Publishing Process

Transparent Editorial Workflow

Editorial and Publishing Process

Social Sciences Journal (SSJ)  |  e-ISSN 3047-7646

Social Sciences Journal (SSJ) manages submissions through Open Journal Systems (OJS) 3.3.0-22 LTS, open-source scholarly publishing software developed and maintained by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP). OJS provides an auditable workflow for submission, editorial screening, peer review, decision-making, revision, production, and publication.

Online SubmissionManuscripts and revisions are submitted and tracked through OJS.
Double-Blind ReviewAuthor and reviewer identities are concealed during external review.
Editorial IndependenceReview recommendations inform, but do not determine, the editor's decision.
Official submission channel
Authors must submit manuscripts only through the journal's OJS submission system. Email is used for enquiries or editorial correspondence and does not replace the OJS submission, revision, review, or decision record.

Publishing Workflow at a Glance

01Submission
02Screening
03Editor Assignment
04Peer Review
05Decision
06Revision
07Production
08Publication

Detailed Editorial and Publishing Process

1
Manuscript PreparationAuthors prepare the manuscript in accordance with the journal's Focus and Scope, Author Guidelines, article template, research ethics requirements, reference style, and submission checklist. For double-blind review, identifying information must be removed from the review file and its document properties. Author names, affiliations, ORCID identifiers, correspondence details, and contributor information are entered separately in the OJS metadata.
2
Submission through OJSThe corresponding author submits the manuscript and all required supplementary files through OJS, confirms the submission declarations, and ensures that the OJS metadata are complete and consistent with the manuscript. The submitting author is responsible for obtaining the agreement of all co-authors and for serving as the journal's primary contact.
3
Administrative and Technical ScreeningThe Editorial Office checks completeness, file format, anonymization, article structure, metadata, language readiness, reference conformity, authorship information, ethical declarations, competing interests, data statements, and similarity-screening results. The manuscript may be returned for technical correction before academic assessment. Passing this stage does not imply acceptance.
4
Preliminary Editorial AssessmentThe Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor assesses alignment with the Focus and Scope, originality, scholarly relevance, methodological adequacy at a preliminary level, ethical compliance, and likely contribution to the journal's readership. A manuscript may be declined without external review when it is outside scope, insufficiently original or developed, methodologically unsuitable, ethically problematic, or not adequately prepared.
5
Assignment to a Handling EditorWhen external review is appropriate, the Editor-in-Chief assigns a Section Editor or another qualified handling editor. The editor must have relevant expertise, maintain confidentiality, declare potential conflicts of interest, and recuse themselves when independence could reasonably be questioned.
6
Reviewer Selection and InvitationThe handling editor normally invites at least two independent reviewers whose expertise matches the manuscript. Reviewers are selected on scholarly competence, relevant experience, availability, independence, and the absence of disqualifying conflicts of interest. Authors may suggest or oppose reviewers with reasons, but the editor retains sole authority over reviewer selection. Reviewer identities are not disclosed to the authors under the journal's double-blind model.
7
Reviewer Response and Conflict CheckInvited reviewers assess whether the manuscript falls within their expertise, whether they can meet the requested timeline, and whether any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or intellectual conflict could affect—or appear to affect—their judgment. They accept or decline through OJS. When declining, they may suggest suitably qualified alternatives; the editor independently evaluates any suggestion.
8
Double-Blind Peer ReviewReviewers evaluate originality, research questions, theoretical grounding, methodology, ethical conduct, validity and clarity of results, quality of discussion, conclusions, limitations, reporting, and references. Reports must be objective, evidence-based, constructive, and sufficiently detailed to support an editorial decision. Manuscripts and review materials are confidential and may not be shared, used for personal advantage, or uploaded to unauthorized generative-AI services.
9
Editorial Evaluation and DecisionThe handling editor evaluates the manuscript, reviewer reports, ethical considerations, and journal requirements. Reviewer recommendations are advisory; the editor is not required to decide by majority vote. When reports materially conflict or do not provide an adequate basis for decision, the editor may seek clarification or invite an additional reviewer. The reasoned decision is communicated to the corresponding author through OJS together with appropriate anonymized comments.
10
Revision and Re-reviewFor a revision decision, the author submits a clean revised manuscript, a marked version when requested, and a point-by-point response explaining how each comment was addressed or respectfully rebutted. Revisions must be uploaded through OJS by the stated deadline. Depending on the extent of the changes, the editor may assess the revision directly or return it to the original or additional reviewers. A request for revision does not guarantee acceptance.
11
Final AcceptanceA manuscript is accepted only when the responsible editor is satisfied that the scientific, ethical, reporting, and journal requirements have been met. Acceptance is recorded and communicated through OJS. Any applicable Article Processing Charge is administered only in accordance with the journal's published fee policy and does not influence peer review or the editorial decision.
12
CopyeditingThe accepted manuscript is checked for clarity, grammar, consistency, citation and reference accuracy, journal style, declarations, and metadata. Copyediting improves presentation without altering the authors' scholarly meaning. Material changes are referred to the authors for confirmation.
13
Layout, Metadata, and ProofreadingThe production team prepares the publication files and verifies the title, author names, affiliations, abstract, keywords, references, tables, figures, pagination or article identifier, licensing information, and DOI metadata. The corresponding author reviews the proof for production errors within the specified period. Proof correction is not an opportunity for substantial rewriting or adding unapproved results or authors.
14
Scheduling and PublicationAfter final quality control, the article is scheduled for an issue in accordance with the journal's publication plan. The published record includes complete article metadata, the assigned DOI where applicable, copyright and license information, and the final files. Publication in a particular issue is determined by the editor and production schedule and is not guaranteed by acceptance alone.
15
Post-Publication StewardshipThe journal maintains the scholarly record after publication. Substantive errors, authorship concerns, ethics issues, or unreliable findings are handled under the journal's correction, expression of concern, retraction, complaints, and appeals policies. Minor typographical changes that do not affect meaning are handled consistently and transparently.

Editorial Decision Categories

Decision Meaning
Decline without external review The manuscript does not proceed to peer review following preliminary editorial assessment.
Revisions required Specific changes are required before the editor can make a further decision.
Resubmit for review Substantial revision is required and the revised manuscript will normally undergo another review round.
Decline submission The manuscript is not accepted for publication. The decision letter provides an appropriate explanation.
Accept submission The manuscript has met the editorial requirements and proceeds to production.

Timeliness and Communication

The journal seeks to complete each stage as efficiently as possible while preserving review quality and editorial independence. Processing time varies according to manuscript readiness, editor and reviewer availability, the number and complexity of revision rounds, ethical or methodological questions, and the production schedule. Review or publication within an absolute period is therefore not guaranteed.

Official decisions, revision requests, deadlines, and key correspondence are recorded through OJS. Authors should monitor their OJS account and registered email address and should use the OJS discussion function for manuscript-specific communication. General enquiries may be directed to jurnaldehasen@unived.ac.id.

Editorial Independence and Confidentiality

  • Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, ethical compliance, methodological soundness, relevance to the journal, and the evidence available to the responsible editor.
  • Payment status, institutional affiliation, nationality, reputation, personal identity, or commercial considerations must not influence peer review or the acceptance decision.
  • Editors, reviewers, and staff must protect submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, personal data, and editorial correspondence as confidential records.
  • Persons with a material conflict of interest must disclose it and withdraw from the relevant editorial role.
  • Authors and reviewers must not contact one another directly concerning an active double-blind review. Communication is managed through the journal.
Track the Complete Process through OJS Social Sciences Journal - Universitas Dehasen Bengkulu Submit a Manuscript Contact the Journal
Transparency note: A clear publishing-process page supports good editorial governance and allows authors and assessors to understand the journal's workflow. It does not by itself constitute accreditation, indexing, or a guarantee that an individual manuscript will be accepted or published within a particular period.