Review Policy

The Peer Review Policy of the Lokogandhar Journal typically follows standard academic practices used in reputed scholarly journals, especially in the fields of musicology, culture, and humanities. A well-structured policy generally includes the following components:

1. Type of Peer Review

  • The journal usually follows a Double-Blind Peer Review system.
  • In this process:
    • The author’s identity is hidden from reviewers.
    • The reviewers’ identities are also concealed from the authors.
  • This ensures objectivity, fairness, and unbiased evaluation.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

  • After submission, the manuscript undergoes preliminary screening by the editorial board.
  • It is checked for:
    • Relevance to the journal’s scope (music, culture, performing arts, etc.)
    • Originality and plagiarism
    • Basic academic quality and formatting
  • Manuscripts failing these criteria may be rejected without external review.

3. Reviewer Selection

  • Suitable manuscripts are sent to 2 or more expert reviewers in the relevant discipline.
  • Reviewers are selected based on:
    • Subject expertise
    • Academic credentials
    • Research experience

4. Review Criteria

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts on several academic parameters:

  • Originality and contribution to knowledge
  • Methodology and research design
  • Clarity of arguments and structure
  • Use of references and sources
  • Language and presentation quality

5. Review Outcomes

Based on reviewers’ reports, the editorial decision may be:

  • Accept as it is
  • Accept with minor revisions
  • Revise and resubmit (major revisions required)
  • Reject

Authors are usually given specific feedback for revisions.

6. Revision Process

  • Authors must revise the manuscript according to reviewers’ comments.
  • A revised version may be:
    • Re-evaluated by the same reviewers, or
    • Assessed by the editorial board

7. Ethical Standards

The journal adheres to academic publishing ethics:

  • No plagiarism (often checked using software)
  • No duplicate submission
  • Proper citation and acknowledgment
  • Confidentiality maintained throughout the process

8. Confidentiality

  • All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents.
  • Reviewers are not allowed to share or use unpublished material.

9. Final Decision

  • The Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board makes the final publication decision based on reviewers’ recommendations.