Peer Review Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Agriculture (PJA) follows a rigorous, transparent, and ethical peer-review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original research. As an open-access journal, PJA is committed to timely, unbiased, and confidential manuscript evaluation in line with international best practices, including COPE Guidelines (COPE Guidelines).

Step-by-Step Review Process

1. Manuscript Submission

  • Authors submit manuscripts via the online system, ensuring compliance with the journal’s formatting and ethical guidelines.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

  • The editorial team evaluates the manuscript for:
    ✔ Scope: Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope.
    ✔ Originality: Novel contribution to the field.
    ✔ Formatting & Compliance: Adherence to submission guidelines.
    ✔ Plagiarism Screening: Checked using Turnitin or equivalent software.
  • Manuscripts failing this stage may be returned to authors for revision or desk-rejected.

3. Double-Blind Peer Review

  • Manuscripts passing initial screening are assigned to at least two independent experts.
  • Reviewers remain anonymous to authors, and vice versa.
  • Reviewers assess:
    ✔ Scientific rigor (methodology, data analysis, interpretation).
    ✔ Novelty & impact of findings.
    ✔ Clarity, coherence, and structure.
    ✔ Ethical compliance & citation integrity.
  • Reviewers provide detailed, constructive feedback and recommend: Accept, Minor/Major Revision, or Reject.

4. Editorial Decision

  • The Editor-in-Chief, in consultation with Associate Editors, evaluates reviewer reports and makes a decision:
    • Accept: Meets all quality and ethical standards.
    • Minor/Major Revision: Requires author modifications before reconsideration.
    • Reject: Does not meet scientific or ethical standards.
  • The corresponding author receives reviewers' feedback along with the decision.

5. Revision & Resubmission

  • Authors must revise and submit a detailed response addressing reviewer/editor comments.
  • Revised manuscripts may undergo further peer review, usually by the original reviewers.

6. Final Decision & Publication

  • The Editor-in-Chief makes the final acceptance or rejection decision.
  • Accepted manuscripts proceed to copyediting and publication.

Commitment to Ethical Review

✔ Confidentiality: All manuscripts are handled with strict confidentiality.
✔ Fair & Transparent Evaluation: Decisions are free from bias, based on academic merit.
✔ Reviewer Integrity: Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and adhere to ethical standards.
✔ Timely Review Process: The journal aims to complete peer review within 4-6 weeks.

PJA ensures compliance with international indexing requirements, including DOAJ, Scopus, and Web of Science, by upholding the highest standards of peer review integrity.