Peer Review Process
KAPAI: Journal of Disaster Management and Environment employs a fully online submission and editorial management system through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform. Authors are required to prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the Author Guidelines and submit them through the journal’s electronic submission system. Manuscripts that do not comply with the submission requirements, are incorrectly formatted, or cannot be properly accessed may be returned to the authors before further evaluation.
Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial editorial screening to assess whether it falls within the journal’s focus and scope and meets basic academic and technical standards. A manuscript may be rejected without external review if it does not demonstrate sufficient scholarly contribution, is not clearly relevant to disaster management or environmental studies, contains significant methodological weaknesses, does not comply with the journal’s formatting requirements, or is poorly presented.
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are assigned to a Section Editor who oversees the peer review process. The journal uses a double-blind peer-review system, in which the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers, who may include members of the editorial board and/or independent external experts with relevant expertise.
Reviewers assess the originality, methodological rigor, clarity of presentation, relevance to the journal’s scope, and scientific contribution of the manuscript. Based on the reviewers’ comments and recommendations, the editor may request revisions, accept the manuscript, or reject it. The final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief.
Authors are generally informed of the editorial decision within approximately four weeks of submission, depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of the manuscript. If revisions are required, authors are expected to submit the revised manuscript within two weeks, accompanied by a detailed response letter explaining how each reviewer's comment has been addressed.
Possible editorial decisions include:
- Reject: The manuscript is not suitable for publication in the journal.
- Resubmit for Review: Substantial revisions are required, and the authors may submit a revised version for a new round of review.
- Revisions Required: The manuscript requires minor or major revisions before a final decision can be made.
- Accept: The manuscript is accepted for publication after all editorial requirements have been fulfilled.
Once a manuscript is formally accepted, it undergoes final editorial checks, copyediting, and formatting. The final version is then prepared for publication and published electronically through the journal’s platform.
