Peer Review Process

MUNIF: International Journal of Religion Moderation adopts a double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, and academic integrity of every published manuscript. Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process to maintain impartiality and fairness.

Review Stages

  1. Initial Manuscript Screening
    Upon submission, manuscripts undergo an initial screening conducted by the editorial board to assess:

    • Relevance to the journal’s focus and scope

    • Compliance with the author guidelines

    • Overall quality and originality

    • Plagiarism check using Turnitin or equivalent software (maximum similarity index allowed is 20%)

    Manuscripts failing to meet the basic criteria may be returned to the authors for revision or rejected without further review.

  1. Assignment to Reviewers
    Manuscripts passing the initial screening are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers based on their field of expertise. The review process is conducted under a double-blind system, where:

    • Authors do not know the identity of reviewers.

    • Reviewers do not know the identity of authors.

  1. Evaluation Criteria
    Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on the following aspects:

    • Originality of the work and contribution to the field

    • Relevance to the journal’s scope and objectives

    • Clarity and quality of the writing

    • Methodological rigor and validity of findings

    • Use of appropriate references and literature review

    • Significance of results for academic and practical contexts

    Reviewers provide constructive feedback and recommendations, which may include:

    • Accepted without revision

    • Accepted with minor revisions

    • Accepted with major revisions

    • Rejected

  1. Editorial Decision
    The editorial board considers the reviewers’ feedback to make one of the following decisions:

    • Accept Submission – The manuscript is accepted without changes.

    • Revision Required – Authors are requested to revise the manuscript according to reviewer feedback.

    • Resubmit for Review – Major revisions are required, and the revised manuscript will undergo another round of peer review.

    • Decline Submission – The manuscript is unsuitable for publication in the journal.

  1. Final Approval and Publication
    Once all revisions are completed and approved, the manuscript undergoes final editing and formatting before publication. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on the manuscript’s acceptance.

Timeline

  • Initial Screening: 1–2 weeks

  • Peer Review Process: 4–8 weeks

  • Final Decision and Publication: 2–3 weeks after acceptance

The entire process typically takes around 8–12 weeks from submission to online publication.

Ethical Standards

The review process follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines to ensure fairness and transparency. Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective and constructive feedback.

  • Maintain confidentiality of all manuscript content.

  • Disclose any potential conflicts of interest.