Peer Review Process

Smart International Management Journal (SIMJ) applies a rigorous and transparent double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, integrity, and academic relevance of published articles.

1. Initial Screening
   All submitted manuscripts are first screened by the Editor to assess their relevance to the journal’s scope, compliance with author guidelines, formatting requirements, and basic academic standards. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned for revision or rejected without external review.

2. Plagiarism and Ethical Screening
   Manuscripts are checked for plagiarism and potential ethical or copyright issues before being considered for peer review. Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality and ethical integrity of their submissions.

3. Reviewer Assignment
   Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. SIMJ uses a double-blind review system, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential.

4. Peer Review Evaluation
   Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on their originality, relevance, methodology, scientific quality, clarity of presentation, significance of findings, conclusions, and adequacy of references. Reviewers may recommend acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection.

5. Revision and Editorial Decision
   Authors may be required to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewers’ comments. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation when necessary. The Editor considers the reviewers’ recommendations and the overall quality of the manuscript when making an editorial decision.

6. Final Decision
   The Editor-in-Chief has the final authority to accept or reject a manuscript. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly quality, journal scope, reviewer recommendations, and compliance with publication ethics and standards.

7. Review Process and Communication
   All stages of submission, review, revision, and editorial decision-making are managed through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform. The journal aims to conduct the review process fairly, objectively, confidentially, and within a reasonable timeframe.