Policies & Guidelines

 

UOLI CROSSMARK POLICY

CrossMark is a multi-publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of an article or other published content. By applying the CrossMark logo, Research Publishing House - University of Loralai (RPH-UoLi) is committing to maintaining the content it publishes and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur. Read more...

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58341/srj.v1i1.1

 

PUBLICATION ETHICS

SJR follows the editorial guidelines and policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in letter and spirit and operates according to HEC guidelines and policies.

Editors and Referees

Our editors and referees must disclose any conflict of interest related to the manuscript they are assigned to review. In order to ensure a transparent double-blind peer-review process, the identities of authors and referees are kept confidential. As per the HEC policy guidelines for research journals, manuscript submission by the editor, associate editor, or any member of the editorial board is prohibited.

Authors

In their research and writing, authors are expected to adhere to general ethical standards:

  • They should ensure that their submitted work, or any of its essential content, has not been previously published in a refereed journal and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. To guarantee this, editors use anti-plagiarism software such as Turnitin.com to screen the submissions.
  • Authors must also properly cite any published relevant material or work referred to in their research following the APA formatting guidelines.
  • Ethically, authors are obliged to mention and acknowledge sources of funding and significant help explicitly under the heading of "Compliance with the Ethical Standards" at the end of the manuscript. Furthermore, it is the ethical responsibility of authors to obtain consent from parties with vested interests.

In case a published paper or its crucial content has been previously published, or if the authors engage in any other unethical behavior that is confirmed, the journal will undertake one or more of the following measures:

  • Issue a notification
  • Withdraw the paper
  • Prohibit the corresponding author from publishing in SJR
  • Inform the corresponding author, co-authors, employer, department head (HOD), funding agency, and HEC of the misconduct.

Complaints

SJR will only publish corrections in case of major errors resulting from author mistakes (Corrigenda) or editorial errors (Errata). In case of a serious complaint regarding a journal's own processes, the Chief Editor will collaborate with the corresponding author and any relevant members of the editorial board to address the issue. If additional guidance is necessary, the advisory board of SJR will be consulted. If the previously mentioned actions do not prove effective, the problem will be referred for external adjudication in accordance with COPE guidelines.

 

PLAGIARISM SCREENING

The Research Publishing House at the University of Loralai in Balochistan is responsible for publishing SJR. They are members of Turnitin, an online tool that assists editors in verifying the authenticity of submitted manuscripts. Every submitted manuscript undergoes a Turnitin scan to determine the level of similarity or plagiarism.

Plagiarism Definition

Plagiarism refers to the act of an author presenting another person's work as their own. Self-plagiarism or duplicate publication takes place when an author uses significant portions of their previously published work without giving proper references. This can involve publishing the same paper in multiple journals or slicing up previous work by adding small amounts of new data.

Plagiarism Policy of SJR

  • SJR is committed to promoting and sharing original research on education and social studies.
  • Any form of plagiarism is not acceptable at any stage by SJR as it is considered unethical publishing behavior.
  • Turnitin software will be used to check all chosen manuscripts for plagiarism.
  • Depending on the severity of plagiarism detected, the manuscript will be handled accordingly. Manuscripts with a similarity index of less than 19% can be published.
  • Manuscripts with a similarity index less than 19% will receive an ID and proceed to the review process.

In the case of suspected plagiarism in a published article:

  • SJR adheres to a particular procedure for handling cases of plagiarism, which involves utilizing the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flowchart (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts) guidelines.
  • The individual who brought the matter to attention of SJR is informed of the necessary steps to be taken.
  • A comparison is made between the articles to assess the extent of the copying.
  • All SJR editors are notified and requested to provide their input.
  • The author in charge of the article in question is contacted with supporting evidence of the plagiarism allegation and is requested to provide a response.
  • The editor of the journal in which the original plagiarized article was published and the authors of the plagiarized article are informed.
  • SJR publishes an official retraction of the paper.
  • SJR publishes an official retraction of the paper.
  • The online version of the SJR article is withdrawn from the OJS host site, and SJR will not publish any article by the author(s) concerned.

 

PEER-REVIEW POLICY

The SJR journal adopts a double-blind peer-review procedure where the identities of the authors and reviewers are kept confidential. For this purpose, anonymous versions of the manuscripts are shared with the referees. Initially, the SJR editors evaluate all submitted papers and reject those that do not fit within the journal's scope or fail to meet the minimum standards of quality and originality. Only the selected papers are then forwarded for peer review.

After an initial editorial review, papers are usually sent to referees, both at national and international level. In case, any of them decline the review invitation, alternate referees will be selected. The paper must receive at least three authoritative reviews before the handling Editor can decide whether to accept, reject, or request a revision and resubmission of the manuscript. Currently, around half of the manuscripts submitted to SJR are rejected at the editorial desk, 35% are turned down after peer review, and only 15% are accepted (often after undergoing one or two revisions). Ultimately, the editor is accountable for the final decision of accepting or rejecting an article, and their verdict is conclusive.   

SJR offers English editing services that are specifically designed for accepted manuscripts. Our team of professional proofreaders carefully examines these manuscripts to ensure that the language adheres to international journal publication standards. They resolve any language-related issues to maintain the accuracy of the paper.

Reviewer Guidelines

Peer review, in all its various forms, is an essential component in safeguarding the accuracy and reliability of academic publications. The process heavily relies on trust and requires all parties involved to act in a responsible and ethical manner. Within this process, peer reviewers have a crucial and necessary role to play. However, due to a lack of adequate direction, peer reviewers are often unaware of their ethical obligations. To address this issue, the SJR (Journal Rating System) has adopted the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which outline the fundamental principles and standards that all peer reviewers should follow during the double-blind peer-review process. These guidelines are intended to serve as a helpful resource for researchers, a reference point for journal editors in guiding their reviewers, and an educational tool for institutions to train their students and researchers.

Basic principles to which peer reviewers should adhere

Peer reviewers should: 

  • only accept manuscripts for review if they have the necessary subject expertise to properly assess them and can complete the assessment in a timely manner.
  • maintain the confidentiality of the peer review process and not disclose any information about the manuscript or review beyond what is released by the journal.
  • cannot use information acquired during the peer review process to benefit themselves or others, or to harm or discredit anyone else.
  • disclose all potential conflicts of interest, and seek guidance from the journal if they are uncertain whether a particular interest is relevant.
  • be objective and constructive in their reviews, avoiding hostility, inflammatory language, and personal attacks.
  • recognize that peer review is a reciprocal process and should undertake their fair share of reviewing in a timely manner.
  • provide journals with accurate personal and professional information that reflects their expertise.
  • understand that impersonation of another individual during the review process is a serious offense.

HOW TO CONDUCT A REVIEW

1- Before you begin

Before you accept or decline an invitation to review, consider the following:

  • If the article pertains to your area of expertise, consider accepting it for review only if you're confident of providing a high-quality review.
  • If you have any potential conflict of interest, inform the editor while responding to their request for review.
  • Before committing to review an article, ensure that you can meet the deadline as reviewing can be time-consuming.
  • Gain more insight into the Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

It's important to reply to the invitation promptly, even if you are declining it. Taking too long to make a decision can slow down the review process and make the author wait longer. If you decide to decline, it would be beneficial to offer suggestions for alternative reviewers.

2- Managing your review

Confidential material

If you agree to accept the materials, you are obligated to maintain their confidentiality. This implies that you cannot distribute or disclose them to anyone without obtaining authorization from the editor in advance. Additionally, since the peer review process is confidential, you must refrain from sharing any details about the review with others, unless you have been granted permission from both the editors and authors.

How to log in and access your review

To manage your review, SJR’s Journal Managing System will be used. You can access the paper and provide your review by clicking on the link provided in the invitation email. This link will lead you to the submission and reviewing system.

Journal-specific instructions

When writing a review, ensure that you familiarize yourself with any particular instructions set by the journal. You can find these guidelines in the journal's author guide on its homepage. Begin by reading the article, and you may choose to spot-check significant points by selecting which section to read first. We provide some suggestions for handling specific portions of the paper below. 

Methodology

If the manuscript you are reviewing is reporting an experiment, check the methods section first. The following cases are considered major flaws and should be flagged:

  • Unsound methodology
  • Discredited method
  • Missing processes are known to be influential on the area of reported research
  • A conclusion drawn in contradiction to the statistical or qualitative evidence reported in the manuscript

For analytical papers, examine the sampling report, which is mandated in time-dependent studies. For qualitative research, make sure that systematic data analysis is presented and sufficient descriptive elements with relevant quotes from interviews are listed in addition to the author’s narrative.

Research data and visualizations

After ensuring the methodology is strong enough, review any visual data such as figures, tables, or images. The authors can include research data and visuals with their submission to help readers engage with the research post-publication. It is possible that submission files may contain links to data, so don't overlook these items during the peer review process. The manuscripts might also have database identifiers or accession numbers (e.g., genes) that connect to our database linking program.

In research data, inadequate data points, statistically insignificant variations, and unclear data tables are significant issues that should be addressed. These problems can lead to major flaws in the study.

Ethical considerations

Experiments including patient or animal data should properly be documented. Most journals require ethical approval by the author’s host organization. Please check journal-specific guidelines for such cases (available from the journal’s homepage).

Overview

If you don’t spot any major flaws, take a break from the manuscript, giving yourself time to think. Consider the article from your own perspective. When you sit down to write the review, again make sure you familiarize yourself with any journal-specific guidelines (these will be noted in the journal’s guide for authors).

3- Structuring your review

Your evaluation will assist the editor in determining whether to publish the article, and it will also benefit the author in improving the manuscript. Please ensure that your remarks are polite and helpful, avoiding any derogatory language or personal information unless the journal uses open peer review. It is crucial to identify any flaws and provide explanations and evidence to clarify your reasoning for both the editors and authors. Additionally, specify whether your comments are based on your opinion or supported by factual data.

Your recommendation

When you make a recommendation, it is worth considering the categories the editor will likely use for classifying the article.

  • Accept Submission: The reviewer recommends the editor accept the submission without any revision
  • Revision Required: The reviewer recommends the editor accept the submission with minor revisions (figured out in Reviewing Form)
  • Resubmit for Review: The reviewer recommends major revision and would be happy to review the revised article (when the revised manuscript is submitted by the author/s). If you are recommending a revision, you must furnish the author with a clear, sound explanation of why this is necessary.
  • Resubmit Elsewhere: The reviewer recommends the author that this journal is not a good fit for the submission.
  • Decline Submission: The reviewer recommends the editor not accept the submission.

Bear in mind that there will be an opportunity to direct separate comments to both the editor and author. Once you are ready to submit your report, follow the instructions in the email or visit our support centre if you encounter any difficulties.

The final decision

The final decision of whether to approve or decline the article depends on the decision of the editor, and journal does not have any involvement in this process. The editor will consider all perspectives and may seek additional opinions or request the author to revise the paper prior to making a decision. If the journal has enabled this feature, the submission system will notify the reviewers of the final decision.

4- After your review

After completing your review, it's important to remember that the article and any related files or data should be treated as confidential documents. Therefore, you should not share them with anyone without first obtaining authorization from the editor.

Lastly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude, on behalf of the editors and author(s), for the time and effort you dedicated to providing valuable feedback on the article.

 

PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE STATEMENT

SJR and its publisher, Research Publishing House – University of Loralai, Balochistan follow the ethical guidelines for publication outlined by the COPE (Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers) as well as Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. In view of that, the authors, the reviewers, and the editors are expected to follow the best-practice guidelines.

 

OPEN ACCESS STATEMENT

This is an open-access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Open Access License

The published research work by this journal is licensed under:

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

 

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES

SRJ publishes all of its articles using full open access, which means that the articles can be used and reused as much as desired while still giving proper credit to the authors. This is done through the use of a Creative Commons (CC BY) license.

To make this possible, SRJ uses a Platinum Open Access (POA) arrangement that is detailed by Emerald Publishing. Under this arrangement, the University of Loralai (UoLi) or Funding Agencies (under the supervision of UoLi) cover all of the expenses associated with publishing an open access article in the journal. This includes the costs of peer review administration and management, the professional production of articles in various formats such as PDF, and the dissemination of published papers through different channels, as well as other publishing functions.

Authors are required to pay any Article Processing Charges (APC) to cover these expenses, and there are no charges for rejected articles, no submission fees, and no surcharges based on the length of the article, figures, or supplementary data. However, some items such as Editorials, Corrections, Addendums, Retractions, Comments, etc. are published with limited charges.

 

ADVERTISING POLICY

SJR accepts advertising support for its print and online publications and maintains editorial integrity through the policy that defines the Editorial and Advertiser relationship:

  • The editorial decisions are not influenced by print and online advertising. The decision to publish a manuscript is not dependent upon any monetary or commercial interest.
  • SRJ reserves the right to refuse any advertising
  • SRJ’s Editor-in-Chief has the authority to approve print and online advertisements and to enforce the advertising policy
  • Print advertisements are interspersed throughout the journal but do not interrupt the flow of any article.
  • The online ads are displayed on the journal’s website and may contain online top and/or sidebar banners
  • To avoid implied endorsement by the journal, the article, or the authors of the article, advertisements are not adjacent to articles addressing the product or its disease state
  • The Publisher reserves the right to print the word “Advertisement” on any advertisement where it may not be clear, so that readers can distinguish readily between advertising and editorial work

It is the responsibility of the advertiser and its agencies to adhere to appropriate legal requirements and regulations (for example, FDA regulations regarding advertising and promotion).