Peer- Review Policy
Peer- Review Policy of Journal of Geographical Research and Area Studies
What is peer-review process?
In the peer-review process the author's submissions are subject to check by experts in the concerned field. It is considered necessary to ensure academic validity, authenticity and quality.
Process of Peer-Review
All manuscripts whether in the form of research articles, review articles, case studies etc. published in Journal of Geographical Research and Area Studies, undergo sincere peer review process by editorial board members and the manuscripts are published only after they are approved by them.
The process for manuscript review is performed through Open Journal System. Once a manuscript is uploaded/ submitted for publication, an editor is selected who authorizes the reviewer to give his feedback (double-blinded) about its quality and standards through a detailed report based on parameters. The Reviewer is requested to give constructive and detailed analysis, and suggest whether the manuscript should be accepted, reconsidered after major or minor changes, or rejected. The peer-reviewers are also expected to maintain a code of ethical standards during peer-review process and give their feedback without bias.
If the Reviewer thinks the manuscript is not suitable for publication, his feedback is submitted to the editor. If he agrees to it, the manuscript will automatically be rejected. If the editor does not agree to it, he can ask the reviewer to re-review or could assign that particular manuscript to other reviewer.
If the Reviewer suggests some corrections/ revisions, whether in the form of major or minor changes, the manuscript is sent back to the author for being modified. After receiving the (modified) manuscript from the author, it is again sent to the Reviewer, and after getting his confirmation, it is placed before the editor for his final approval. The editor may suggest some changes which are to be incorporated in the paper. After getting his final approval, the manuscript is accepted for publication.
If the Reviewer thinks the manuscript is suitable for publication, his feedback is submitted to the editor. If he agrees to it, the manuscript will automatically be accepted. If the editor does not agree to it, he can ask the reviewer to re-review or could assign that particular manuscript to other reviewer.
In all, the decision of the editor is final and binding regarding the Acceptance/ Rejection of the manuscript for publication.