Initial Submission Phase

Initial Screening (Typically within 1–5 working days)

• Verification that the manuscript complies with submission requirements
• Ethics and plagiarism screening
• Verification of complete metadata
• Verification of author contribution statements
• Preliminary assessment of citations and references

Editorial Review Phase

Editorial Assessment (Typically within 1–2 weeks)

• The editor evaluates whether the manuscript:
• Aligns with the journal’s scope
• Demonstrates originality and scholarly contribution
• Meets quality standards for peer review
• Has appropriate methodology and presentation
• The editor decides whether to proceed to peer review or issue a desk rejection

Peer Review Phase

Peer Review Process (Typically within 4–8 weeks after reviewer acceptance)

• The manuscript undergoes double-blind peer review by subject experts
• At least two independent reviewers evaluate the manuscript
• Reviewers provide structured feedback and recommendations
• The editor synthesises the reviews and makes a decision:
• Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject
• Authors receive reviewer feedback regardless of the editorial decision

Production Phase

Production and Publication (Typically within 2–3 weeks after acceptance)

• Final manuscript copyediting and typesetting
• Assignment of Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and publication metadata
• Proofreading and quality control
• Online publication of the final article
• Inclusion in the relevant journal issue

Note: The timeframes above represent average processing durations and may vary depending on manuscript complexity, reviewer availability, and revision requirements.