Editor Guidelines

The Editorial Board of International Journal of Research, Innovation and Practice is responsible for the quality, integrity, and timely publication of research. Editors must act as the bridge between authors and reviewers, ensuring that the journal’s standards are upheld without bias.

1. Editorial Responsibilities

  • Fairness and Independence: Editors evaluate manuscripts based solely on their intellectual merit and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the author’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, and the publisher.

  • Decision Making: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) holds the final authority on whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected. This decision is based on the manuscript's importance, originality, and the feedback provided by peer reviewers.

2. The Quarterly Editorial Cycle

To maintain our January, April, July, and October schedule, the following timeline is enforced:

  • Week 1-2: Preliminary desk review and plagiarism/AI screening.

  • Week 3-6: Double-blind peer review process.

  • Week 7: Editorial decision (Accept/Reject/Revise).

  • Week 8-10: Revision and final proofreading.

  • Week 12: Issue compilation and publication.

3. Handling Ethics and Misconduct

Editors must take responsive measures when ethical complaints have been raised:

  • Plagiarism & AI: If the screening software indicates plagiarism (per UGC guidelines) or AI usage exceeding 20%, the Editor must request a revision or reject the work immediately.

  • Correction of Errors: If an error is discovered post-publication, the Editor is responsible for publishing a correction, retraction, or expression of concern.

  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with the authors.

4. Manuscript Management (OJS Workflow)

Editors are expected to use the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to:

  1. Assign at least two reviewers per manuscript.

  2. Monitor the "Reviewer Due Dates" to prevent delays.

  3. Ensure that all identifying information is removed from files before sending them to reviewers (Double-Blind protocol).

  4. Consolidate reviewer comments into a clear, helpful decision letter for the author.

5. Quality Control for Quarterly Issues

Before an issue is finalized, the Section Editor or EiC must verify:

  • All metadata (Title, Keywords, ORCID iDs) is correct.

  • The references are formatted consistently.

  • The "Article Processing" history (Submission date, Revision date, Acceptance date) is clearly displayed on the first page of every PDF.