Peer Review Policy

Overview

The Lead Sci Journal of Management, Innovation and Social Sciences (LSJMISS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence, objectivity, and research integrity. All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous, transparent, and ethical peer review process to ensure that only original, impactful, and methodologically sound research is published.

Review Model: Double-Blind Peer Review

To promote fairness and unbiased evaluation, LSJMISS employs a double-blind peer review system, where:

  • Author identities are concealed from reviewers

  • Reviewer identities are concealed from authors

This ensures that manuscripts are judged solely on scholarly merit, free from personal, institutional, or geographic bias.

Peer Review Workflow

1. Submission and Editorial Screening

All manuscripts must be submitted through the official LSJMISS submission portal.

During the preliminary review, the editorial office assesses:

  • Relevance to LSJMISS's scope (management, innovation, and social sciences)

  • Compliance with formatting and submission guidelines

  • Ethical approvals (if applicable)

  • Plagiarism check using Turnitin or equivalent tools

Submissions that do not meet these basic standards may be desk rejected without external review.

2. Reviewer Selection and Assignment

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are forwarded to at least two qualified reviewers, selected based on:

  • Subject area expertise

  • Research credentials and publication record

  • Absence of any conflict of interest with authors or affiliated institutions

3. Review Criteria

Reviewers are asked to evaluate manuscripts based on:

  • Originality and novelty of the research

  • Theoretical and practical contribution to the field

  • Clarity and structure of presentation

  • Soundness of methodology and data analysis

  • Literature grounding and reference use

  • Ethical compliance

They will submit one of the following recommendations:

  • Accept without revisions

  • Accept with minor revisions

  • Major revisions required

  • Reject

4. Editorial Decision

The handling editor reviews the recommendations and makes a final decision. If revisions are requested:

  • Authors receive consolidated feedback from reviewers

  • A timeline is provided for resubmission

  • Revised manuscripts may undergo further review if necessary

Review Timeline

The standard peer review process is completed within 4–6 weeks, depending on:

  • Reviewer availability

  • Manuscript complexity

  • Responsiveness to revision requests

Authors are encouraged to reply promptly to editorial communications to expedite publication.

Reviewer Ethics and Responsibilities

Selection Criteria

Reviewers are chosen based on their:

  • Subject expertise

  • Research contributions

  • Ethical integrity

  • International representation

Confidentiality

Reviewers are required to treat all manuscripts as strictly confidential. They must not:

  • Share or discuss manuscript content with others

  • Use unpublished data or ideas for personal advantage

Ethical Conduct

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide constructive, respectful, and unbiased feedback

  • Disclose any potential conflict of interest

  • Uphold professionalism in all communication

Appeals Process

Authors may submit a formal appeal if they believe a decision was made unfairly. Appeals will be:

  • Reviewed by the editorial board

  • May involve a third-party expert for re-evaluation

  • Final decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief

Ethical Standards and Compliance

LSJMISS follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and complies with the quality assurance protocols set by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

Reviewer Recognition

To honor the valuable contributions of reviewers:

  • An annual acknowledgment list is published (with reviewer consent)

  • Certificates of appreciation are available upon request

Conclusion

Peer review is the cornerstone of quality assurance at LSJMISS. Our double-blind, ethically sound, and academically rigorous process ensures the publication of research that is reliable, innovative, and impactful in the fields of management, innovation, and social sciences.