Peer Review Policy
The Journal of Sports Research and Innovation (JSRI) adheres to a rigorous peer review process to ensure the quality, integrity, and validity of the research it publishes. Our peer review policy is designed to uphold the highest standards of academic excellence and ethical conduct.
1. Initial Evaluation
Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo an initial evaluation by the editorial team to assess their suitability for publication in JSRI. This evaluation considers the manuscript’s relevance to the journal scope, originality, significance, and adherence to journal guidelines. Manuscripts that do not meet the minimum requirements may be rejected at this stage without external peer review (desk rejection).
2. Peer Review Process
Type of review: JSRI follows a double-blind peer review process, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the review.
Number of reviewers: All research manuscripts are reviewed by at least two independent external reviewers. Reviewers are selected on the basis of their subject expertise, experience, and absence of conflicts of interest with the authors.
Evaluation criteria: Reviewers are asked to assess manuscripts based on scientific rigor, methodological soundness, clarity of presentation, significance of findings, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal scope. They provide constructive feedback and recommendations for improvement where necessary.
Supplementary materials: Reviewers are encouraged to evaluate supplementary materials (e.g., datasets, code, appendices) submitted alongside the manuscript when these are integral to the research findings.
3. Article Types and Review Exceptions
The following article types undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent external reviewers: original research articles, review papers, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, short communications, case studies, methodological reports, and conceptual essays.
Book reviews and conference reports undergo editorial review and are clearly labelled as non-research content, unless otherwise stated.
4. Decision Making
Following the peer review process, the Editor-in-Chief (or a designated handling editor) evaluates the reviewers’ comments and recommendations to make a final decision on the manuscript. The possible decisions include:
- Acceptance: Manuscripts meeting the journal’s standards for quality and originality are accepted for publication.
- Minor Revisions: Manuscripts requiring minor revisions are returned to the authors for modification. The revised version is re-evaluated by the editor to ensure that reviewers’ concerns have been adequately addressed.
- Major Revisions: Manuscripts requiring substantial revisions are returned to the authors for significant modifications. The revised version may undergo further peer review before a final decision is made.
- Rejection: Manuscripts failing to meet the journal’s standards or deemed outside the scope of JSRI are rejected. Authors receive constructive feedback to guide future submissions.
The journal does not guarantee acceptance. The final editorial decision is based on scholarly merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, originality, relevance to the journal scope, and peer review reports.
5. Handling Conflicting Reviews
When reviewer recommendations are contradictory, the Editor-in-Chief may invite an additional reviewer or make a final decision based on the scientific merit of the arguments presented in the reports.
6. Submissions from Editors and Board Members
Submissions authored or co-authored by editors, editorial board members, review board members, or publisher representatives are handled by an independent editor who has no conflict of interest with the authors. The submitting editor or board member has no access to the peer review process and does not participate in the editorial decision for their manuscript.
7. Special Issues
JSRI does not currently publish special issues. If special issues are introduced in the future, they will follow the same editorial standards, external peer review procedures, conflict-of-interest rules, and transparency requirements as regular submissions. The Editor-in-Chief remains responsible for the scholarly integrity of all special issue content.
8. Confidentiality and Integrity
All aspects of the peer review process, including reviewer identities, comments, and manuscripts, are treated as confidential. Reviewers must not share or discuss manuscripts with third parties. JSRI upholds the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct in peer review.
We value the contributions of our reviewers and authors in maintaining the quality and credibility of JSRI. This peer review policy is subject to periodic review and updates to ensure alignment with best practices and ethical standards in scholarly publishing.