ARTICLE REVIEW PROCESS

REVIEW PROCESS

Initial Screening: Submitted manuscripts are initially screened by the editor's office for completeness and to determine if they meet the general criteria for the journal. The editors will decide to: (a) send the manuscript out for blind review, (b) request initial revisions prior to the blind review process, or (c) reject the manuscript.

Peer Review: Each manuscript passing initial screening will undergo rigorous and anonymous peer review by a minimum of two peer reviewers. Referees who review a manuscript remain unknown to the authors. The journal's independent status ensures a submission acceptance rate based on merit and not favoritism, bias, or personal preference. All reviewers send the editor a detailed report with their comments on the manuscript and their recommendation. Reviewers are required to complete their reviews within 3-4 weeks. For papers requiring revision, the editor will ensure that the quality of the revised paper is acceptable.

License and Permission: In accordance with legal publishing requirements, the corresponding author is required to grant an exclusive license to Horizon Research Publishing on behalf of all authors. Authors must inform Horizon Research Publishing in advance if they wish to use their own material in other publications. Permission to reuse material must be obtained in writing prior to publication. Once a submitted paper is accepted for publication, authors will be invited to complete an electronic copyright transfer form. Failure to submit the form along with the final revised manuscript may result in a delay in publication. Submitted work must be original, previously unpublished, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. If previously published materials written by others are used, permission from the copyright owner must be obtained prior to submission. Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted material is not subject to copyright or ownership rights.

Proofreading: Electronic proofs will be sent to the corresponding author via email. Page proofs are considered the final version of the manuscript. Except for typographical or minor clerical errors, no changes will be made to the manuscript at the proof stage. Authors will receive only one set of proofs for corrections and will be responsible for the expense of making excessive alterations to the original manuscript during the proofreading process. Proofs should be checked and returned within 3 days.

Article Processing Charge: In an open-access model, readers do not pay subscription fees to access online published articles. For authors, only fundamental costs such as editing, production, and peer review are included to maintain the normal operations of our company. These processing charges are solely used to support publishers in making published articles freely available to all readers.