About the Journal

PEER-REVIEW PROCESS

STEP 0: REGISTRATION TO THE ONLINE JOURNAL SYSTEM (OJS)

Authors must create an OJS account to access the submission and manuscript management dashboard. This ensures that all submissions are systematically recorded and tracked within the system. The registration process is as follows:

  1. Author registers in OJS using the journal’s official website.
  2. Author completes profile, agrees to the privacy statement and terms, and confirms registered email.
  3. Once activated, the author gains access to the submission dashboard.

STEP 1: MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION 

Only authors with a valid OJS account may submit manuscripts.  The corresponding author, typically the primary author, must prepare the manuscript in accordance with the journal’s formatting and ethical guidelines, then submit it via OJS.

Authors must ensure that the manuscript follows the journal template (Appendix B), available for download via OJS. The manuscript should include:

  1. Title
  2. Author names, affiliations, and ORCID
  3. Manuscript in IMRAD format, not exceeding 6000 words [Manuscript Template.docx]
  4. Conflict of interest statement
  5. Data availability statement
  6. Author contributions (CRediT or Contributor Roles Taxonomy)
  7. Funding
  8. Acknowledgement

Along with the manuscript, authors must submit:

  1. Cover letter – Briefly explains the significance and originality of the study and confirms that the journal has the right to publish the work
  2. Supplementary Files – Appendices, raw data, or multimedia content that support the manuscript (if applicable).

 

STEP 2: INITIAL ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK

The Editorial Staff conducts a preliminary review to verify that the submission is complete, formatted according to the journal’s guidelines, and generally aligns with the journal’s scope.  Possible outcomes are:

  • Returns to the Author – if submission is incomplete, incorrectly formatted, or clearly outside the journal’s scope
  • Proceed to the next stage – if the submission meets the basic requirements.

 

STEP 3: INITIAL ASSESSMENT AND ASSIGNMENT 

The Editor-in-Chief evaluates the manuscript for its scholarly quality, novelty, and alignment with the journal’s aims and scope.  If the manuscript is deemed suitable for peer review, it is assigned to an Associate Editor with relevant subject expertise.  Possible outcomes are:

  • Desk Rejection – if the manuscript lacks originality, scholarly merit, or alignment with the journal’s focus, it is declined without external review.
  • Assignment to AE - if the manuscript meets the journal’s academic standards, it moves forward to the peer review process under the guidance of an AE.

 

STEP 4: MANAGING PEER REVIEW

The assigned Associate Editor oversees the peer review process to ensure a fair and timely evaluation of the manuscript.  The AE selects and invites at least three qualified External Reviewers with expertise in the manuscript’s subject area.

The Managing Editor provides administrative support within the OJS, including:

  1. Coordinating reviewer invitations and responses
  2. Monitoring deadlines and sending reminders, and
  3. Tracking the progress of reviewers to maintain timelines.

 

STEP 5: RIGOROUS PEER REVIEW

Daluyang Dunong employs a double-blind peer review process, in which both authors and referees remain anonymous to each other. This approach ensures impartial evaluation based solely on scholarly merit.

External Reviewers conduct an in-depth evaluation of the manuscript, focusing on originality, soundness of methodology, validity of results, quality of discussion, clarity of presentation, and adherence to ethical standards.  

Reviewers provided detailed, constructive feedback along with a formal recommendation to the Associate Editor:

  1. Accept with no Revision
  2. Accept with Minor Revisions
  3. Accept with Major Revisions
  4. Reject with the option to resubmit
  5. Reject

 

STEP 6: EDITORIAL DECISION MAKING

The AE synthesizes the feedback from the External Reviewers together with their own evaluation of the manuscript.  Based on this analysis, the AE proposes a decision and drafts a comprehensive decision letter for the Editor-in-Chief.

 The EiC reviews the AE’s recommendation and the reviewers’ comments to ensure fairness, consistency, and alignment with the journal’s standards, then issues the final decision.   

 The Managing Editor communicates the official decision letter (prepared by the AE and approved by the EiC), along with anonymized reviewer feedback (Appendix B), to the Author through the OJS.

 

 STEP 7: AUTHOR REVISIONS AND RE-EVALUATION

 If revisions are requested, the Author prepares a revised manuscript addressing all comments from the AE and External Reviewers.  An accomplished reviewer feedback form is required from the Author to explain how each comment was handled. Then, the revised manuscript and response document are resubmitted through the OJS.

The Associate Editor re-evaluates the manuscript to verify that the revisions meet the journal’s scientific and ethical standards.  

  • Minor revisions – The AE may assess and recommend a decision without further external review.
  • Major revisions – The AE may return the manuscript to the original External Reviewers for additional evaluation to confirm that substantial issues have been resolved.

Authors are generally expected to submit revised manuscripts within 3–4 weeks after receiving reviewer comments. Extensions may be granted upon request in exceptional cases. Manuscripts requiring major revisions may undergo additional rounds of peer review to ensure that all concerns have been addressed satisfactorily. Failure to provide timely revisions may result in withdrawal of the manuscript from consideration.

 

 STEP 8: FINAL ACCEPTANCE AND HANDOVER TO PRODUCTION

Once the AE confirms that all revisions have been satisfactorily addressed, they recommend final acceptance to the EiC. The EiC then provides final approval for publication.  

The ME or Editorial Staff then takes over to prepare the manuscript for the production phase. This includes:

  • Verifying that all required final files are complete (complete manuscript, figures, tables, supplementary data).
  • Confirming author information and affiliations.
  • Forwarding the approved manuscript package to the production team.

 STEP 9: PRODUCTION AND PUBLISHING

Language Editors conduct comprehensive copyediting and proofreading to ensure grammatical accuracy, clarity, and strict adherence to the journal’s style guide.  

Editorial staff coordinates typesetting and final layout to produce the camera-ready version of the article.  

Web developers ensure the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is properly assigned, embedded, and linked.  

Finally, the fully formatted article is published on the journal’s OJS platform and made available online.  

 

 STEP 10: POST-PUBLICATION VISIBILITY AND DISSEMINATION

 The published article becomes accessible to the global academic community, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field. To maximize its reach and impact, the Editorial Office may:

 

  • Announce the article on the journal’s website and social media platforms.
  • Share insights or key findings through newsletters, email alerts or press releases
  • Encourage authors to promote their work via institutional channels and professional networks.
  • Track metrics such as downloads, citations, and Altmetric scores to monitor visibility and engagement.

EDITORIAL DECISION TIMELINE

 The journal upholds a rigorous peer-review and editorial process to ensure the quality and integrity of published research.  While timelines may vary depending on manuscript complexity and reviewer availability, authors can generally expect an initial editorial decision within 6-8 weeks.  This timeframe is indicative, not guaranteed, as priority is always given to a thorough and fair assessment over rapid turnaround.