Peer Review Process

The Peer Review process is a process in which a journal assesses the quality of a manuscript before publication, reviewed by relevant experts in their fields to review and comment on the manuscript received. This process aims to help editors determine whether the manuscript should be published in the Jurnal Sostekmas: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Teknologi, dan Pengabdian Masyarakat.

Key points in the Peer Review Process :

  1. Manuscripts submitted to the journal first go through initial screening by the editorial team.
  2. Manuscripts that pass the review process will be sent to at least two peer reviewers for review.
  3. Peer reviewers independently make recommendations to the journal editor as to whether the manuscript should be rejected or accepted (with or without revisions).
  4. The journal editor considers all feedback from peer reviewers and makes a decision to accept or reject the manuscript.

Peer Review Process for journal publication is basically a quality control mechanism, where experts evaluate manuscripts with the aim of ensuring the quality of published manuscripts. However, peer reviewers do not make decisions to accept or reject papers, but provide recommendations for decisions. In journals, the decision-making authority rests only with the journal editor or the journal editorial board.

How the review process works

When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, it is assessed to see if it meets the criteria for submission. If so, the editorial team will select peer reviewers who are appropriate to the research field to peer review the manuscript and make recommendations. There are four types of peer review used by Jurnal Sostekmas: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Teknologi, dan Pengabdian Masyarakat are Single-blind: reviewers know the names of the authors, but the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript unless the reviewers choose to sign their reports, and Double-blind: reviewers do not know the names of the authors, and the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript.

Peer review steps

  1. Manuscript Submission : Authors submit manuscripts to Jurnal Sostekmas: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Teknologi, dan Pengabdian Masyarakat through the online system on the Jurnal Sostekmas: Journal of Social Sciences. Technology, and Community Service page.
  2. Editorial Team Assessment: The editorial team checks the manuscript to ensure it complies with the journal template. The quality of the manuscript is not assessed at this time.
  3. Editor-in-Chief's Assessment:  The editor-in-chief checks that the manuscript is suitable for the journal, sufficiently original, and interesting. Otherwise, the paper may be rejected without further review.
  4. Peer Reviewer Invitation: The Editor sends invitations to individuals who would be suitable reviewers.
  5. Response to Invitation: Potential reviewers consider the invitation in light of their own expertise, conflicts of interest, and availability. They then either accept or decline. When declining, they suggest alternative reviewers, if possible.
  6. Review Conducted: Reviewers take the time to read a manuscript several times to form an initial impression of a manuscript and make notes for a detailed point-by-point review. The review is then submitted to the journal, with a recommendation to accept or reject it or with a request for revision before reconsideration.
  7. Journal Evaluating Reviews: The editor considers all returned reviews before making an overall decision. If reviews differ significantly, the editor may invite additional reviewers to obtain additional opinions before making a decision.
  8. Decision Communicated: The Editor sends a decision email to the authors including relevant reviewer comments.
  9. Next Steps: If accepted, the manuscript is sent to production, if rejected or resubmitted, the author is asked to revise with comments from the reviewers to help the author improve the manuscript. At this stage, the reviewers are also sent an email to inform the author of the results of the revision. If the manuscript is revised again, the reviewers expect a new version of the manuscript, but if only minor changes are requested, then the review is done by the editor.