Peer Review Process
The Instabright International Journal of Education and Social Sciences (IIJESS) implements a double-blind peer review process to ensure fairness, academic integrity, and scientific rigor in the evaluation of submitted manuscripts. All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening followed by evaluation by qualified experts in the relevant discipline.
1. Manuscript Submission
Authors submit their manuscripts in accordance with the IIJESS Author Guidelines and prescribed manuscript format. The manuscript must be original, properly prepared, and within the scope of the journal.
2. Initial Editorial Screening
Upon submission, the Editorial Team conducts an initial assessment to determine whether the manuscript:
- Falls within the scope of IIJESS;
- Meets the basic formatting requirements;
- Contains the required manuscript components;
- Demonstrates sufficient academic and scholarly merit;
- Complies with ethical requirements; and
- Meets the journal's originality and plagiarism requirements.
Manuscripts that do not meet the basic requirements or are outside the journal's scope may be returned to the authors or rejected prior to external peer review.
3. Plagiarism and Originality Check
All submitted manuscripts undergo plagiarism detection using appropriate similarity-checking tools. IIJESS maintains an acceptable similarity index of not more than 15%, with no single source exceeding 5%. Plagiarism, duplicate submission, undisclosed self-plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification of data are considered violations of the journal's publication ethics.
4. Assignment of Reviewers
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to qualified reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject matter of the research.
Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, confidential, and timely evaluations. Reviewers must also disclose any potential conflict of interest.
5. Double-Blind Review
IIJESS follows a double-blind peer review system. The identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors.
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on:
- Relevance to the journal's scope;
- Clarity and coherence;
- Originality and contribution to knowledge;
- Methodological rigor;
- Depth of analysis;
- Accuracy of results;
- Strength of conclusions;
- Proper citation and referencing; and
- Ethical compliance.
6. Reviewer Recommendation
Reviewers may recommend one of the following decisions:
- Accept
- Minor Revisions
- Major Revisions
- Reject
The Editorial Team makes the final editorial decision based on the overall quality of the manuscript and the reviewers' evaluations.
7. Revision and Re-evaluation
When revisions are required, authors are given an opportunity to address the reviewers' comments. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation when necessary.
8. Final Decision
Following the completion of the review and revision process, the Editor makes the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection.
9. Publication
Accepted manuscripts proceed to final editing, formatting, layout, and publication scheduling. IIJESS is published monthly.
Review Timeline
Reviewers are expected to complete their evaluation within 2–4 weeks, subject to reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript.
The journal may extend the review period when additional reviewers or further evaluation are necessary.
