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner, using tables, graphs, and figures to illustrate the data.
Results should be analyzed statistically to provide a quantitative interpretation of the data, and results obtained from statistical analysis should be presented in the form of text, tables or figures if appropriate. In text sections, authors should avoid repeating information already shown in figures and tables, and instead focus on emphasizing and summarizing only the most important observations. Supplementary materials and technical details can be included in supplementary documents.
Discussion
Some of key components that the discussion section may include are: an interpretation of the results explaining what they mean and how they relate to the research question(s) and the hypotheses tested, a comparison with previous studies including similarities and differences as well as any inconsistencies or contradictions, explanations for the findings including potential reasons for any unexpected or unanticipated results, a description of the implications of findings for the broader field of research and potential applications in practice, a statement on the limitations of the study including potential sources of bias or confounding, as well as and suggestions for future research that could build upon the work findings.
Conclusions
The authors should summarize the key points of the discussion and offer a clear conclusion that addresses the research question(s) and hypotheses tested. The key components in a conclusion section include: a restatement of the main findings of the study and their implications for the broader field of research, recommendations of suggest potential areas for future research that could build upon their findings, as well as any practical applications of their findings in practice. The authors may also conclude the paper with a final thought that summarizes the main message of the study, or an overarching theme that ties together the findings.
Declarations
Acknowledgements (Optional)
This is a brief statement at the end of the article that acknowledges individuals, who provided technical assistance, advice, or other support during the study, or organizations or funding sources, such as grants or scholarships, that helped support the research. The acknowledgment section should not be used to promote commercial products or services or to make political statements. Authors should keep this section brief and should obtain the consent of those they wish to acknowledge before including their names in the acknowledgment section.
Conflict of Interest
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) conflicts of interest policy aligns with the recommendations provided by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. To prevent conflicts of interest, authors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may exist when submitting their research articles for publication in International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS). The journal editors can then evaluate the potential impact of these conflicts on the research and take appropriate actions, such as excluding a reviewer or requesting further disclosures from the author.
In cases where the authors do not have any conflicts of interest, the appropriate statement to be included in the manuscript is: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”
For more information on types of conflicts of interest that authors may have, please refer to Conflicts of Interest in Editorial Policies.
Author contributions
The author contribution statement should include the specific contributions of each author to the research project and manuscript preparation process.
Author contributions:
[Author name] [insert contribution statement here]
For example:
Author contributions:
J.S. and M.G. conceived the research and designed the experiments. J.S. carried out the experiments and collected the data. M.G. analyzed the data and performed statistical analyses. J.S. and M.G. interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
For more details on the roles typically played by contributors to research outputs, please refer to CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy).
Data availability statement
This section presents the findings of the study in a clear and concise manner, using tables, graphs and figures to illustrate the data.
Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement in which they provide a brief statement on the accessibility and location of data used or analyzed during research.
Data availability statements may follow different forms. Below are some common examples.
- “All data created during this research is available in the [NAME] repository, [insert WEB LINK TO DATASETS or DOI here].”
- “All data supporting this study is provided as supplementary information accompanying this paper.”
- “All data is provided in full in the results section of this paper.”
- Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
- The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
For more information and examples on data availability statements please visit University of Bath Research Data Archive.
Funding
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) requires authors to disclose all sources of funding (institutional, private and corporate financial support) received for the research presented in the manuscript. As part of the submission process, authors should include the funding information under the heading “Funding” in the declarations section at the end of the article. This information should consist of the name(s) of the funding organization(s) and the corresponding grant number(s), if applicable. It is important to provide this information accurately and completely at the time of submitting the paper. If the manuscript does not involve any external funding, authors should state “Not applicable” in the funding declaration statement.
References
In-Text Citations
References should be listed in the same sequence as they appear in the text. Each reference should be identified with a reference number enclosed in square brackets when cited in the text.
References List
Reference list should be arranged in numerical order according to their appearance in the manuscript. Each citation includes author(s) name(s), title of the source, journal title/book title, volume, page numbers and publication year. Use of DOI is highly encouraged.
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) follows the Vancouver reference style. Templates for Vancouver style are available for most common referencing software.
Examples of the most common types of references formatted according to International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) style are provided below.
Journal Article:
Author AB, Author CD. Title of Article. Journal Abbreviation. Year; Volume(Issue): Pagination. DOI
Example:
Wu Y, Shen Y, Dai Q, Zhang Y, Gong H, Shen D. High-resolution diffusion MRI through microfluidic neural probes. J. Magn. Reson. 2019;301(1):41-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/xx.2023.104982
Book:
Author AB, Author C D. Book Title, Edition; Publisher: Place of Publication; Year. Pages.
Example:
Atkins PW, de Paula J. Physical Chemistry, 10th ed.; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK; 2014; 1127.
Book Section:
Author AB. Title. In: Book Title, Edition; Editor(s); Publisher: Place of Publication; Chapter/Section number, Year. Pagination.
Example:
El-Hammadi MM, Arias JL. Nanotechnology for vaginal drug delivery and targeting. In: Nanoengineered Biomaterials for Advanced Drug Delivery, 1st ed.; Mozafari M; Elsevier: The Netherlands; 26, 2020; 647-682. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102985-5.00026-7.
Website:
Author, A. B. Title of Web Page. URL (accessed Day Month Year).
Example:
National Institutes of Health. ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (accessed 4 Jan 2023).
Conference Proceeding:
Author AB, Author C D. Title of Conference Paper. In Conference Name; Date, Year of Conference; Conference Location. Publisher: Place Published; Year Published; Volume, Pagination. DOI.
Example:
Saini R, Prakash J, Agarwal A. Comparative analysis of different Cultures. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Culture Media, 10 January, 2024; Seville. Molecule Publishing House: Seville; 2024; Vol. 1, 101-102. DOI: 14.1216/jxx.2024.06.008.
Patent:
Inventor AB, Inventor CD. Title of Patent. Patent Number, Year.
Example:
Martin L, Obraztsova I, Cordero B, Angeles M, Vargas MA. Efficient astaxanthin production strains derived from Haematococcus pluvialis. Patent Number: US8911966B2, 2014.
Supplementary Material (optional)
Supplementary material refers to additional data or information that supports the main findings and conclusions presented in the paper. Supplementary material should be carefully prepared and organized. They should be clearly labelled and referenced in the main manuscript to in numeric order (e.g., Figure S1, Table S1, Figure S2, …etc).
Some examples of supplementary material that may be included in a manuscript are:
֎ Additional figures or tables that provide detailed information or supporting data
֎ Raw data or statistical analysis
֎ Technical details or protocols that may be of interest to specialists in the field
֎ Supplementary discussion or results that expand upon or clarify the main findings.
Supplementary material should be submitted along with the manuscript during the initial submission.
Format of Manuscripts
File Format
Prepare manuscripts in DOC or DOCX files which should not be locked or protected. In addition to the main manuscript file, other files including a cover letter, a title page, original figure files and Supplementary materials (if applicable) should be submitted.
Language
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) publishes manuscripts written only in English. The manuscript’s language should be easily understandable to readers. If English is not your first language, it is recommended to seek assistance from native speakers to proofread your article and ensure its clarity.
Abbreviations
Define each abbreviation when it is first introduced in the text, even if it is a common abbreviation. Make sure you use abbreviations consistently throughout the article. It is recommended to limit abbreviations for terms that are used frequently in the text. If the article includes a large number of abbreviations, a list of abbreviations may be included at the end of the article.
Figures
Resolution: Figures must have a high resolution (at least 300 dpi) to ensure that they are clear and legible.
Format: Figures should be in one of the following image format: bmp, gif, jpg, png, tif. Figures should be editable so that they can be resized or edited if necessary.
Legends and Captions: Figures must be accompanied by a legend or caption that clearly describes the content and any relevant details, such as the source of the data or the statistical analysis used.
Clarity and Legibility: Figures must be clear and legible. Font size of 8-10 points, or above.
Copyright: If a figure has been previously published, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder to include it in their manuscript.
Ethical considerations: Authors must ensure that figures are not manipulated or falsified in any way, and that any adjustments or enhancements are clearly disclosed in the figure legend or caption.
Tables:
Format: Tables should be formatted consistently, with appropriate font sizes and styles for headings and data. They should be in Word format and not as a picture. Tables are numbered in sequential order, starting with “Table 1,” “Table 2,” and so on. A descriptive and concise title for the table is included above the table itself. Any necessary explanatory, including non-standard abbreviations, labels, numbers, letters, arrows and symbols, should be explained in the footnote below the table.
Structure: Tables should be well-structured and organized, with clear and concise headings and subheadings.
Content: Tables should contain only essential data that is relevant to the research question. Tables should not duplicate information presented in the text or figures.
Copyright: If a table has been previously published, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder to include it in their manuscript.
Size: Tables should be sized appropriately so that they can be easily viewed and understood.
Authors must ensure that tables are not manipulated or falsified in any way, and that any adjustments or enhancements are clearly disclosed in the table caption.
Chemical Structures
Chemical structures should be prepared using ChemDraw or a similar program.
Italics
The following are examples of contents that should be written italic in the manuscript:
biological species in Latin, bacteria and genes names, P (probability), coefficients (k, r), in vivo, in vitro and in situ.
Numerals
In general, Arabic numerals are mainly used.
It is recommended to use words: when numbers appear at the beginning of sentences and for numbers from one to nine.
To separate groups of thousands, a comma is used, for example, 789,456,123.
Equations
Equations should be in editable format. Picture format is unacceptable. It is recommended to use the Microsoft Equation Editor.
Submission Online
All the manuscripts should be submitted online. Queries should be directed to the editorial office at office@moleculepub.com. The submitting author, generally the corresponding author, must ensure that all the eligible authors have been included in the author list and all authors read and approved the submitted version.
A list of two to five potential reviewers, who are experts in the field, must be provided upon submission.
Journal Policies
The following section is intended to give the authors some information on the Editorial Policies of International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS). For more information, authors are encouraged to visit the Editorial Policies section on our journal page and Policies section of Molecule Publishing House.
Open Access
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) is an open access journal. This means that all articles published in International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) are freely available online to anyone, without any financial, legal, or technical barriers. The journal provides unrestricted access to research articles, allowing researchers and the general public to read, download, copy, distribute and use the articles without any restrictions, as long as they give appropriate credit to the original authors and publishers.
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) strongly believes in the principles of open access and is dedicated to ensuring that scientific knowledge is accessible to all. We aim to foster a culture of open access and promote the free exchange of scientific knowledge without compromising the quality of our publications.
Copyrights Policy
All articles published in International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) are licensed under an open access Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0 license) 
.
Under the CC BY 4.0 license, copyrights are retained by the authors, and anyone can have free and unlimited access, reuse, read and download any article for free. No permission is needed to reuse any part of articles published by International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS), including figures and tables. However, the original source must be clearly cited.
A copyright statement will appear in the published articles. Authors must sign a License for Publishing agreement prior to their article’s formal publication, which gives Molecule permission to publish the article and its supplementary materials in International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Article Processing Charge (APC)
All articles accepted for publication in International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) during 2024 will receive a full waiver of the article processing charge. Absolutely no fees are payable for article submission or publication.
Editorial Independence
Editorial independence, as defined by The Relationship Between Journal Editors-in-Chief and Owners (formerly titled Editorial Independence) (WAME), means that Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the editorial content of the journal.
Our journal strongly upholds the principle of editorial independence, which means that the publisher, Molecule Publishing House, does not interfere with the article review and selection process or exert any influence over the decisions made by our editors on the acceptance of articles for publication. Our Editor-in-Chief and the scientific editorial board members exercise independent judgment based on the merit and relevance of each submission to our readership, without any regard to commercial considerations for the journal or its publisher. We believe that this approach ensures the integrity and impartiality of our editorial process, and underscores our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of academic publishing
Peer Review policy
International Journal of Formulation Science (IJFS) employs a rigorous peer review process to ensure that all submitted manuscripts are of high quality and make a significant contribution to the field. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a single-blind peer review model, in which the identities of the reviewers are kept anonymous from the authors, but the authors’ identities are known to the reviewers, to reduce the potential for bias and ensure a fair and impartial evaluation of the manuscript.
Peer Review Process
The peer review process is a collaborative effort that involves several parties, including the editorial office (managing editor), the editor-in-chief/academic editor and the reviewers.
The editorial office is responsible for managing the review process, which includes identifying and inviting qualified reviewers, managing communication between authors and reviewers and ensuring that the review process is conducted in a timely and efficient manner.
The editor-in-chief/academic editor oversees the review process and makes the final decision on whether to accept or reject the manuscript based on the reviewers’ feedback and their own assessment of the manuscript’s quality and contribution to the field.
The reviewers play a critical role in evaluating the manuscript, providing constructive feedback to the authors and helping to maintain the integrity and quality of the journal’s content. For more information on the role of reviewers, please refer to Reviewers’ guidelines.
By working together, these parties help to ensure that the peer review process is rigorous, fair and transparent.
Initial Screening
All submissions will first be screened by the editorial office (managing editor) to ensure that they meet the journal’s scope and formatting requirements. The manuscript is also checked for plagiarism check through iThenticate.
Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be returned to the authors without review.
The editor-in-chief may also reject submissions that do not appear to be of sufficient quality or importance to be considered for publication.
Conducting Peer Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will be assigned to at least two independent reviewers. The reviewers will evaluate the manuscript for originality, clarity, methodology, data analysis and significance to the field. They will also assess whether the manuscript adheres to ethical standards and provides appropriate citations to previous research.
Reviewers will submit their evaluations through an online system, which will remain confidential. The reviewers will be asked to recommend one of the following decisions:
֎ Accept the manuscript as is
֎ Accept the manuscript with minor revisions
֎ Accept the manuscript with major revision
֎ Reject the manuscript
The editor-in-chief/academic editor will consider the reviewers’ comments and make a final decision. If the decision is to accept the manuscript with revisions, the authors will be given a deadline to submit a revised version of the manuscript. The revised manuscript will be evaluated by the editor-in-chief or one of the original reviewers to ensure that the revisions have been addressed satisfactorily.
Appeals
If the authors disagree with the editor’s decision, they may appeal the decision by submitting a letter to the editorial office. The letter should explain the reasons for the appeal and provide any additional information that may be relevant. The editor-in-chief will consider the appeal and may request additional reviews.
Confidentiality
All submissions and reviews will be kept confidential. Reviewers will be asked to maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and not to share it with others or to discuss it with the authors. The identity of the reviewers will also be kept confidential, unless they choose to reveal their identity in their review.
Final Decision
The editor-in-chief’s decision is final. The journal does not accept resubmissions of rejected manuscripts, except in rare cases where the authors can provide compelling evidence that the reviewers’ evaluations were biased or unfair. Accepted manuscripts will be published online, subject to copyediting and layout formatting.
Archive
All published articles will be stored in appropriate archives to ensure long-term digital preservation. In addition, authors are encouraged to deposit their articles on other suitable platforms. Ensuring that any institutional or funder requirements for archiving are met falls under the responsibility of the authors.
