Publishing Standards and Procedures

International Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health (IJRPESH) is committed to maintaining transparent, rigorous, fair, and internationally recognized standards throughout the scholarly publishing process. The following policies describe the journal's editorial procedures, peer-review system, decision-making process, access and licensing arrangements, publication charges, preservation practices, and other publishing standards.

1. Editorial Process

All manuscripts submitted to IJRPESH undergo a structured editorial process designed to assess their suitability, scientific quality, ethical compliance, and contribution to the fields covered by the journal.

1.1 Submission and Administrative Check

After submission, the Editorial Office conducts an administrative check to ensure that the manuscript complies with the journal's basic submission requirements. This assessment may include:

completeness of the submitted files and required documents;
compliance with the journal's manuscript preparation requirements;
completeness of authorship and affiliation information;
availability of required ethical approval and informed-consent statements, where applicable;
declaration of conflicts of interest and funding information;
compliance with authorship and contributorship requirements; and
other documentation required by the journal.

Submissions that are incomplete or do not comply with the journal's basic requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before editorial assessment begins.

1.2 Similarity Screening

Submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity using Turnitin before proceeding to external peer review. Similarity reports are evaluated by the Editorial Office and are not interpreted solely on the basis of an overall percentage. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index above 20% normally receive additional editorial scrutiny in accordance with the journal's Plagiarism Policy.

1.3 Initial Editorial Assessment

The Editor conducts an initial assessment of the manuscript to determine whether it is appropriate for IJRPESH. This assessment considers the manuscript's relevance to the journal's aims and scope, originality, scientific quality, methodological adequacy, ethical compliance, clarity, and potential contribution to the field.

Manuscripts that are clearly outside the journal's scope, lack sufficient originality, contain serious methodological or ethical problems, or do not meet minimum scholarly standards may be rejected without external peer review. Where deficiencies are potentially correctable, authors may be invited to revise the manuscript before it is considered for external review.

IJRPESH aims to complete the initial editorial evaluation within a maximum of two weeks after a manuscript has successfully passed the administrative requirements.

1.4 External Peer Review

Manuscripts that meet the journal's initial editorial criteria are normally sent to at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise. IJRPESH applies a double-anonymous peer-review process in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other.

1.5 Revision

When revision is requested, authors should respond carefully to the comments of the editors and reviewers and provide a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed or, where a suggestion has not been followed, providing an appropriate scholarly justification.

Revised manuscripts may be assessed by the handling editor, returned to the original reviewers, or sent to additional reviewers, depending on the extent and nature of the revisions required.

1.6 Final Decision

The final decision regarding publication is made by the responsible Editor based on the manuscript's scientific quality, reviewer reports, authors' responses and revisions, ethical compliance, relevance to IJRPESH, and overall contribution to the scholarly literature. Reviewer recommendations inform but do not determine the editorial decision.

1.7 Production and Publication

Accepted manuscripts proceed to the production stage, which may include copyediting, language and technical checks, formatting, layout editing, metadata verification, author proofing, DOI registration, and final publication. Authors may be contacted during production to resolve queries or approve proofs.

2. Peer Review Process

2.1 Peer Review Policy

Publication in IJRPESH is based on the scientific validity, methodological quality, originality, clarity, ethical integrity, and relevance of the submitted work. Editors and peer reviewers assess whether manuscripts represent meaningful and reliable contributions to the fields covered by the journal.

IJRPESH acknowledges and values the time, expertise, and scholarly contributions provided by its peer reviewers.

2.2 Initial Evaluation of Manuscripts

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial evaluation. Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage when they are outside the journal's aims and scope, insufficiently original, methodologically inadequate, ethically problematic, or otherwise unsuitable for external peer review.

Manuscripts that satisfy the minimum editorial criteria are forwarded to qualified experts for external peer review. IJRPESH aims to complete the initial evaluation within two weeks.

2.3 Type of Peer Review

IJRPESH uses a double-anonymous peer-review process, also known as double-blind peer review. The identities of the authors are concealed from reviewers, and the identities of reviewers are concealed from authors.

Manuscripts are normally evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers. Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise, research experience, independence, and absence of relevant conflicts of interest.

2.4 Reviewer Evaluation

Reviewers are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

presents an original and relevant contribution with clearly stated objectives and an identifiable research gap;
uses an appropriate and scientifically sound methodology;
complies with appropriate research and publication ethics requirements;
presents results or findings clearly and accurately;
provides conclusions that are supported by the results or evidence presented;
appropriately discusses the findings in relation to relevant literature;
appropriately acknowledges and references relevant previous work; and
is sufficiently clear and coherent for scholarly communication.

Reviewers are not expected to provide comprehensive copyediting or language editing. Their primary responsibility is to evaluate the manuscript's scholarly and scientific quality. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that the manuscript is written clearly and professionally.

2.5 Review Timeline

The external peer-review process will normally take up to six weeks, although the actual duration may vary depending on reviewer availability, the complexity of the manuscript, and the number of revision rounds required.

The journal's target average time from initial submission to publication is approximately eight weeks. This timeframe is an editorial target rather than a guarantee and may vary according to the review, revision, and production requirements of individual manuscripts.

2.6 Confidentiality

Manuscripts under review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share, distribute, discuss, or use information contained in a manuscript for purposes unrelated to the review. Editors likewise protect the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts and the peer-review process.

2.7 Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, personal, or other conflict that could reasonably affect their impartiality. Reviewers should decline an invitation when a relevant conflict prevents them from making an independent and objective assessment.

3. Editorial Decision-Making

Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, scientific validity, methodological rigor, originality, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, reviewer evaluations, and the quality of authors' responses to editorial and reviewer comments.

Editorial decisions may include:

Accept: The manuscript is accepted for publication without further substantive revision, although minor production-related changes may still be required.
Accept with Revisions: The manuscript is considered suitable for publication subject to satisfactory completion of required minor or major revisions. The revised manuscript will be assessed to determine whether the requested changes have been adequately addressed.
Resubmit for Review: Substantial revision is required before a publication decision can be made. A revised submission will normally undergo another round of peer review.
Reject: The manuscript is not suitable for publication in IJRPESH. A rejected manuscript is closed within the editorial workflow. Any subsequent submission will be treated according to the conditions specified in the editorial decision.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The Editor is responsible for the final editorial decision and may reach a decision that differs from reviewer recommendations when justified by the evidence, journal policies, ethical considerations, or the overall scholarly assessment of the manuscript.

Editors must not participate in decisions concerning manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest. Such manuscripts will be assigned to another qualified editor who can manage the editorial process independently.

All correspondence concerning submitted manuscripts should be directed through the journal's editorial system or Editorial Office. Communications are normally directed to the corresponding author, who is responsible for communicating relevant information to all co-authors.

4. Complaints and Appeals

4.1 Complaints

IJRPESH welcomes legitimate complaints concerning editorial procedures, delays, journal policies, editorial conduct, or other aspects of the publication process. Complaints should be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief and should clearly describe the concern and provide relevant supporting information.

Complaints will be handled fairly, confidentially, and without retaliation against individuals who raise concerns in good faith. IJRPESH aims to acknowledge complaints within 5–7 working days and to provide a substantive response within a reasonable timeframe.

If a complainant is dissatisfied with the response provided by the Editor-in-Chief, the matter may be referred to the Publisher, Rezki Media, for further consideration where appropriate.

4.2 Appeals Against Editorial Decisions

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant factual misunderstanding, procedural error, or demonstrably flawed assessment materially affected the decision.

Appeals must be submitted by the corresponding author in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the editorial decision. The appeal should clearly explain the grounds for reconsideration and provide a detailed response to the relevant editorial or reviewer comments.

Disagreement with the scientific judgment of reviewers or editors alone does not normally constitute sufficient grounds for an appeal. IJRPESH will ordinarily consider only one formal appeal per manuscript.

Where appropriate, an appeal may be evaluated by an editor, Editorial Board member, or independent expert who was not substantially involved in the original decision. The decision following the appeal process is final within the journal's editorial procedure.

5. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain the copyright of articles published in International Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health (IJRPESH). Copyright remains with the author(s), while the journal is granted the right of first publication.

Articles published in IJRPESH are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This license permits others to copy, distribute, display, perform, remix, adapt, and build upon the published work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the license is provided, and any derivative work is distributed under the same or a compatible license.

Under this licensing arrangement, authors retain copyright while allowing broad dissemination and reuse of their scholarly work in accordance with the terms of the CC BY-SA license.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party copyrighted material included in their manuscripts, including figures, photographs, tables, instruments, or other content, is used with appropriate permission or under a license that permits its inclusion and publication.

Users of IJRPESH content must provide appropriate attribution to the author(s), acknowledge IJRPESH as the original place of publication, and comply with the applicable CC BY-SA license terms when sharing or adapting published material.

6. Open Access Policy

IJRPESH is committed to the principles of open scholarly communication. Published articles are made openly accessible to readers without requiring subscription or payment to access the full text.

Open access supports the global dissemination, visibility, accessibility, and potential impact of scholarly research. Users may access and use published articles in accordance with the copyright and licensing terms specified by IJRPESH.

7. Repository and Self-Archiving Policy

IJRPESH permits authors to deposit versions of their articles in institutional repositories, subject repositories, personal academic websites, or other appropriate repositories, subject to the journal's copyright and licensing conditions.

Authors are encouraged to provide complete bibliographic information when depositing their work and, for the published version, to include the article DOI or a link to the version of record whenever available.

IJRPESH supports responsible self-archiving as a means of increasing the accessibility, discoverability, preservation, and dissemination of scholarly research.

8. Article Processing Charges

IJRPESH applies the following author fees:

8.1 Article Submission Fee

Article Submission: IDR 0.00

Authors are not required to pay any fee when submitting a manuscript to IJRPESH. Submission and participation in the peer-review process are free of charge.

8.2 Article Publication Fee

Article Publication: IDR 2,000,000 / USD 150

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors will be asked to pay an Article Publication Fee to contribute to the costs associated with publication. The fee includes DOI registration for the published article.

The Article Publication Fee does not apply to an article whose authors represent three or more different countries.

The payment of an Article Publication Fee has no influence on editorial evaluation, peer review, reviewer selection, or the decision to accept or reject a manuscript. Editorial decisions are made independently of authors' ability to pay publication charges.

8.3 Waiver Policy

IJRPESH recognizes that publication charges should not prevent the publication of worthy scholarly work. Authors who do not have sufficient funding to pay the Article Publication Fee may request a waiver.

Authors requesting a waiver should declare their request in the Comments to the Editor field during manuscript submission. Waiver requests will be considered independently of the scientific assessment of the manuscript and should not influence the editorial or peer-review decision.

8.4 Refund Policy

The Article Publication Fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.

9. Publication Schedule

International Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health (IJRPESH) is published twice a year, with issues released in April and October.

All manuscripts scheduled for publication must complete the journal's editorial screening, peer-review, revision, final editorial decision, copyediting, and production processes before being included in an issue.

The publication timing of an individual article may vary depending on the duration of peer review, the extent of revisions required, author response times, and production requirements. The journal's publication schedule does not override the requirements for rigorous peer review, ethical compliance, and editorial quality control.

10. Digital Preservation

International Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health (IJRPESH) is committed to the long-term preservation, accessibility, and integrity of its published scholarly content.

IJRPESH uses the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system as part of its digital preservation strategy. LOCKSS provides a distributed preservation infrastructure that allows participating libraries to create and maintain persistent copies of journal content for preservation and restoration purposes.

Through the LOCKSS preservation approach, multiple copies of published content can be maintained across participating archival locations, reducing the risk of permanent loss resulting from technical failure, platform disruption, or other circumstances affecting the journal's primary publishing system.

The journal's digital preservation policy is intended to ensure that published articles remain accessible and recoverable over the long term and that the scholarly record can be maintained even if the journal's primary website becomes temporarily or permanently unavailable.

Authors are also encouraged to deposit their published articles in appropriate institutional or scholarly repositories in accordance with IJRPESH's Repository and Self-Archiving Policy, providing an additional mechanism for long-term accessibility and dissemination.

11. Direct Marketing

IJRPESH may undertake direct marketing activities to communicate journal information, calls for papers, publication opportunities, reviewer invitations, or other legitimate scholarly activities to researchers and academics whose expertise is relevant to the journal's aims and scope.

Marketing communications must accurately represent the journal's identity, publisher, aims and scope, peer-review process, editorial policies, publication fees, indexing status, and other relevant characteristics. IJRPESH does not intentionally use misleading, deceptive, aggressive, or indiscriminate solicitation practices.

Where practicable, invitations to submit manuscripts or participate in journal activities are directed to researchers whose scholarly expertise is relevant to IJRPESH. The journal seeks to respect applicable privacy and data-protection requirements in its communications.

12. Advertising Policy

IJRPESH does not permit advertising, sponsorship, or commercial considerations to influence editorial decisions, peer-review outcomes, or the presentation and interpretation of scholarly content.

If advertising is displayed or accepted by the journal, advertisements must be clearly distinguishable from editorial and scholarly content. Decisions concerning advertising must be made independently from decisions concerning submitted manuscripts.

Acceptance of an advertisement does not constitute endorsement by IJRPESH, its editors, Editorial Board, or publisher of the advertised product, service, organization, or claims.

IJRPESH reserves the right to refuse or withdraw advertising that is misleading, inappropriate, inconsistent with the journal's scholarly mission, or potentially harmful to the integrity or reputation of the journal.

Policy Review and Transparency

IJRPESH periodically reviews its publishing standards and procedures to maintain consistency with developments in scholarly publishing, publication ethics, open-access practices, and internationally recognized editorial standards.

Questions regarding these policies may be directed to the IJRPESH Editorial Office using the contact information provided on the journal website.