Peer Review Policy

Star of Sciences Multidisciplinary Journal applies a double-blind peer review system, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the entire editorial process. This model guarantees impartiality, academic independence, objective evaluation, and adherence to international standards of scientific quality, in alignment with the journal’s multidisciplinary scope and its biannual publication frequency.

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening. This preliminary assessment aims to verify the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s scope and focus, compliance with editorial and formatting guidelines, structural academic requirements, and originality of the content through similarity detection tools. Only manuscripts that meet these criteria proceed to the external peer review stage.

Once the initial screening is successfully completed, the manuscript is generally assigned to two independent external reviewers selected based on their academic expertise and research experience in the relevant field. The evaluation process is entirely external to the publishing institution. Reviewers have no academic, institutional, or professional relationship with the authors or the editorial team, thereby ensuring the absence of conflicts of interest and maintaining transparency in the review process.

Reviewers are selected according to the following criteria: one specialist with specific expertise in the core subject of the manuscript and a second reviewer from a related or complementary disciplinary field. This approach ensures both technical depth in the analysis and clarity in methodology, scientific relevance, and argumentative coherence. In cases of highly specialized manuscripts or substantial discrepancies between review reports, the Editor may appoint a third external reviewer to support the final decision.

Reviews must be conducted in a critical, objective, ethical, and constructive manner, aimed at strengthening the scientific contribution of the manuscript and enhancing its academic quality. All submitted materials are treated as strictly confidential. Reviewers are required not to disclose, reuse, or derive any direct or indirect benefit from the content under evaluation. If additional technical consultation is necessary, prior authorization from the editorial team is required.

Editorial Process and Timeline

Manuscript Submission

Upon submission through the journal’s editorial platform, authors receive an automatic confirmation email including a unique reference number for tracking purposes.

Initial Editorial Evaluation

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated Editor conducts a preliminary review to verify alignment with the journal’s scope, compliance with formal requirements, and originality of the content. This stage typically takes between 7 and 15 days. Manuscripts that do not meet the established criteria may be rejected at this stage.

Double-Blind External Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary stage are submitted for external review under the double-blind system. The estimated timeframe for this phase, including the issuance of the first editorial decision, ranges from 20 to 45 days.

Review Reports and Revisions

When revisions are required, authors receive the complete reviewer reports along with editorial comments. Authors are granted up to 15 days to submit the revised version, accompanied by a detailed response letter addressing each reviewer’s comment.

Additional Review Rounds

If significant discrepancies arise between review reports or if substantial revisions are necessary, the Editor may request the evaluation of a third reviewer or initiate a second round of review, preferably involving the same evaluators.

Final Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests with the responsible Editor, who considers the reviewers’ reports and the journal’s editorial standards in an integrated manner.

Publication

Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting, technical editing, layout, and digital publication. This stage typically takes between 10 and 20 days after final acceptance. During this phase, the corresponding DOI is assigned under the institutional prefix 10.63969, and the article is incorporated into the relevant indexing and registration systems.