Peer Review Process

The Journal of Strategic Management and Innovation (JSMI) follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original, and ethically sound scholarly research. The identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential throughout the review process.

Step 1: Manuscript Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the journal's online submission system or official editorial email. The submission must comply with the journal's Author Guidelines, including formatting, referencing style, and required declarations.

Step 2: Acknowledgement of Receipt

Upon successful submission, the Editorial Office acknowledges receipt of the manuscript and assigns a unique manuscript identification number for tracking purposes.

Step 3: Initial Editorial Screening

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated Handling Editor conducts a preliminary assessment to determine whether the manuscript:

  • Falls within the journal's scope.
  • Meets the required formatting and submission standards.
  • Demonstrates sufficient academic quality.
  • Complies with publication ethics and originality requirements.

Manuscripts that do not satisfy these criteria may be returned to the authors for correction or declined before peer review.

Step 4: Plagiarism and Similarity Check

The manuscript undergoes plagiarism screening using appropriate similarity detection software. Manuscripts with unacceptable levels of similarity or evidence of plagiarism are rejected or returned for clarification, depending on the severity of the findings.

Step 5: Assignment to a Handling Editor

Eligible manuscripts are assigned to a Handling Editor with expertise in the relevant subject area. The Handling Editor oversees the review process and serves as the primary contact between reviewers and the Editorial Office.

Step 6: Selection and Invitation of Reviewers

The Handling Editor selects at least two independent experts in the relevant field to review the manuscript. Reviewers are chosen based on their expertise, research experience, and absence of conflicts of interest.

Step 7: Double-Blind Peer Review

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript independently without knowing the identity of the authors, while authors are not informed of the reviewers' identities. Reviewers assess:

  • Originality and novelty
  • Scientific merit
  • Research methodology
  • Data analysis and interpretation
  • Literature review
  • Clarity of writing
  • Significance of findings
  • Ethical compliance
  • Quality of references
  • Overall contribution to knowledge

Step 8: Reviewer Recommendations

Each reviewer submits a detailed evaluation and recommends one of the following:

  • Accept without changes
  • Accept with minor revisions
  • Major revisions required
  • Reject

Reviewers also provide constructive comments to help authors improve their manuscripts.

Step 9: Editorial Decision

The Handling Editor evaluates the reviewers' reports and makes a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief. Based on the reviews, the Editor-in-Chief issues one of the following decisions:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Reject

The Editor-in-Chief's decision is final.

Step 10: Author Revision

If revisions are requested, authors revise the manuscript and prepare a detailed response explaining how each reviewer comment has been addressed. Revised manuscripts must be submitted within the specified deadline.

Step 11: Re-evaluation (If Required)

For manuscripts requiring major revisions, the revised version may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation to ensure that all concerns have been adequately addressed.

Step 12: Final Acceptance

Once the manuscript satisfies all scientific, ethical, and editorial requirements, the Editor-in-Chief issues a formal acceptance letter.

Step 13: Copyediting and Language Editing

Accepted manuscripts undergo professional copyediting to improve grammar, clarity, consistency, formatting, references, and compliance with the journal's publication standards.

Step 14: Typesetting and Proof Preparation

The manuscript is professionally typeset and converted into its final publication format. Page proofs are prepared and sent to the corresponding author for review.

Step 15: Author Proof Approval

Authors carefully review the proofs for typographical or formatting errors and return any corrections within the specified timeframe. Only minor corrections are permitted at this stage.

Step 16: DOI Assignment

Each accepted article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent identification, citation, and accessibility.

Step 17: Online Publication

The final, approved article is published on the JSMI website as part of the appropriate issue and becomes available to readers according to the journal's publication policy.

Step 18: Indexing and Archiving

Following publication, articles may be submitted for indexing and long-term archiving in relevant databases and repositories, subject to the journal's indexing arrangements.