International Journal of Multi Studies (IJMS) — Scholar Unity, New Delhi

The International Journal of Multi Studies (IJMS) follows a structured and impartial peer-review process to evaluate the academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, and scholarly contribution of submitted manuscripts.

The peer-review process is intended to ensure that manuscripts published by IJMS meet appropriate standards of academic rigor, research integrity, clarity, and scholarly relevance.

 

On This Page

1.      Initial Editorial Screening

2.      Similarity & Originality Check

3.      Double-Blind Peer Review

4.      Selection of Reviewers

5.      Review Criteria

6.      Reviewer Recommendations

7.      Revision by Authors

8.      Editorial Decision

9.      Final Acceptance & Publication

10.  Confidentiality & Editorial Independence

11.  Estimated Review Timeline

12.  Author Responsibility

 

1. Initial Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening before being considered for external peer review. During this stage, the editorial team may assess the manuscript for:

• Alignment with the journal's aims and scope
• Basic academic and technical requirements
• Originality and scholarly contribution
• Compliance with manuscript preparation requirements
• Research and publication ethics
• Potential plagiarism or significant textual similarity

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's basic requirements may be returned to the authors for correction or declined before external peer review.

 

2. Similarity & Originality Check

Manuscripts may be checked for textual similarity using appropriate similarity-detection tools as part of the editorial screening process.

Similarity results are evaluated in context and are not treated as an automatic indication of plagiarism. The editorial team may consider the nature, location, extent, and source of matching text when determining whether further action is required.

Where substantial or inappropriate similarity is identified, the manuscript may be returned to the authors for revision, clarification, or appropriate citation, or may be rejected depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

 

3. Double-Blind Peer Review

IJMS follows a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another during the review process, to the extent practicable.

Authors should prepare manuscripts for double-blind review in accordance with the journal's manuscript preparation requirements and remove identifying information where required.

 

4. Selection of Reviewers

Manuscripts that proceed beyond the initial editorial screening are assigned to qualified and independent reviewers with relevant academic or subject expertise.

IJMS normally seeks evaluation from two or more independent reviewers, depending on the nature of the manuscript and the requirements of the editorial process.

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, confidential, and academically appropriate assessments of the manuscript.

 

5. Review Criteria

Reviewers may evaluate manuscripts with consideration of the following factors:

• Originality and novelty of the work
• Research methodology and overall academic rigor
• Clarity and organization of the manuscript
• Quality and appropriateness of data and analysis
• Validity and support of the conclusions
• Relevance and adequacy of the literature and citations
• Compliance with applicable research and publication ethics
• Overall scholarly contribution and relevance

The specific criteria may vary according to the article type, discipline, methodology, and subject matter.

 

6. Reviewer Recommendations

Following evaluation, reviewers provide comments and recommendations to assist the editor in reaching a publication decision. Possible recommendations include:

• Accept: The manuscript is considered suitable for publication without substantial changes.
• Minor Revision: The manuscript requires limited revisions before a final decision can be made.
• Major Revision: The manuscript requires substantial revision and may require further evaluation.
• Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal's requirements for publication.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The final publication decision is made by the editorial team based on the overall assessment of the manuscript and the available peer-review reports.

 

7. Revision by Authors

When revisions are requested, authors are expected to address the reviewers' comments carefully and provide a clear response to the issues raised. Authors may be required to submit:

• A revised version of the manuscript
• A point-by-point response to reviewer comments
• An explanation of the changes made in response to the reviews

Where appropriate, revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation.

 

8. Editorial Decision

The editorial decision is based on the manuscript's academic quality, originality, research methodology, ethical compliance, reviewer evaluations, and overall suitability for publication in IJMS.

The editor may consider reviewer recommendations but retains independent editorial judgment and may reach a decision that differs from a particular reviewer recommendation where appropriate.

 

9. Final Acceptance & Publication

Once a manuscript has successfully completed the peer-review and editorial process and has been formally accepted, it proceeds to the journal's publication and production procedures.

Where applicable, information regarding the Article Processing Charge (APC), copyright and licensing, formatting, production, DOI assignment, and publication procedures is communicated to the authors in accordance with the relevant IJMS policies.

Payment of an Article Processing Charge does not influence the peer-review decision and does not guarantee acceptance, publication, indexing, or citation.

 

10. Confidentiality & Editorial Independence

Manuscripts submitted to IJMS and the contents of peer-review reports are treated as confidential within the editorial and peer-review process, subject to applicable policies and legal or ethical requirements.

Editorial and peer-review decisions are intended to be based on academic and scholarly considerations. Commercial considerations, including Article Processing Charges, should not determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.

 

11. Estimated Review Timeline

The duration of peer review may vary depending on the subject area, reviewer availability, manuscript complexity, revision requirements, and other factors affecting the editorial process.

IJMS does not guarantee a specific peer-review or publication timeline. Authors may be contacted when additional information, clarification, or revisions are required.

 

12. Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are original, accurately presented, properly referenced, ethically conducted where applicable, and prepared in accordance with the journal's submission and publication requirements.

By submitting a manuscript to IJMS, authors acknowledge that the manuscript may undergo editorial screening, similarity checking, peer review, revision, and final editorial evaluation before a publication decision is made.