Peer Review Process

Peer Review Process

JoDENS (Journal of Digital Ecosystem for Natural Sustainability) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published twice a year, in July and December, by the Faculty of Computer Science, Universal University. All manuscripts submitted through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) undergo an editorial screening and peer review process before a final publication decision is made.

JoDENS applies a Double-Blind Peer Review process, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process. This policy ensures an objective, impartial, and fair evaluation of every submitted manuscript.

Each manuscript that passes the initial editorial screening is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers who possess expertise relevant to the manuscript's research field.

Initial Editorial Screening

Before a manuscript is assigned to reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief conducts an initial assessment covering the following aspects:

  1. Aims and Scope
    The submitted manuscript must fall within the aims and scope of JoDENS. Manuscripts that are outside the journal's scope will be rejected during the initial screening.
  2. Similarity Check
    All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using similarity detection software such as Turnitin or iThenticate. The maximum acceptable similarity index is 20%. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected if plagiarism is identified.
  3. References
    Authors are encouraged to cite at least 20 references, with a minimum of 80% consisting of primary scholarly sources, preferably published within the last ten years. References should be managed using reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote, and formatted according to the APA 7th Edition citation style.
  4. Manuscript Template
    The manuscript must be prepared according to the official JoDENS manuscript template. Manuscripts that do not comply with the formatting guidelines will be returned to the authors for correction before entering the peer review process.
  5. Publication Ethics
    The editorial office verifies that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, is not under consideration by another journal, and complies with accepted standards of publication ethics.

If any of the above requirements are not fulfilled, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author for revision before proceeding to the peer review stage.

Peer Review Process

Manuscripts that successfully pass the editorial screening are assigned to at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on the following criteria:

  • Originality and novelty of the research.
  • Scientific contribution.
  • Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
  • Appropriateness of the research methodology.
  • Validity of data and analysis.
  • Quality of results and discussion.
  • Soundness of the conclusions.
  • Adequacy and currency of references.
  • Quality of academic writing.
  • Compliance with research and publication ethics.

Review Recommendations

Based on the evaluation, reviewers may recommend one of the following decisions:

  1. Accept Submission
    The manuscript is accepted for publication without substantive revisions.
  2. Minor Revision
    The manuscript requires minor revisions and may be accepted after the authors satisfactorily address the reviewers' comments.
  3. Major Revision
    The manuscript requires substantial revisions. After revision, the manuscript will be returned to the reviewers for further evaluation.
  4. Resubmit for Review
    The manuscript requires extensive revision and must be resubmitted for another round of peer review.
  5. Reject
    The manuscript is rejected because it does not meet the scientific quality or publication standards of JoDENS.

Editorial Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests solely with the Editor-in-Chief, taking into consideration the reviewers' recommendations. The Editor-in-Chief's decision is final.

Reasons for Rejection

A manuscript may be rejected for one or more of the following reasons:

  • The manuscript is outside the aims and scope of JoDENS.
  • The manuscript does not follow the journal's author guidelines or manuscript template.
  • The manuscript contains fundamental methodological flaws.
  • The similarity index exceeds 20% or plagiarism is detected.
  • The manuscript has been published previously or is simultaneously submitted to another journal (duplicate submission).
  • Evidence of data fabrication, data falsification, or manipulation is identified.
  • The authors fail to revise the manuscript according to the reviewers' recommendations without a valid scientific justification.
  • The manuscript violates research ethics or publication ethics.

Final Production Stage

Accepted manuscripts proceed through the stages of copyediting, layout editing, and proofreading before being published in the scheduled issue of JoDENS.