Journal Policy

Peer Review Process

1. Review Model

This journal applies a double-blind peer review process.

The identities of authors are concealed from reviewers.
The identities of reviewers are concealed from authors.

All manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, clarity, and relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.

Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

Upon submission, the Editor-in-Chief conducts a preliminary evaluation to determine whether the manuscript:

Falls within the journal’s aims and scope;
Meets minimum academic and formatting standards;
Complies with ethical requirements;
Passes similarity screening.

Manuscripts that do not meet the minimum criteria are returned to the authors within approximately two weeks of receipt. Authors may revise and resubmit or choose to submit the manuscript to a more appropriate venue. This step helps avoid unnecessary delays from a full review process that would likely result in rejection.

3. Reviewer Assignment

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to an Associate Editor, who selects reviewers based on:

Subject-area expertise;
Academic qualifications and publication record;
Absence of conflicts of interest.

The journal ensures that reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process.

4. Review Criteria

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on:

Originality and novelty
Clarity and organization
Completeness and technical accuracy
Methodological soundness
Significance of findings
Research contribution and relevance to the field

Reviewers are requested to submit their evaluation within 4-6 weeks to facilitate timely editorial decisions.

Based on reviewers’ recommendations, manuscripts may receive one of the following decisions:

Reject
Major Revision (Reconsider after Revision)
Minor Revision
Accept

5. Revision and Re-Review

Authors receiving revision requests must submit:

A revised manuscript;
A detailed response addressing each reviewer comment.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation. Multiple rounds of review may occur if necessary.

6. Final Decision

After receiving the reviewers’ reports, the Associate Editor provides a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief.

The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief, taking into consideration:

Reviewers’ recommendations;
The adequacy of revisions;
The manuscript’s overall scholarly contribution.

The editorial decision, along with anonymized reviewer comments, is communicated to the authors.

The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is final.

7. Acceptance Rate

The journal maintains selective editorial standards to ensure publication quality.

Average annual acceptance rate: [insert actual percentage]

The acceptance rate is calculated based on the total number of manuscripts submitted compared to the number accepted within a calendar year.

The rate may vary annually depending on submission volume and editorial evaluation outcomes.

8. Post-Acceptance Production Process

Copyediting, Layout, and Proofreading (Estimated: 4 Weeks)

Following acceptance:

The manuscript undergoes professional copyediting and typesetting.
Authors may be requested to revise the manuscript in accordance with copyediting feedback.
PDF page proofs are sent to authors for review and final approval before publication.

Authors are responsible for carefully reviewing the final proofs to ensure accuracy.

9. 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.

10. 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 May and November. 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.