Review / Publication Process

Peer Review Process

IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies conforms to the highest academic standards of international peer review. The external peer review process which leads to publication can be broadly summarised into 10 steps which are listed below.

Updated September 3, 2024

Process from Submission to Publication Including External Peer Review

We do not offer short peer review times, although reviewers are requested to return their review within 2 to 3 weeks. The editorial process may take more time (sometimes considerably) when there are extenuating circumstances, such as conflicts with the evaluators’ teaching duties at the beginning or end of an academic semester, or pandemics. It can be 2 - 3 months before authors are notified of reviewers’ reports, but every endeavour is made to shorten the process.

Please note that the times are indicative only and the entire process may be either quicker or slower depending on availability of suitable reviewers for particular education areas and the timing of submission with the publication time of an individual issue. It can be 2 – 3 months before authors are notified of reviewers’ reports, but every endeavour is made to shorten the process.

Responsibilities of the Authors

The submission of a paper implies that it has not been published or submitted and is not under consideration for publication by any other journal or in any other language, that the research described in the paper is original, and the presentation does not violate author’s rights or copyright. In addition, the contents of the paper must be known and approved by all authors, each of whom contributed to writing the paper and/or performing the research described within. Authors assume full responsibility for the contents, correctness and originality of the submissions.

Responsibilities of the Reviewers

Reviewers must inform the Editor if they cannot evaluate an article for any reason, such as the fact that it does not fit their area of expertise or presents a conflict of interest. Otherwise, they must complete the process by submitting a completed Review Form. No other means of communication can replace the Review Form, unless previously agreed with the Editor. If the reviewers do not return a Review Form, the submission is reassigned to a different reviewer.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Board
The Editor and members of the Editorial Board must ensure a correct, unbiased and competent review by securing the double blindness of the review process, assigning submissions to reviewers based on matching the research areas to those of the submissions, and providing active solutions to potential conflicts during the reviewers and authors while keeping each other’s identity undisclosed to its counterpart.

Plagiarism Screening

All submitted articles are screened using iThenticate plagiarism checking software.

AI screening will take place with all submissions.

Please use this template as a guide when preparing your article and be sure to follow the Author Guidelines on this page.