Editor Guidelines

Editorial Responsibilities and Publication Process

The Editorial Board of Veritas Journal of Social, Legal and Humanistic Studies (VJSLHS), published by The Global Publishers, is responsible for ensuring the academic quality, ethical integrity, and timely publication of all submitted manuscripts. Editors act as the central link between authors, reviewers, and the publisher, ensuring that all editorial decisions are made fairly, transparently, and without bias.

1. Core Editorial Responsibilities

  • Fairness and Impartiality: Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological or doctrinal rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope. Manuscripts are evaluated without discrimination based on nationality, gender, institutional affiliation, religion, political beliefs, or personal characteristics.
  • Confidentiality: Editors and editorial staff must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all submitted manuscripts. No information may be disclosed to anyone other than the corresponding author, assigned reviewers, or the publisher.
  • Editorial Independence: The Editor-in-Chief holds full authority over acceptance or rejection decisions. These decisions are based on peer review feedback, ethical considerations, and academic quality.

2. Editorial Workflow and Review Cycle

To ensure timely publication and maintain issue scheduling, the journal follows a structured editorial workflow within each publication cycle:

  • Initial Screening: Manuscripts undergo preliminary evaluation for scope relevance, formatting compliance, plagiarism screening, and ethical integrity (including AI-use disclosure where applicable).
  • Peer Review Stage: Eligible manuscripts are assigned to at least two independent reviewers under a double-blind review system.
  • Editorial Assessment: Based on reviewer reports, the Editor-in-Chief or Section Editor evaluates the manuscript and makes a decision: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.
  • Revision Stage: Authors are required to submit a point-by-point response to reviewer comments when revisions are requested.
  • Final Production: Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting, formatting, and final proofing before inclusion in the issue.

3. Ethical Oversight and Misconduct Handling

Editors are responsible for ensuring compliance with international publication ethics standards, including COPE Core Practices.

  • Plagiarism and AI Misuse: Manuscripts exceeding acceptable similarity thresholds or showing undisclosed or excessive AI-generated content may be rejected or returned for revision.
  • Post-Publication Integrity: If errors, ethical concerns, or misconduct are identified after publication, editors may issue a Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction as appropriate.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where any conflict of interest exists, including personal, academic, or professional relationships with authors.

4. Manuscript Management (OJS System)

The journal operates on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform to ensure transparency and workflow efficiency. Editors are responsible for:

  1. Assigning a minimum of two qualified reviewers for each manuscript.
  2. Ensuring strict adherence to the double-blind review process by removing all author-identifying information before review assignment.
  3. Monitoring review timelines and ensuring timely completion of evaluations.
  4. Consolidating reviewer feedback into clear and constructive editorial decision letters for authors.

5. Quality Assurance for Published Issues

Before final publication of each issue, the editorial team must ensure:

  • Accuracy and completeness of metadata, including author details, affiliations, and ORCID iDs (where provided).
  • Consistency and correctness of citation and reference formatting.
  • Proper display of manuscript history, including submission, revision, acceptance, and publication dates.
  • Final proofreading to ensure linguistic clarity and formatting consistency across all published articles.

6. Publication Schedule and Accountability

The journal follows a structured quarterly publication schedule. Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts progress efficiently through the editorial workflow so that publication deadlines are consistently met without compromising peer review quality or ethical standards.