Review Process

Publication and Review Process

6.1. Article Reception and Selection Before Blind-Reviewing

The journal carries out procedures to check the eligibility of the manuscript in all aspects as prescribed by the journal. The articles will be pre-evaluated by the Editorial Board and the administrative staff.

Step 1: The editor receives a manuscript through the journal's submission portal, which is done regularly on working days.

Step 2: The editor reviews the requirements for the content layout and format of the article and responds to the author with the preliminary selection results.

Preliminary selection results can belong to the following cases:

  • If the article meets the standards, the Editorial Board will send a notice to the author that the article can proceed to the review process. It will be coded according to the symbol JOSSH_year_serial number (from 001 to n) and announced on the Journal's website.
  • If the article does not meet the journal’s standards, there are 2 cases:
    • (a) The article can be edited and revised. The Editorial Board will send a notice to the author requesting necessary edits to meet the prescribed standards;
    • (b) The article cannot be edited further (e.g., the research scope is in another field other than the focus of the journal, or the content contradicts the principles and scope of the journal). In this case, the Editorial Board will send a notice of rejection to the author.

The preliminary selection process lasts for about 1 to 2 weeks.

6.2. Blind-Review Process

The Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities applies a double-blind review process. After being accepted into the journal's review process, manuscripts will be made anonymous, so that the reviewers do not know the author's information and vice versa.

6.2.1. Review Phase

After the article is made anonymous, the Executive Editor assigns editors in the specialized field close to the article to suggest the names of 2 reviewers. The list of reviewers is then submitted to the Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Editor-in-Chief for approval. The article will be sent to the reviewers along with a peer review report form. The article evaluation criteria include:

  • Evaluation of the form, structure, language of presentation, and citation regulations of the article
  • Evaluation of the appropriateness of the theoretical basis used in the article
  • Evaluation of the research methods
  • Evaluation of the reliability of data and research documents
  • Evaluation of the scientific and practical significance of the article.

The conclusion of the review process can be:

  • The article has good quality and is accepted for publication with no need for revision
  • The article needs minor revisions with no need to resubmit to the reviewers
  • The article needs major revisions and there is a need to resubmit to the reviewers
  • The article does not meet standards and is rejected

If the article receives opposite results from 2 reviewers, the Editorial Board will decide on the selection of a third reviewer. The final result will be decided by the Editorial Board based on the comments of all 3 reviewers.

For manuscripts that need to be edited, authors will receive the reviewers' comments and conclusions from the Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Authors will need to quickly make adjustments and send the revised version back to the Editorial Board for a final decision to accept publication, require further adjustments, or reject the article.

The time for reviewers to read and send back comments is within 60 days from the date the Editorial Board sends the article to the reviewers.

The time for authors to edit and send back the article is within 30 days from the date the Editorial Board sends comments to the author.

The time to complete the review process is about 3 months from the date the Editorial Board announces that the article can be sent to reviewers.

6.2.2. Decision on the Manuscript

The journal's Editorial Board proposes opinions for the Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Editor-in-Chief to approve or not approve for publication in the following cases:

  • If the article is accepted for publication by reviewers: If the Editorial Board approves the article for publication, the editors will format the article and send a pdf copy to the author for proofreading before official publication. The list of articles that are approved for publication and pending publication will be announced on the Journal's website.
  • If the article needs minor revisions: The authors will make adjustments and send the revised version back to the Editorial Board with an explanation of the adjustments. The Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Editor-in-Chief will review the article to either accept it for publication or require further edits.
  • If the article needs major revisions: The authors will make adjustments and send the revised version back to the Editorial Board with an explanation of the adjustments. The Editorial Board will send the article back to the reviewers to get further comments (if any) before making the final decision.
  • If the article is rejected for publication: If the Editor-in-Chief/Deputy Editor-in-Chief approves this rejection, the editorial office will send the author a notice of rejection. If further review is requested, the article will return to the reviewing stage for further processing.

The Editorial Board will notify the author of the results within one to six months, starting from the date the Editorial Board announces that the article can be sent to reviewers.