Peer Review Policy

Journal of Scientific and Technological Innovation (JSTI)

The Journal of Scientific and Technological Innovation (JSTI) operates under a rigorous international peer-review system to ensure academic quality, transparency, and research integrity.

1. Review Model

JSTI adopts a double-blind peer review process:

  • Authors do not know the identity of reviewers.
  • Reviewers do not know the identity of authors.
  • Editorial decisions are made independently of institutional affiliation, nationality, or personal relationships.

This process is designed to ensure impartial evaluation and academic fairness.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening by the Editorial Office within 5 to 7 business days of submission to assess:

  • Alignment with the journal's aims and scope
  • Basic academic structure and clarity
  • Compliance with submission guidelines and formatting requirements
  • Ethical considerations and originality (including plagiarism screening)

Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria will be returned to authors with brief written feedback prior to peer review. Authors may revise and resubmit unless the manuscript is fundamentally outside the journal's scope.

3. Peer Review Process

Qualified reviewers with relevant subject expertise are assigned to evaluate each manuscript. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Reviewers assess submissions based on:

  • Originality and innovation
  • Clarity of research question or design objective
  • Methodological soundness and reproducibility
  • Logical structure and clarity of presentation
  • Technical accuracy and appropriateness of analysis
  • Quality of discussion, reflection, and conclusion
  • Research integrity and ethical compliance

Reviewers provide written comments and a formal recommendation under one of the following categories:

  • Accept — manuscript is accepted for publication with no or only minor editorial changes
  • Minor Revisions — manuscript requires small changes; revised version may be accepted without further review
  • Major Revisions — manuscript requires substantial revision; revised version will be re-evaluated by reviewers
  • Reject — manuscript does not meet the journal's publication standards at this time

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final editorial decision based on reviewer recommendations. This decision is final.

4. Review Timeline

JSTI aims to provide authors with an initial editorial decision within 4 to 8 weeks from the date of submission. Authors will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 3 business days. Timeline targets are as follows:

  • Initial editorial screening: within 5 to 7 business days
  • Assignment to reviewers: within 7 to 10 business days
  • First peer review decision: within 4 to 8 weeks of submission
  • Decision on revised manuscripts: within 2 to 4 weeks of resubmission

Authors are encouraged to contact the editorial office if they have not received any communication within 10 weeks of submission.

5. Revisions

Authors receiving revision requests must submit a revised manuscript together with a structured response letter that addresses each reviewer comment individually. The response letter should clearly indicate what changes were made, where in the manuscript the changes appear, and provide a reasoned explanation for any suggested revisions that were not adopted.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation if the revisions are extensive.

6. Plagiarism and AI-Generated Content

All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism prior to peer review. Submissions must represent the original work of the authors. Excessive similarity to previously published work, including the authors' own prior publications, is grounds for rejection.

Authors must disclose any use of AI-assisted writing tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly) in the preparation of their manuscript. AI tools may not be listed as authors. The use of AI must be declared in the manuscript's Methods or Acknowledgments section. Responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of all content remains with the human authors.

7. Research Integrity and Ethics

JSTI upholds strict academic integrity standards:

  • Fabrication, falsification, and manipulation of data or images are strictly prohibited.
  • Conflicts of interest must be disclosed by authors, reviewers, and editors.
  • Duplicate or redundant publication — submitting the same work to multiple journals simultaneously — is not permitted.

The journal follows internationally recognized publication ethics guidelines as established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

8. Special Consideration for Emerging Researchers

As part of its educational mission, JSTI recognizes that some contributors are early-stage researchers at the secondary school level. While maintaining academic standards, reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive, specific, and developmental feedback that supports the scholarly growth of young authors.

The goal of peer review at JSTI is not only to evaluate manuscripts but to guide student authors toward stronger academic writing and clearer scientific thinking.

9. Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently of the publisher. The publisher does not interfere with peer-review outcomes or editorial judgments. Reviewer identities are kept confidential and are not disclosed to authors or the public.