Submission & Publication Procedure

Before Submission

Before submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that it meets the applicable substantive, methodological, technical, and ethical requirements.

Authors must ensure that:

• the manuscript topic falls within the Aims & Scope;
• the manuscript is prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines and journal template;
• the manuscript structure, word count, abstract, keywords, citations, and references comply with journal requirements;
• all authors, the authorship order, affiliations, and the corresponding author have been properly agreed upon;
• the manuscript has not previously been formally published and is not being considered simultaneously by another journal; depositing a Preprint as permitted by Repository & Self-Archiving Policy does not count as prior formal publication;
• the sources, data, figures, tables, and other materials used can be appropriately accounted for;
• conflicts of interest have been disclosed where relevant;
• the use of AI or automated tools has been disclosed in accordance with the applicable requirements; and
• the main manuscript file and any required supporting documents have been prepared.

Requirements concerning authorship, publication ethics, conflicts of interest, plagiarism and manuscript similarity, and the use of AI are governed respectively by Authorship & Contributorship, Publication Ethics & Malpractice, Conflict of Interest, Plagiarism & Similarity Screening, and AI & Automated Tools Policy.

Online Submission

Manuscripts are submitted through Open Journal Systems (OJS) using an author account. The corresponding author serves as the primary contact between the author team and the journal throughout the editorial process.

During submission, authors must:

• upload the manuscript and any required supporting files;
• select the appropriate section or submission type where applicable;
• enter complete and accurate manuscript metadata;
• enter all authors in the agreed authorship order;
• ensure that names, affiliations, email addresses, and other author information correspond with the manuscript;
• complete the title, abstract, keywords, and other required metadata;
• complete the declarations and submission requirements provided in the system; and
• complete all submission steps until the manuscript is formally recorded in the journal system.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the metadata provided. Changes to authorship information after submission are governed by Authorship & Contributorship.

After submitting the manuscript, authors may communicate their choice of Regular or Fast Track through OJS editorial discussion. If no preference has been expressed, the Editor-in-Chief provides information on both options before assigning a Section Editor. The rules for changing a confirmed service choice are set out in Article Processing Charge.

Initial Editorial Screening

After a submission is recorded in OJS, the assigned Section Editor conducts the initial editorial screening at the submission stage and reports the findings to the Editor-in-Chief. The screening determines whether the manuscript is ready for peer review or requires another editorial action.

The screening may include, as appropriate:

• alignment with the Aims & Scope;
• compliance with the Author Guidelines and journal template;
• completeness of files and metadata;
• originality and the level of manuscript similarity;
• compliance with research and publication ethics requirements;
• initial scholarly suitability;
• clarity of the research problem or objective and its orientation toward novelty;
• consistency between the research type or design and the data used; and
• sufficiency of the manuscript's substance for peer review.

Following the Section Editor's report on initial editorial screening, the Editor-in-Chief may send a suitable manuscript to peer review, return it for preliminary revision where the issues can be remedied, or decline it where plagiarism or another serious, non-remediable integrity violation is identified. If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the Managing Editor exercises this decision-making authority.

Similarity screening and the assessment of suspected plagiarism are conducted in accordance with Plagiarism & Similarity Screening.

Peer Review and Revision

After a manuscript passes initial editorial screening, the Section Editor prepares an anonymized file for the reviewers, checking both the visible content and the file properties for identifying information. The manuscript then proceeds to peer review in accordance with Peer Review Process.

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript's substance, methodology, scholarly contribution, consistency of argumentation, use of sources, and quality of presentation. Reviewer assessments form one of the bases considered by the editor in determining the appropriate editorial action.

Where revision is required, authors must:

• revise the manuscript in response to comments from the editor and reviewers;
• provide a clear response to each comment or recommendation;
• provide an academic justification where a recommendation is not implemented; and
• upload the revised manuscript and response document through the system in accordance with editorial instructions.

A revised manuscript may be returned to reviewers where further assessment is required. The revision process may involve one or more rounds depending on the needs of the scholarly evaluation.

Editorial Decision and Acceptance

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final editorial decision on the basis of editorial assessment, peer review, author responses, and the latest manuscript version. When the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the Managing Editor makes the decision.

Editorial decisions may include:

• accepted;
• further revision;
• further review; or
• declined.

A manuscript is considered accepted and suitable for publication once the Editor-in-Chief has issued the final acceptance decision at the review stage. If the Editor-in-Chief has a conflict of interest, the Managing Editor issues that decision. A Letter of Acceptance (LoA) may then be issued as documentation of the acceptance status.

After final acceptance at the review stage, the selected Article Processing Charge must be paid in full before copyediting begins. The editorial decision is made independently of payment status or the chosen service option. Further provisions concerning service selection and payment are set out in Article Processing Charge.

Concerns regarding an editorial decision may be submitted through the mechanism set out in Complaints & Appeals.

Copyediting and Production

After full payment of the applicable Article Processing Charge, accepted manuscripts enter copyediting. Every accepted manuscript undergoes proofreading by a copyeditor and translation by a translator at this stage, together with other editorial work needed to prepare an accurate, consistent publication-ready article.

Copyediting may include:

• proofreading, including language editing and terminology consistency;
• translation and alignment with the journal's editorial style;
• verification of consistency between in-text citations and the reference list;
• review of tables, figures, and supporting materials;
• metadata refinement;
• clarification of information requiring author confirmation; and
• review of other technical elements required for publication.

The copyeditor and translator each attach the results of their work in OJS and open an editorial discussion to inform the authors and editors that their respective tasks have been completed. After copyediting, the article proceeds to production, including preparation of the layout or galley, final metadata checks, bibliographic information and a DOI where applicable, and final proof review.

Authors may be asked to review an author proof to verify the accuracy of names, affiliations, text, tables, figures, references, metadata, and other production elements. Substantive changes at this stage are made only where academic or ethical considerations require further attention.

Publication and Post-Publication Status

An article is published after all editorial and production stages have been completed and the final version is officially made available on the journal website in accordance with the applicable publication schedule or publication model.

Before publication, the journal ensures that:

• the final publication file is available;
• the article metadata has been reviewed;
• author and affiliation information is accurate;
• the DOI and other bibliographic information have been included where applicable;
• the article has been assigned to the appropriate issue or publication arrangement; and
• the publication status has been updated in the journal system.

After publication, any change affecting the substance or publication status of an article is handled in accordance with Corrections, Retractions, & Withdrawals.