Manuscript submission email: journals@circleinternational.co.uk
1.Submission Screening: Upon submission, each paper undergoes an initial screening conducted by the Editors-in-Chief. This screening assesses whether the paper falls within the scope of the journal and evaluates the paper’s overall quality. Papers that do not meet these criteria are subject to a desk rejection.
2.Plagiarism Check: Following the initial screening, submissions are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin. This step is crucial to ensure the originality of the manuscript and maintain the journal’s integrity. If Turnitin’s report indicates a high similarity index or plagiarism, the paper will be rejected immediately.
3.Peer Review Process: Papers passing the initial screening and plagiarism check are then subjected to a double-blind peer review, where at least two reviewers assess the paper without access to the authors’ identities. This ensures an unbiased review process. The possible outcomes from the peer review are:
- Accept in present form
- Accept after minor revisions
- Reconsidered after major revisions
- Reject
4.Resolution of Potential Conflicts: In cases where there is significant disagreement among the reviewers regarding the status of the manuscript, an additional reviewer may be consulted. The final decision rests with the editors, who consider all reviewers’ reports and the additional opinions to arrive at a conclusive judgement.
5.Revision Process: If revisions are required, the author(s) must resubmit the revised manuscript along with a cover letter that addresses each of the reviewers’ comments. This documentation is crucial for the editors and reviewers to assess whether the revisions adequately address the concerns raised during the initial review.
6.Final Review and Acceptance: Once the revisions satisfy the reviewers, the manuscript moves forward to the final stages of approval. The paper is then processed for publication.
7.Article Processing Charges (APC): Depending on the authors’ status—such as whether they are CIRCLE conference delegates or participants, PhD students, or reviewers—appropriate APCs may be applied at this point. The standard APC applies unless a waiver or discount has been pre-approved.