Peer Review Process

Peer Review Process

Journal of Universal Community Service (JUCS) applies a double-blind peer review system to ensure the integrity, objectivity, and academic quality of all published articles.

1. Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the online submission system. Each submission must comply with the journal's formatting and ethical guidelines.

2. Initial Screening by Editor

The Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor performs an initial check to assess:

  • Relevance to the journal’s focus and scope

  • Completeness of submission

  • Basic methodological soundness

  • Plagiarism screening (using Turnitin or similar tool)

Manuscripts failing this stage are returned to the author or rejected outright.

3. Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are sent to two or more anonymous reviewers. Both the author and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the process to maintain objectivity.

Reviewers are selected based on:

  • Field expertise

  • Availability

  • Absence of conflict of interest

Each reviewer evaluates:

  • Originality and significance of the work

  • Clarity and coherence of the writing

  • Validity of methodology and data analysis

  • Impact and relevance to community service practice

4. Reviewer Decision

Reviewers recommend one of the following:

  • Accept without revisions

  • Minor revisions

  • Major revisions

  • Reject

5. Revision by Author

If revisions are requested, the manuscript is returned to the author with reviewer comments. Authors must respond to all comments and highlight changes made.

6. Re-Review (if necessary)

For major revisions, the revised manuscript may be sent back to the original reviewers for re-evaluation.

7. Final Decision

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on reviewer recommendations and author revisions. Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting and layout before publication.

Estimated Timeline

  • Initial screening: 5–7 days

  • Peer review process: 2–4 weeks

  • Revisions and final decision: 1–2 weeks after resubmission

Notification

Authors are notified of the decision via the journal system and email.

 JUCS is committed to ethical publication practices and transparency in the review process. All reviewers adhere to confidentiality and professional conduct standards in line with COPE guidelines.