Qubahan Political Journal (QPJ) operates a double-anonymous peer-review process.

The identities of authors are concealed from reviewers, and reviewer identities are concealed from authors.

Initial Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening.

The assessment considers:

• relevance to QPJ's Aims and Scope;
• originality and scholarly contribution;
• methodological, theoretical, or analytical quality;
• ethical compliance;
• research-integrity concerns;
• clarity and completeness of reporting; and
• compliance with the Author Guidelines.

Manuscripts that are clearly outside the journal's scope or do not meet minimum scholarly, methodological, ethical, or editorial standards may be rejected without external review.

Reviewer Selection

Manuscripts proceeding to peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent external reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

Reviewers are selected according to expertise, academic experience, independence, availability, and absence of relevant conflicts of interest.

Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and decline assignments where impartial evaluation cannot reasonably be ensured.

Review Criteria

Reviewers evaluate:

• originality;
• scholarly contribution;
• relevance to the journal's scope;
• theoretical or conceptual foundation;
• methodology or analytical approach;
• quality of evidence;
• validity of interpretation;
• clarity and organization;
• ethical compliance;
• limitations;
• conclusions; and
• relevance and accuracy of references.

Editorial Decisions

Possible decisions are:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

Reviewer recommendations are advisory.

The handling editor evaluates the quality and reasoning of reviewer reports before making or recommending an editorial decision.

Conflicting Reviews

Where reviewer reports differ substantially, the editor may obtain an additional independent review, request clarification, or adjudicate the reports based on their scholarly reasoning.

Revisions

Authors invited to revise a manuscript must provide a revised manuscript and a detailed response to reviewer and editor comments.

Major revisions may undergo another round of external peer review.

Final Decision

The final publication decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized independent handling editor.

Editorial-Board and Conflicted Submissions

Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial-board members, journal staff, publisher representatives, or persons closely associated with QPJ are handled independently by an editor without a relevant conflict of interest.

The submitting or conflicted individual must not participate in reviewer selection, confidential editorial deliberations, or the final publication decision.

Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and unpublished information are confidential.