Editorial Standards

The Journal International Review of Research Studies (JIRRS) is committed to academic integrity, editorial independence, and a transparent publishing process aligned with international best practices.

1. Peer Review Process

Overview

JIRRS operates a double-blind peer review system. Authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process to ensure impartiality and fairness.

Workflow

  1. Submission screening (Week 1): Scope, formatting, and basic compliance checks.
  2. Editorial assessment (Week 1–2): Initial evaluation for relevance and minimum scientific quality.
  3. Reviewer invitation (Week 2–3): Selection of reviewers based on expertise and absence of conflicts.
  4. Peer review (Week 4–8): Independent reviewer reports and recommendations.
  5. Editorial decision (Week 8–9): Accept, minor revisions, major revisions, or reject.
  6. Revision stage (Week 10–16, if applicable): Author responses and resubmission.
  7. Production and publication (Week 17+): Copyediting, layout, author proofing, and publication.

Timeline

Typical submission-to-publication timeline: approximately 4–6 months (depending on revisions and reviewer availability).

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Provide objective, constructive, and detailed feedback.
  • Maintain confidentiality and avoid using unpublished information.
  • Declare conflicts of interest immediately.
  • Meet agreed review deadlines.

Author Rights

  • Receive an editorial decision with consolidated reviewer feedback.
  • Appeal decisions under the journal’s appeal procedures.
  • Withdraw a submission at any time before acceptance.

2. Ethics and Integrity Policy

Authorship and Contribution

Authorship requires a substantial scholarly contribution. All authors must approve the final version and take responsibility for the integrity of the work.

  • Contribution to study conception/design or data acquisition/analysis/interpretation.
  • Drafting or critical revision of the manuscript.
  • Final approval and accountability for all aspects of the work.

Conflict of Interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest, including financial, personal, professional, or intellectual conflicts.

Plagiarism and Originality

  • All submissions undergo similarity screening.
  • Manuscripts with significant overlap may be rejected or returned for clarification.
  • Confirmed plagiarism results in rejection and may be reported to the relevant institution.

Research Ethics (Humans and Animals)

  • Studies involving human participants must include ethics approval and informed consent statements.
  • Animal studies must comply with institutional and international welfare standards.
  • Relevant approvals must be described in the manuscript.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools may be used for language editing, translation, or analytical support. Authors remain fully responsible for all content.

  • Permitted: grammar checking, translation, data analysis assistance.
  • Not permitted: generating fabricated data, unverifiable conclusions, or misrepresenting authorship.
  • Disclosure: AI tool use must be declared in the manuscript (e.g., Methods or Acknowledgments).

3. Copyright and Licensing

License

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication.

Citation Guidance

Provide recommended citation formats (e.g., APA), consistent with the journal’s reference style policy.

4. Publication Ethics Statement

JIRRS follows recognized publication ethics guidelines and applies corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions when necessary.

5. Retraction Policy

Retractions may occur due to serious errors, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research, or verified misconduct. Retraction notices remain permanently available and linked to the original publication.

Questions

For questions about editorial standards, contact: contact@jirrs.org.uk