Journal of Architecture & Environment

Peer Review Process

Papers submitted in the Journal of Architecture & Environment undergo a structured and rigorous editorial and peer review process to ensure the academic quality, originality, and integrity of each published article.

All submitted manuscripts are evaluated through a double-blind peer review, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the process. Reviews are conducted by subject-matter experts from various universities across multiple countries, ensuring a broad and diverse academic perspective.

The editorial workflow is outlined as follows:

1. Submission and Initial Screening

Once a manuscript is submitted through the OJS platform, it is first checked by the editorial team to ensure it fits the journal's scope and meets the basic requirements (formatting, plagiarism, and grammar checking).

2. Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening undergo a double-blind peer review process, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to ensure objectivity.

3. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewer reports, the Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor makes one of the following decisions:

• Major Revision: Substantial changes are required. The manuscript is returned to the author for revision, and resubmitted to the reviewers for a second round of peer review.
• Minor Revision: Limited revisions are needed. The manuscript is returned to the author and, once revised, reviewed directly by the editor.
• Accepted without Revision: The manuscript is accepted in its current form.
• Rejected: The manuscript is declined based on reviewer recommendations.

4. Editorial Review

Manuscripts accepted (with or without revision) proceed to an editorial review stage, where the editorial team verifies the completeness of the final files, ensures formatting consistency, and checks for ethical declarations and publication requirements. If revisions are required, the manuscript is returned to the author for technical corrections. If the manuscript passes, it proceeds to production.

5. Production Process

Once the manuscript clears the editorial check:

• Copyediting is performed to improve language quality and adherence to journal style.
• A galley proof is sent to the author for final approval.
• Authors complete and submit the Copyright Transfer Agreement and Letter of Acceptance.

6. Publication

After final approval and documentation:

• The article is published online on the JoAE website.
• It is indexed in relevant academic databases.
• The article may also be printed as part of a journal issue.

7. Rejections

At any stage, if the manuscript does not meet the required standards, it may be rejected. Rejection can occur after:

• Initial screening
• Peer review
• Editorial decision
• Editorial technical check

8. Post-Publication Changes

Once an article has been electronically published, changes cannot be made to the published version.

Corrections of significant errors may only be made through the publication of:

• A Corrigendum (author-initiated correction), or
• An Erratum (publisher-initiated correction).

Such correction notices are published separately and linked to the original article to maintain transparency and academic integrity.

9. Publication Ethics Compliance

The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and integrity.

Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to adhere to ethical principles concerning authorship, plagiarism, data integrity, conflict of interest disclosure, and research misconduct.

Detailed ethical policies are available in the Publication Ethics section under the Policies menu.

Publication Frequency

This journal is committed to maintaining a consistent and transparent publication schedule to ensure the timely dissemination of scholarly research.

The journal is published 2 times per year, with issues released in April and October. Each volume corresponds to one calendar year and contains two issues.

1. Regular Issues

Articles are published according to the journal’s scheduled issues. Accepted manuscripts are processed and assigned to the next available issue after completion of the editorial and production stages.

2. Special Issues

The journal may occasionally publish special issues focusing on specific themes or emerging topics. Special issues follow the same peer review and editorial standards as regular issues.

3. Changes to Publication Schedule

Any changes to the journal’s publication frequency or schedule will be clearly announced on the journal website.

4. Editorial Responsibility

The editorial team is responsible for managing the editorial workflow to maintain the publication schedule while ensuring rigorous peer review and high editorial standards.

Open Access Policy

1. Commitment to Open Access

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making scholarly research freely available to the public supports the global exchange of knowledge and advances scientific progress.

All articles published in this journal are freely accessible online without subscription or paywall barriers.

2. Immediate Availability

All accepted articles are published online and made freely available immediately upon publication.

There is no embargo period for access.

Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles in accordance with the applicable Creative Commons license specified by the journal.

3. Licensing

All published articles are distributed under a Creative Commons license as stated in the journal’s Copyright Notice.

The selected license clearly defines the permitted uses of the published material, including reuse, redistribution, and adaptation, provided proper attribution is given to the authors and the journal.

4. Author Rights

Authors retain copyright of their work.

Authors are permitted to:

• Deposit the published version (Version of Record) in institutional or subject repositories;
• Share the published article on personal or academic websites;
• Distribute copies for educational and research purposes;
• Reuse the content in future scholarly works with proper acknowledgment.

5. Self-Archiving Policy

The journal permits immediate self-archiving of the final published version without restriction or embargo.

Proper citation of the original publication in this journal is required when archiving or redistributing the work.

6. Sustainability of the Open Access Model

The journal’s open access publishing model is supported through institutional funding, government grants, and/or Article Processing Charges (APC), as described in the Revenue Sources Policy.

Financial support mechanisms do not influence editorial decisions or peer review outcomes.

7. Archiving and Digital Preservation

To ensure long-term availability and accessibility, the journal participates in recognized digital preservation systems and institutional archiving mechanisms.

This guarantees permanent access to published content.

8. Compliance with International Standards

This Open Access Policy aligns with recognized international best practices in scholarly publishing and supports transparency, accessibility, and academic integrity.

Archiving

1. Commitment to Digital Preservation

The journal is committed to ensuring the long-term preservation, integrity, and accessibility of all published scholarly content.

To safeguard the scholarly record and ensure uninterrupted access, the journal implements recognized digital preservation strategies supported by secure hosting infrastructure and institutional oversight.

2. Digital Preservation Mechanism

The journal participates in the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) as its primary long-term digital preservation system.

PKP PN provides:

• Distributed preservation through a secure global network of preservation nodes;
• Archiving of full-text content and associated metadata;
• Guaranteed access continuity in the event of technical failure, data corruption, or journal discontinuation.

Participation in PKP PN ensures that all published articles remain permanently preserved and retrievable.

3. Hosting and Technical Infrastructure

The journal is hosted on the PKP managed hosting infrastructure at Simon Fraser University (PKP SFU).

This managed hosting environment provides:

• Secure and professionally maintained server infrastructure;
• Routine system monitoring and maintenance;
• Regular database and file backups;
• Technical support for platform stability.

These safeguards enhance operational reliability and complement the journal’s preservation strategy.

4. Persistent Identifiers and DOI Registration

Each published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref.

DOI registration ensures:

• Persistent and stable linking;
• Long-term discoverability;
• Reliable citation tracking;
• Interoperability across indexing, archiving, and scholarly communication systems.

Crossref registration strengthens the durability and traceability of the journal’s scholarly record.

5. Metadata Preservation and Interoperability

Each article is accompanied by standardized metadata to support identification, citation, indexing, and archival retrieval.

Metadata are structured according to established international standards and are:

• Deposited with Crossref;
• Preserved within the journal platform;
• Exposed via OAI-PMH for harvesting by indexing and abstracting services.

These measures ensure long-term discoverability and interoperability across academic databases.

6. Rights and Permissions

Authors grant the journal a non-exclusive right to archive and preserve their published articles in digital preservation systems and repositories.

Authors retain copyright and intellectual property rights in accordance with the journal’s licensing and copyright policy.

7. Access to Archived Content

Archived articles remain freely accessible, subject to the terms of the respective preservation networks and repositories.

The journal is committed to maintaining permanent public access to its published content.

8. Continuity in the Event of Journal Closure

In the event that the journal ceases publication, all previously published content will remain accessible through the PKP Preservation Network and relevant digital preservation systems.

This ensures the enduring availability and integrity of the scholarly record.

9. Compliance and Policy Review

The journal adheres to recognized standards of ethical publishing, including the principles established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

This Archiving Policy is periodically reviewed to ensure alignment with institutional governance requirements and international best practices in digital preservation.

Any revisions will be communicated transparently through the journal’s official website.