Peer Review Process Policy

Peer Review Process Policy

INCODING: Journal of Informatics and Computer Science Engineering implements a rigorous, fair, and confidential Double-Anonymous (Double-Blind) Peer Review Process to ensure the scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, and relevance of all published articles.

1. Stage 1 — Initial Editorial and Similarity Screening (7–21 Days)

Upon submission via the OJS platform, every manuscript is screened by the Editor-in-Chief or Section Editor to verify:

  • Alignment with the journal's focus and scope in informatics, computer science, software engineering, and information technology;
  • Compliance with the official INCODING template, structure, and IEEE citation style;
  • Originality via Turnitin / Plagiarism Checker X similarity screening (maximum overall similarity index of 30%).

Manuscripts that fall outside the journal's scope, fail formatting requirements, or exceed the similarity threshold are either returned for technical revision or desk-rejected prior to external review.

2. Stage 2 — Double-Anonymous Peer Review (4–8 Weeks)

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are assigned to at least two (2) independent peer reviewers with demonstrated expertise in the manuscript's subject area. Under the double-anonymous model, the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors throughout the review process.

3. Stage 3 — Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts objectively based on:

  • Originality, novelty, and significance of the technical or theoretical contribution;
  • Appropriateness, rigor, and reproducibility of the research methodology, system design, or algorithmic evaluation;
  • Accuracy of experimental results, depth of discussion, and comparison with recent literature;
  • Clarity of presentation, quality of tables/figures, and adherence to IEEE reference standards.

4. Stage 4 — Editorial Decision Categories

Based on the reviewers' reports and independent editorial evaluation, the Editor issues one of four decisions:

  • Accept Submission: Ready for publication without further substantive changes.
  • Revisions Required (Minor Revision): Acceptance is contingent upon minor technical or textual revisions checked by the Editor.
  • Resubmit for Review (Major Revision): Substantial revisions are required, and the revised manuscript is returned to the original reviewers for second-round evaluation.
  • Decline Submission (Reject): The manuscript does not meet the journal's scholarly standards.

5. Stage 5 — Author Revision, Verification, and Final Production

Authors invited to revise their manuscript must submit both the revised manuscript and a point-by-point response to all reviewer comments within the specified deadline (2–4 weeks). Once accepted, the manuscript undergoes copyediting, layout formatting, author proofreading, Crossref DOI assignment, and online publication.