Review Process Policy

Peer Review Process

Jurnal Kata: Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya implements a rigorous, transparent, and objective peer-review process to ensure the academic quality, originality, and relevance of its publications in the fields of language education, literature, and language learning.

A. Initial Screening (Editor Review)

Upon manuscript submission via the Open Journal Systems (OJS), the Managing Editor conducts an initial assessment to evaluate:

  • Alignment with the focus and scope of Jurnal Kata: Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya.

  • Adherence to the journal's manuscript structure, template, and formatting guidelines.

  • Compliance with publication ethics, including plagiarism screening via Turnitin (maximum similarity index of 25%).

  • Completeness of required supplementary files and declarations.

Manuscripts that fail to meet these initial criteria may be rejected immediately (desktop rejection) or returned to the authors for preliminary technical revisions prior to peer review.

B. Double-Blind Peer Review Stage

Manuscripts passing initial screening proceed to double-blind peer review, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are kept strictly confidential to ensure complete impartiality.

  1. Reviewer Assignment: The Editor assigns at least two (2) independent peer reviewers with proven expertise in theoretical/applied linguistics, literary studies, or language pedagogy.

  2. Evaluation Focus & Criteria: Reviewers evaluate the manuscript comprehensively based on:

    • Title, Abstract, and Introduction: Clarity of research background, research gap, formulation of problem, and theoretical framework.

    • Methodology: Appropriateness, rigor, and clarity of research design, data collection, analytical techniques, or pedagogical intervention.

    • Results & Discussion: Depth of analysis, interpretation of linguistic/literary data, alignment with research questions, and integration with existing literature.

    • Conclusions & Scientific Impact: Soundness of conclusions, novelty, theoretical or practical contributions, and research implications.

    • Language, Formatting & References: Academic writing quality, clarity, proper citation style, and currency of references.

  3. Review Timeline: The peer-review process typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. Submissions received too close to the scheduled publication dates (April and September) may be processed for subsequent issues to ensure a thorough evaluation.

C. Reviewer Recommendations and Final Decision

Each reviewer provides an evaluation score and detailed constructive feedback, along with one of the following recommendations:

  • Accept Submission: The manuscript is suitable for publication without further changes.

  • Revisions Required (Minor Revisions): The manuscript requires minor textual, formatting, or clarity adjustments.

  • Resubmit for Review (Major Revisions): The manuscript requires substantial conceptual, methodological, or analytical revisions, followed by a second-round review.

  • Decline Submission (Reject): The manuscript lacks novelty, sound methodology, or fails to meet the academic standards of the journal.

The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests with the Editor-in-Chief, based on reviewer reports, revision compliance, and available publication slots.

D. Author Notification and Communication

Decision notifications and reviewer reports are communicated officially to authors via OJS and email. In the event of technical difficulties with the submission system or email delivery, authors may contact the Editorial Office through official communication channels (including designated Editorial Support services) to resolve system errors.

Articles accepted and published in Jurnal Kata: Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pembelajarannya must represent original work and cannot be published or under consideration elsewhere.