Peer Review Policy

Peer Review Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Management and Social Issues (PJMSI) follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original, and ethically sound research. Under this system, the identities of both the authors and the reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process, thereby minimizing bias and promoting objective evaluation. Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial editorial screening to assess its relevance to the journal's aims and scope, adherence to submission guidelines, originality, and compliance with ethical and formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not meet these preliminary standards or fall outside the journal's scope may be rejected without external review. Those that successfully pass the editorial assessment are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with recognized expertise in the relevant subject area.

The appointed reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on its originality, significance, methodological rigor, quality of analysis, validity of findings, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, and contribution to the fields of management and social sciences. Reviewers are expected to provide fair, objective, constructive, and timely evaluations while maintaining strict confidentiality regarding the manuscript's content. They must declare any potential conflicts of interest and decline the review if such conflicts could compromise their impartiality. Reviewers are also expected to report suspected cases of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, or other forms of research misconduct to the editorial office. To preserve the integrity and efficiency of the review process, the journal discourages unnecessary or redundant reviews. A manuscript that has already received comprehensive and consistent evaluations will not be subjected to additional reviews unless substantial revisions have been made, conflicting recommendations require further expert assessment, or the Editor-in-Chief considers an additional review essential for a fair editorial decision. This policy helps prevent unnecessary delays, reduces reviewer burden, and ensures the timely processing of manuscripts.

After receiving the reviewers' reports, the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial board carefully considers all recommendations before making a final decision. Based on the reviewers' evaluations, a manuscript may be accepted, accepted with minor revisions, returned for major revisions and resubmission, or rejected. Authors receive anonymized reviewer comments and are expected to submit a revised manuscript together with a detailed response explaining how each comment has been addressed. Where necessary, revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation before a final decision is reached. The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics by adhering to the ethical guidelines of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and internationally accepted publication ethics. All submissions are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin prior to peer review, and only manuscripts that satisfy the journal's quality standards, ethical requirements, and peer review criteria are accepted for publication.