Peer Review Process

VISTARA: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literature applies a double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, originality, relevance, and academic contribution of every manuscript submitted to the journal. In this process, the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential. Authors do not know the identity of reviewers, and reviewers do not know the identity of authors.

All manuscripts submitted to the journal are evaluated through several stages: editorial screening, peer review, revision, editorial decision, copyediting, proofreading, and final publication.

1. Initial Editorial Screening

After submission, the manuscript is first checked by the editorial team. At this stage, the editor evaluates whether the manuscript meets the basic requirements of the journal.

The initial screening includes:

Suitability of the manuscript with the journal’s focus and scope.
Compliance with the journal template and author guidelines.
Completeness of manuscript structure, including title, abstract, keywords, introduction, method, findings, discussion, conclusion, and references.
Clarity of academic language and presentation.
Relevance and quality of references.
Compliance with APA 7th edition citation and referencing style.
Similarity/plagiarism check using Turnitin.
Completeness of author information and submission metadata.
Absence of author identity in the manuscript file for double-blind review.

Manuscripts that do not meet the basic requirements may be returned to the authors for preliminary revision before being sent to reviewers. Manuscripts that are outside the journal’s scope or contain serious ethical problems may be rejected at the editorial screening stage.

2. Assignment to Reviewers

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will be assigned to reviewers who have relevant expertise in the manuscript topic. Each manuscript is normally reviewed by at least two independent reviewers.

Reviewers are selected based on their academic expertise, research background, publication experience, and relevance to the manuscript’s subject area. The editor ensures that reviewers do not have a conflict of interest with the authors or the submitted manuscript.

3. Double-Blind Peer Review

The journal uses a double-blind review system. Before the manuscript is sent to reviewers, the editorial team checks that author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and other identifying information are removed from the manuscript file.

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on the following aspects:

Relevance to the journal’s focus and scope.
Originality and novelty of the topic.
Clarity of research problem and objectives.
Strength of theoretical or conceptual framework.
Appropriateness of research method or scholarly approach.
Quality of data analysis, interpretation, or textual discussion.
Clarity and coherence of findings and discussion.
Contribution to applied linguistics, literature, language education, or related fields.
Accuracy and relevance of citations and references.
Organization, academic style, and language quality.
Compliance with publication ethics.

Reviewers are expected to provide clear, constructive, respectful, and academically grounded feedback. Reviewer comments should help authors improve the manuscript and help editors make fair editorial decisions.

4. Review Duration

The peer review process normally takes approximately 2–4 weeks, depending on the availability of reviewers and the quality of the manuscript. If reviewers need more time, the editorial team may extend the review period.

Authors can monitor the status of their submission through the journal’s OJS system. The editorial team will notify authors of the review result and editorial decision through the system.

5. Editorial Decision

After receiving comments and recommendations from reviewers, the editor makes the editorial decision. The decision may be one of the following:

Accept Submission: The manuscript is accepted without substantial revision and will proceed to copyediting.
Revisions Required: The manuscript requires minor or moderate revision. Authors must revise the manuscript according to reviewer and editor comments. The revised manuscript will be checked by the editor.
Resubmit for Review: The manuscript requires major revision. Authors must substantially revise the manuscript and resubmit it. The revised manuscript may be sent back to the reviewers for further evaluation.
Decline Submission: The manuscript is rejected because it does not meet the journal’s academic standards, is outside the journal’s scope, contains serious methodological or ethical problems, or fails to respond adequately to reviewer and editor comments.

The final decision is made by the editor based on reviewer recommendations, manuscript quality, ethical compliance, and suitability for publication in the journal.

6. Revision Process

Authors who receive a revision decision must revise their manuscript carefully based on the comments from reviewers and editors. Authors are also expected to submit a response to reviewers explaining how each comment has been addressed.

The revised manuscript should clearly show the changes made. Authors may use track changes or highlight revisions when requested by the editor.

For minor revisions, the revised manuscript is usually evaluated by the editor. For major revisions, the manuscript may be returned to the original reviewers or assigned to additional reviewers if necessary.

If authors do not submit the revised manuscript within the specified time without prior notice, the submission may be considered withdrawn.

7. Final Acceptance

A manuscript can be accepted for publication only after the editor confirms that:

The manuscript has passed the peer review process.
Reviewer and editor comments have been adequately addressed.
The manuscript meets the journal’s academic and ethical standards.
The manuscript follows the journal template and author guidelines.
The similarity level is acceptable according to the journal’s plagiarism policy.
The references, citation style, tables, figures, and formatting are complete and accurate.

After acceptance, the manuscript will proceed to copyediting, layout editing, proofreading, and final publication.

8. Copyediting and Proofreading

Accepted manuscripts are edited for clarity, consistency, formatting, citation style, grammar, and layout. Authors may be asked to review the final proof before publication.

At the proofreading stage, authors should only correct typographical errors, formatting problems, author information, or minor factual errors. Major content changes are not allowed after the manuscript has been accepted and prepared for publication, unless approved by the editor.

9. Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted to VISTARA: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literature are treated as confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not disclose, share, copy, or use unpublished manuscript materials for personal or professional advantage.

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of the manuscript and the review process. Any suspected ethical issue, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or conflict of interest must be reported to the editor.

10. Conflict of Interest

Editors and reviewers must declare any potential conflict of interest before handling or reviewing a manuscript. A conflict of interest may include personal relationships, institutional connections, research collaboration, financial interests, academic competition, or other circumstances that may affect objectivity.

If a conflict of interest is identified, the editor will assign the manuscript to another editor or reviewer to ensure a fair and unbiased review process.

11. Ethical Considerations

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, false authorship, or other forms of publication misconduct.

If ethical problems are identified during the review process, the editor may reject the manuscript, request clarification from the authors, or take other necessary actions according to the journal’s publication ethics policy.

12. Final Responsibility

Although reviewers provide recommendations, the final decision on manuscript publication rests with the editor. The editor is responsible for ensuring that every accepted manuscript has academic merit, ethical integrity, relevance to the journal’s scope, and contribution to the field.

VISTARA: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Literature is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent, confidential, and academically rigorous peer review process.