Peer Review and Editorial Procedures

Double-Blind Peer Review:

• Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
• Reviewers must not contact authors directly or use manuscript content for personal research.
• Manuscripts and review reports are strictly confidential.

Handling Revisions:

• Minor revisions: Return within 10 days.
• Major revisions: Return within 3 weeks.
• Revised manuscripts are evaluated by the same reviewers (if available).

Appeals:

• Authors may appeal decisions within 15 days of notification.
• Appeals are reviewed by a committee separate from the original reviewers.
• The decision of the Editor-in-Chief after appeal is final and binding.

Reviewer Ethics:

• Reviewers must decline if lacking expertise or having conflicts of interest.
• Delays or unethical conduct can result in removal from the reviewer database.
• Reviewer contributions are formally acknowledged annually.

Quality Assurance:

• Each issue undergoes a pre-publication audit.
• Editorial statistics (e.g., acceptance rate, review times) are published annually.
• The Journal Steering Committee monitors fairness and transparency of peer review.