Peer Review Policy
Understanding Our Peer Review Approach
The SMARCONS – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS) uses an efficient online manuscript management system to facilitate efficient article submissions, peer reviews, and tracking. We aim to provide a streamlined peer review process that ensures high-quality feedback within a timely turnaround of approximately 3 to 4 weeks, followed by expedited publication.
The editorial team at SMARCONS – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS), led by the Editor-in-Chief and supported by the board members, is committed to high standards of ethical conduct and transparency in all aspects. We aim to support established and emerging researchers across diverse disciplines, offering guidance and encouragement to nurture innovation, creativity and academic growth.
Our Peer Review Process
All manuscripts submitted to SMARCONS Journals – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS) undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, ensuring complete anonymity between authors and reviewers. The journal welcomes submissions that offer significant, innovative, or thought-provoking contributions to the field, regardless of the magnitude of their impact. The standard review period is 6–8 weeks.
Here’s how our review process works:
Initial Screening
The Editor-in-Chief/Editor review each manuscript to assess its relevance, significance and alignment with the journal’s scope and quality standards.
Expert Peer Review
Selected manuscripts are sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers specialized in the subject area.
Editorial Decision
Upon completion of the review process, authors receive a notification via email. If revisions are needed, authors must submit a detailed response addressing reviewers' comments.
Revisions and Re-Review
Depending on the changes made, revised manuscripts may be re-assessed by the original reviewers or new experts.
Final Acceptance
After all concerns are addressed, the manuscript is formally accepted. Authors are then provided with proofs for a final review, during which only minor typographical or scientific corrections are permitted.
Publication
The production team upholds the standards for high-quality publication, and the journal retains the discretion to determine formatting and figure dimensions.
Your Research is in Trusted Hands
At the SMARCONS Journals– Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS), we accurately and professionally review your research. Our peer review process is conducted by active researchers and esteemed leaders in their fields, selected for their excellence and unwavering commitment to upholding high standards.
Expert Reviewers: Subject matter experts evaluate each manuscript using a stringent quality assessment tool. They thoroughly review the methodology to ensure it is rigorous and verify that robust data underpin the conclusions.
Dedicated Editors: Our editors, esteemed researchers across various domains, meticulously oversee the review process. They ensure that manuscripts are approved for publication only after thorough validation by the reviewers.
Collaborative Feedback: Our online platform facilitates transparent and dynamic communication between authors, reviewers, and editors. This real-time collaboration enhances manuscript quality and promotes a productive and efficient review process.
Transparency and Accountability: The names of reviewers and editors are formally recognized and published alongside the published Issue they evaluate. This transparency encourages everyone to uphold the highest quality standards and act responsibly.
Timely and Efficient: Our custom-built peer review platform optimises the evaluation process, providing authors, reviewers, and editors with real-time updates and timely alerts for required actions. A dedicated peer review team is available to assist with questions and guide each manuscript through the process. This streamlined system enables us to maintain an average review time of under 90 days, ensuring efficient and timely publication of high-quality research.
Integrity-Focused: Our Research Integrity Team conducts meticulous investigations of any signs of misconduct, including citation manipulation, false reviewer identities, conflicts of interest, or other activities that could compromise the peer review process. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethical conduct, trust and credibility in our review system.
Our experienced and dedicated in-house peer review team guides and supports the entire evaluation process, ensuring consistent quality, scientific rigour, and constructive exchange of ideas among authors, reviewers, and editors. We are committed to certifying the quality of every article while promoting meaningful, collaborative improvements.
Editorial Authority
SMARCON reserves the right to exercise editorial oversight, wherein the Chief Editors and Chief Executive Editor may request additional revisions, solicit further expert reviews, or override acceptance or rejection decisions made by Editors. This policy ensures strict adherence to SMARCON's editorial guidelines, terms of service, and publication ethics, to which authors implicitly consent upon manuscript submission.
Roles and Responsibilities in the Peer Review Process
Authors: Authors are required to submit original, rigorous, and scholarly manuscripts aligned with the journal's scope. It is essential that authors adhere to all ethical guidelines, editorial policies, and standards of academic integrity and carefully address feedback from reviewers and editors.
To ensure their manuscripts remain under consideration, authors must:
- Respond promptly to queries from editors, reviewers, or the journal editorial office.
- Collaborate effectively by addressing feedback constructively and within the agreed timeframe.
- Use respectful and professional language in all communications with the editorial board, reviewers, or the editorial office.
- Authors who fail to respond for an extended period (30 days) or use offensive or inappropriate language may have their manuscripts rejected.
Reviewers: Reviewers are experts who evaluate systematic submissions using a structured approach. Their role is to assess the scientific quality, accuracy, relevance and overall validity of the research. They ensure the study’s methods are meaningful, its conclusions are valid, and its data sufficiently supports the findings.
Editors: Editors oversee the peer-review process, focusing on fairness and rigour. They evaluate the feedback provided by reviewers and approve manuscripts for publication that meet the journal’s high criteria for quality standards.
Our peer review team provides comprehensive support to all including chief editors, handling editors, reviewers, and authors—ensuring that manuscripts meet the highest quality and scientific integrity standards, guiding the process to ensure that manuscripts meet the highest standards of quality and integrity. If any participant—whether an editor, reviewer, or author—needs assistance, the peer review team is always available to help. For additional support, we have two dedicated sub-teams:
- Research Integrity Team:
Dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards in research, ensuring the integrity of the publication process. - Editorial Review Operations Team:
Focused on optimizing the review process, streamlining workflows, and enhancing efficiency.
Our goal is to ensure the publication of rigorous, impactful research while promoting a collaborative and supportive environment that values collaboration, integrity, and academic excellence.
Manuscript Quality Standards
Our Research Integrity Team is committed to maintaining high research excellence and ethical conduct standards. We ensure that only high-quality manuscripts are considered for publication while preventing those that fall short of these standards from proceeding.
If concerns about a manuscript’s quality, ethical compliance, or peer-review integrity arise at any stage before official publication—even if the abstract has been made available online—these concerns will be thoroughly investigated. This applies regardless of whether the manuscript has already undergone peer review or been accepted. The journal’s Chief Editors and SMARCON’s Chief Executive Editor will conduct the investigation.
Acceptance Criteria
To be accepted at SMARCONS– Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS), all submissions must adhere to the following VALID criteria:
Valid Research Question and Hypothesis:
Submissions should articulate a clear, well-defined research question and hypothesis situated within a relevant theoretical framework. The research question should address a meaningful and relevant problem that aligns with the study's objectives, demonstrating a clear understanding of the underlying issues and their significance within the field.
Appropriate Methodology
The study must employ correct methodological transparency and rigour. This necessitates thorough documentation of the research design, materials, and procedures to ensure reproducibility and credibility. Robust methodology ensures that the study's conclusions are reliably supported and contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge.
Lucid Presentation
Manuscripts must be composed in a language that is clear, concise, and scientifically accurate, adhering to established standards of academic writing. Figures, tables, and other visual aids must conform to internationally recognised scientific standards, effectively enhancing the manuscript’s clarity and impact.
In Compliance with Policies
Submissions must strictly adhere to SMARCONS – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS) editorial and ethical guidelines. This encompasses strict compliance with policies on originality, ethics in research involving human or animal subjects, and transparency in reporting.
Grounded in Literature
A comprehensive and representative list of references should thoroughly support manuscripts and provide a balanced overview of the field. Citations must demonstrate unbiased engagement with current and relevant research, avoiding geographic bias, citation cartels, or excessive self-citations.
These criteria ensure that all submissions are of the highest quality and contribute meaningful advancements to their respective fields.
Rejection Criteria
Submissions may be rejected at any stage of the publication process—whether during initial validation, peer review, final validation, or even post-acceptance—based on the following reasons:
Invalid Research Foundation
The manuscript lacks a well-defined research question or hypothesis.
It investigates pseudoscientific topics that fail to meet scholarly standards.
Errors in Methodology
Significant flaws in the study design, data collection, or analysis undermine the validity of the research.
Non-compliance with Editorial Policies
The manuscript fails to meet originality requirements due to plagiarism, duplication, or insufficient
novelty.
Substandard Presentation Quality
Poor language, unclear structure, or substandard visuals make the manuscript unsuitable for rigorous
peer review or publication.
Ethical Policy Violations
Research involving humans or animals lacks proper approvals or fails to comply with internationally recognized ethical guidelines.
Privacy and confidentiality standards are not maintained.
Authorship and Data Integrity Issues
Non-adherence to authorship policies, such as disputes over contributions or inclusion of individuals
without consent.
Fabrication, falsification, or deceitful manipulation of data, images, or figures.
Referencing and Literature Gaps
References are biased, outdated, or insufficient, failing to provide a well-rounded context for the study.
Misleading or Harmful Conclusions
Biased or faulty analyses lead to misleading conclusions, lack scientific validity, or pose risks to public
health.
Each of these criteria is designed to uphold the journal's integrity, quality, and ethical standards, ensuring that only reliable, impactful, and well-executed research is published. By upholding these standards, SMARCONS – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS) ensures a fair, transparent, and rigorous peer review process, fostering professionalism and scholarly integrity across all stages of publication.
To guide manuscript acceptance or rejection, SMARCONS – Journal of Excellence in Social Sciences (JESS) follows clearly defined criteria as discussed above. These resources outline our commitment to publishing research that upholds the highest ethical and editorial standards. For more details, please refer to:
