Peer Review Process

Peer Review Policy

Review Aims and Ethics 

Since the journal's mission since its inception more than 20 years ago has been to assist scholars in the region for whom English is a second language, the peer review process has traditionally not been primarily directed towards acceptance or rejection, but towards aiding in the improvement of articles for publication. Certainly, with the advent of stricter publishing and review requirements and with the advent of increasing use of AI, the original mission of the journal will continue to evolve (please see our AI policy).

The referees used by Prajñā Vihāra's for peer reviews are drawn from its editorial consultants and from other experts in various areas of philosophy and religious studies. The referees treat an assigned manuscript with utmost confidentially during the peer review process; and it is a part of their responsibility to inform the Editorial Board when a legal violation by the author is suspected.  The evaluation of a manuscript is based solely on its academic merit and not on race, gender, sexuality, or religious and/or political orientation of the author.

Review Process

The review process is designed to insure the quality of the articles published and is done with close interaction with the author or authors. The journal employs a double-blind peer review process, emphasizing the journal's dedication to impartiality, objectivity, and the highest ethical standards. In a double-blind review, the identities of both the authors and the reviewers are concealed to foster a fair and unbiased evaluation of each submission.

 

Double-Blind Peer Review Flowchart

 

 

Double-Blind Peer Review Steps

The journal attempts to follow a comprehensive eight-step process to ensure the quality and integrity of publications.

  1. Submission: Authors are required to submit their manuscripts through the Prajñā Vihāra website which uses the Open Journal Systems (OJS) If there are any problems the author can email one of the journal contacts and ask for assistance.
  2. Initial Review: Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial review by the editors to assess their adherence to Aims and Scope, format, and originality. If the article meets the Aims and Scope, the article will be checked for plagiarism and use of AI (employing such programs as Turnitin). The editor will often contact the author or authors and request some modifications before the peer review process is initiated.
  3. Review: The Editor-in-Chief will decide whether to accept or decline a submission for further review. Accepted submissions are assigned to two or sometimes three reviewers following double-blind review requirements. Review invitations are sent to the selected reviewers, and the entire review process takes 2 to 4 weeks.
  4. Editorial Decision: After the completion of reviews, the editorial team reaches a decision concerning the suitability of the article for publication. The decision may require the author or authors to make minor revisions, major revisions, resubmission for another round of reviews. The decision may also involve the article's rejection. A rejection is accompanied by an email explaining the decision.
  5. Revisions: If an article is conditionally accepted with revisions, the corresponding author is notified and required to revise the manuscript. This revision phase typically spans about 2 weeks.
  6. Decision for Publication Acceptance: Revised manuscripts are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief to determine if they meet the specified revision requirements based on reviewers' comments. Manuscripts with minor or major revisions are considered for publication. Manuscripts requiring resubmission undergo another round of reviews.
  7. Copyediting and Formatting Revisions: Accepted manuscripts undergo thorough copyediting and formatting checks, ensuring compliance with Chicago Style and TCI and COPE requirements. Corrections related to formatting, and referencing are communicated to the corresponding author. This stage, which lasts approximately 2 weeks.
  8. Proofreading, Layout, and Corrections: The accepted manuscript undergoes rigorous proofreading to ensure high-quality language use and grammar. The article is then sent for layout and the final proofs are reviewed by the editor. If the proofs are satisfactory, the pdf files are then sent to the IT department of Assumption University for uploading on to the website. This final stage typically takes about 2 weeks. The final manuscript is online during the first month of the publication period (during the month of January or July).