Peer Review Process

SALIK: Studies in Advancing Learning, Ideology and Knowledge employs a Double-Blind Peer Review process designed to ensure rigorous, fair, transparent, and high-quality evaluation of all manuscripts submitted for publication. Under the double-blind review system, the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process.

The double-blind review mechanism is intended to minimize potential biases that may arise from factors such as the author's institutional affiliation, academic reputation, nationality, geographical location, gender, or previous publications. Manuscripts submitted by established or well-known scholars are evaluated solely on the basis of their scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance to the journal's scope, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

SALIK's peer-review policy is guided by internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and its Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

Initial Editorial Screening

All manuscripts submitted to SALIK undergo an initial editorial screening before being considered for external peer review. The editorial team assesses each submission for its alignment with the journal's aims and scope, originality, academic relevance, manuscript structure, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, and conformity with the journal's submission guidelines.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's basic editorial or academic requirements may be rejected at the initial screening stage without being sent for external review. Manuscripts that meet the preliminary requirements are forwarded to qualified reviewers for further evaluation.

Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial screening are normally evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area of the manuscript.

Under the double-blind system, reviewers do not have access to the identity or institutional affiliation of the authors, and authors do not have access to the identity of the reviewers. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts objectively and independently, focusing on the scholarly substance of the work rather than the identity, reputation, or institutional status of the authors.

Reviewers assess manuscripts based on several considerations, including:

  • originality and novelty of the research;
  • relevance to the aims and scope of SALIK;
  • clarity and coherence of the research objectives;
  • appropriateness and rigor of the methodology;
  • quality and adequacy of data and analysis;
  • accuracy and relevance of the theoretical framework and literature review;
  • coherence between research questions, methods, findings, and conclusions;
  • significance and contribution to the advancement of knowledge;
  • quality of academic argumentation and discussion;
  • ethical compliance; and
  • clarity, organization, and scholarly quality of the manuscript.

Review Duration

SALIK is committed to conducting the peer-review process as efficiently as possible while maintaining rigorous academic standards. The duration of the review process may vary depending on the availability of qualified reviewers, the complexity of the manuscript, the number of revision rounds, and the responsiveness of the authors.

The initial peer-review process normally takes approximately 4–8 weeks. However, manuscripts requiring substantial revisions or additional rounds of review may take longer.

The journal does not compromise the quality and integrity of peer review merely to accelerate publication. Authors will be informed of significant delays whenever possible.

Reviewer Recommendations

After evaluating a manuscript, reviewers provide detailed comments and recommendations to the editor. Reviewer recommendations may include:

  • Accept Submission – the manuscript is suitable for publication with no or only minor editorial adjustments;
  • Minor Revision – the manuscript requires limited revisions before a final editorial decision can be made;
  • Major Revision – substantial revisions are required, particularly concerning methodology, analysis, theoretical framework, discussion, or other significant aspects of the manuscript;
  • Resubmit for Review – the manuscript requires substantial revision and should undergo another round of peer review;
  • Reject – the manuscript does not meet the academic, methodological, ethical, or editorial standards required for publication in SALIK.

The reviewer's recommendation is advisory and does not constitute the final publication decision.

Editorial Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection is made by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized editor based on the reviewers' evaluations, the quality of the manuscript, its relevance to the journal's scope, and the journal's editorial standards.

Where reviewers provide conflicting recommendations, the editor may request an additional review from another qualified reviewer or seek further expert advice before reaching a final decision.

The editorial decision may therefore differ from an individual reviewer's recommendation when the editor determines that such a decision is justified by the overall evidence and scholarly considerations.

Revision Process

When revisions are requested, authors must revise the manuscript carefully in response to the reviewers' comments and editorial recommendations.

Authors are expected to provide a point-by-point response explaining how each substantive comment has been addressed. Where the authors choose not to implement a particular recommendation, they should provide a clear academic justification.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation, particularly when substantial revisions have been requested.

SALIK may conduct more than one round of revision when necessary to ensure that the manuscript meets the journal's academic and ethical standards.

Second-Round Review

A manuscript that has undergone major revision may be returned to the original reviewers or assigned to other qualified reviewers for a second-round evaluation.

The purpose of the second-round review is to determine whether the authors have adequately addressed the substantive concerns raised during the previous review and whether the revised manuscript now meets the journal's publication standards.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are based on the scholarly merit of the manuscript and are not influenced by the author's academic position, institutional affiliation, nationality, geographical location, gender, religious background, political views, personal relationships, or academic reputation.

SALIK is committed to maintaining editorial independence and ensuring that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, professionally, and without inappropriate external influence.

Confidentiality and Ethical Conduct

All manuscripts submitted to SALIK are treated as confidential documents throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

Reviewers must not disclose, reproduce, distribute, or use unpublished information contained in the manuscript for personal or professional purposes. Reviewers must also disclose any potential conflict of interest and decline the assignment when such a conflict could compromise the objectivity of their assessment.

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff are expected to comply with SALIK's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement and internationally recognized principles of responsible scholarly publishing.

Acceptance and Publication

Once a manuscript has received a final acceptance decision, it proceeds to the editorial production stage, which may include copyediting, language editing, formatting, proofreading, metadata verification, and final author approval before publication.

The order of publication is determined by the editorial team based on factors including the completion of the editorial and production process, thematic coherence, issue planning, and the journal's publication schedule. Acceptance of a manuscript does not guarantee immediate publication in a particular issue.

SALIK aims to maintain an efficient publication schedule while prioritizing the quality, integrity, and scholarly value of every article published.

The overall time from initial submission to publication may vary depending on the review process, revision requirements, editorial decisions, and production schedule. As a general guideline, the publication process may take approximately 3–9 months, although some manuscripts may be processed more quickly or require additional time depending on the circumstances.

SALIK does not guarantee publication within a fixed timeframe, as editorial and peer-review decisions are made according to academic quality and ethical standards rather than publication speed.