Review Process Policy

1. Purpose

Khatulistiwa: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan (e-ISSN: 2808-8298), published biannually by LPPM Institut Elkatarie and managed by the Tarbiyah Faculty Journal Editors Forum under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Abdul Azizul Hakim, is thoroughly committed to maintaining the quality, originality, scientific relevance, and ethical integrity of published scholarly literature. The journal enforces a rigorous, structured peer-review workflow to ensure that submitted manuscripts meet international academic benchmarks and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of educational sciences and Tarbiyah studies. This evaluation process is structured to guarantee objective editorial decisions, substantive developmental feedback, robust integrity safeguards, and continuous qualitative improvement in academic publishing.

2. Initial Editorial Screening (Desk Evaluation)

All manuscripts submitted through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) portal undergo an initial desk screening conducted by the Editor-in-Chief or assigned Section Editors prior to external peer review. During this preliminary stage, the editorial desk assesses whether the manuscript strictly aligns with the journal's Focus and Scope, complies with author guidelines (e.g., 7,000–9,000 words length, 1.5 spacing on A4 paper, and an English abstract of maximum 200 words), demonstrates sufficient conceptual novelty, and includes all necessary ethical declarations. Furthermore, an initial similarity assessment is conducted using Turnitin software. Manuscripts exhibiting a similarity index above the maximum limit of 25%, missing core empirical sections, or falling outside the educational remit are returned for mandatory pre-review revision or formally rejected without external dispatch (Desk Rejection).

3. Peer Review Model

Manuscripts satisfying initial editorial checks are assigned to independent external peer reviewers. Khatulistiwa operates under a strict Double-Blind Peer Review model, wherein the identities of the authors and the reviewers remain completely concealed from one another throughout the evaluation cycle. Submitting authors must ensure that all identifying institutional affiliations and self-identifying document properties are removed from the review file. Each manuscript is systematically assigned to at least 1 to 2 qualified external peer reviewers holding relevant expertise in the targeted subdiscipline.

4. Reviewer Selection and Diversity

Reviewers are selected based upon documented disciplinary expertise in educational sciences, research competence, academic reputation, and their capacity to provide balanced, timely, and impartial evaluations. The editorial team systematically avoids potential conflicts of interest by excluding reviewers who share recent research collaborations, institutional affiliations, or supervisory connections with the submitting authors. Reviewer recruitment prioritizes geographical and institutional diversity across national and international academic networks.

5. Review Criteria

Peer reviewers evaluate submissions across the following foundational academic criteria:

  • Thematic Relevance: Direct alignment with the educational and Tarbiyah mission of Khatulistiwa.

  • Originality and Novelty: Clear articulation of research gaps and verifiable contributions to current educational theory or practice.

  • Scholarly Literature Review: Rigorous engagement with contemporary, authoritative literature.

  • Methodological Soundness: Appropriateness, replicability, and ethical validity of the research design and analytical procedures.

  • Results and Empirical Discussion: Coherent presentation of empirical findings paired with critical, insightful discussion.

  • Conclusions and Practical Implications: Logical alignment between data and conclusions, delineating actionable implications for educational practice or policymaking.

  • Clarity of Presentation: Academic writing proficiency, logical structural development, and grammatical accuracy.

6. Editorial Decisions

Following the receipt of peer evaluations, the handling editor renders an editorial determination grounded in the reviewers' substantive critiques. The formal determination falls into one of four categories:

  • Accept Submission: The manuscript meets all scientific standards and is approved for publication without substantive revision.

  • Revisions Required (Minor Revision): The submission is accepted in principle, subject to specific textual or minor analytical amendments to be completed within a specified timeframe.

  • Resubmit for Review (Major Revision): Substantial theoretical, empirical, or methodological enhancements are required. The revised version will undergo a second round of external peer review.

  • Decline Submission (Reject): The manuscript suffers from fatal methodological flaws, lacks originality, or falls fundamentally short of scholarly quality standards.The Editor-in-Chief retains final authority over all publication determinations.

7. Revision and Author Response Procedures

When revisions are required, the corresponding author must submit the revised manuscript within the stipulated timeframe via the OJS portal. The submission should ideally be accompanied by a point-by-point Response to Reviewers detailing how each critique was resolved. Failure to return requested revisions within the designated window without an approved extension may result in the manuscript being treated as officially withdrawn.

8. Confidentiality and Data Safeguards

All submitted manuscripts, supplementary datasets, peer reviews, and editorial correspondence are legally and ethically privileged, confidential materials. Editors, reviewers, and publishing staff are prohibited from circulating, disclosing, or leveraging unpublished findings for personal or competitive advantage. Reviewers are strictly forbidden from inputting confidential manuscript text into unverified external generative artificial intelligence platforms.

9. Ethical Obligations of Peer Reviewers

Reviewers invited by Khatulistiwa are expected to deliver objective, rigorous, and evidence-grounded appraisals free from personal bias. They must immediately alert the handling editor regarding potential plagiarism, data falsification, or image manipulation detected during evaluation. Reviewers must also promptly declare any emerging conflicts of interest and decline the assignment when neutrality is compromised.

10. Editorial Independence and Anti-Bias Safeguards

Editorial determinations are founded exclusively on scholarly quality, methodological rigor, and research integrity. Editorial operations remain completely insulated from commercial, political, or institutional pressures. No manuscript receives favorable or detrimental handling based on the author's nationality, gender, institutional prestige, or academic seniority.

11. Review Timelines and Publication Cadence

Khatulistiwa enforces an organized editorial timeline to ensure prompt scientific dissemination while protecting rigorous review quality. Desk screening is completed within 3 to 7 business days following submission. External double-blind reviews are conducted within an average target of 14 to 21 calendar days per round. Because the journal publishes biannually (in April and August), releasing issues at the end of the respective month, authors must submit manuscripts at least 1 (one) month in advance (i.e., by the end of March or July) to allow adequate time for iterative revisions, copyediting, and Crossref DOI registration.

12. Appeals and Grievance Mechanism

Authors who reasonably conclude that an editorial rejection was influenced by demonstrable factual inaccuracies or procedural discrepancies may submit a formal written appeal to the Editor-in-Chief within 14 calendar days of the formal notification. The appeal must present a detailed factual refutation backed by empirical documentation. General dissatisfaction with academic critiques does not constitute valid grounds for reconsideration.

13. Final Statement

Khatulistiwa: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan remains dedicated to executing an ethical, transparent, and academically developmental peer-review process. By upholding strict double-blind standards, objective editorial criteria, and constructive scholarly discourse, the journal guarantees that its published literature contributes reliably to the progress of educational sciences.

  • Journal Name: Khatulistiwa: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan

  • Publisher: LPPM Institut Elkatarie

  • Editor-in-Chief: Abdul Azizul Hakim

  • Peer-Review Model: Double-Blind Peer Review (1-2 external reviewers per manuscript)

  • Publication Frequency: Biannually (April and August, released at the end of the month)

  • Identifiers: e-ISSN: 2808-8298 | DOI Prefix: 10.69901

  • Policy Purpose: To regulate the initial screening, double-blind peer review, editorial adjudication, and ethical governance of submitted manuscripts.