The publication process at JCEP includes preparation, rigorous peer review and final production, strictly adhering to the journal's ethical and format requirements.
1. Manuscript Preparation
Before submission, authors must carefully prepare their files and adhere to all formatting guidelines (see Authors Guidelines above) and complete the required materials.
• Anonymity Check: Ensure that the original manuscript file, figures and any supplementary data are fully anonymized for the double-blind review process.
• Permissions: Obtain written permission from the copyright holder(s) for print and online use of any previously published figures, tables, or excerpts.
• Submission Declaration: By submitting a manuscript, authors implicitly declare that the work has not been published elsewhere (except in authorized formats such as preprints/dissertations), is not under review elsewhere and that its publication has been approved by all authors.
• ORCID: Register for and enter your ORCID ID (https://orcid.org).
2. Submission Process
All articles must be submitted through the journal’s dedicated online submission system by the corresponding author(s).
• Required Uploads: Upload the several essential files (anonymized manuscript, title page, Competing Interests Declaration Form, Cover letter and Similarity Check Certificate).
• Reviewer Suggestions/Exclusions: Authors may suggest suitable referees and/or request the exclusion of specific individuals (usually a maximum of two). Proposed referees must be independent and unrelated to the work; organizational emails or verified IDs must be provided to verify identity. Note that the editor is not obligated to use the proposed referees.
3. Review and Decision-Making Process
The submitted article first undergoes an initial editorial screening followed by peer review.
• Initial Review: The editor(s) initially evaluate the submitted for appropriateness, scope, and adherence to initial ethical guidelines. This initial review phase takes approximately 7 days. Inappropriate manuscripts may be rejected immediately without peer review.
• Peer Review: Eligible articles are sent to at least two independent, external reviewers for expert evaluation. JCEP follows a double-blind peer-review policy, ensuring the identities of authors are kept confidential from the reviewers and vice versa. The average time for the entire review process is 200 days.
• Editor’s Decision: The editor makes the final publication decision based on the referee reports and his/her own judgment. The journal maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of 34%. Decisions are generally divided into the following categories: Immidiate Acceptance, Minor Revisions Required, Major Revisions Required, or Rejection.
4. Post-Decision Procedures
Revisions
If a revision is requested, authors must fully consider the comments of the referees and the editor. Major revisions may require considerable time and effort, possibly weeks or months. Authors then resubmit the revised article through the system.
Appeals and Complaints
Authors may file a formal appeal against an editorial board decision (e.g., rejection of an article), provided that it meets the journal’s requirements and follows the procedure. Typically, only one appeal will be reviewed for each submitted article and the decision made is final. Appeals are reviewed by the Editor or Editor-in-Chief, who determines whether the decision stands or whether another independent opinion is needed.
Complaints regarding non-editorial processes (e.g., excessive delays) or publication ethics issues are taken seriously and investigated according to COPE guidelines and processes.
Article Transfer Service
If an article is rejected but deemed suitable for another scholarly publication, the editor may recommend its transfer to an alternative journal and facilitate submission to a more appropriate reference. If the author accepts this recommendation, the article and any existing referee reports may be automatically transferred.
5. After Acceptance and Publication
Editing revisions
After acceptance, the article enters the production phase (editing and typesetting). The edited pages are sent to the corresponding author for review, often via an online system. Authors are usually required to return corrections promptly (e.g., within three business days). Editing is only for checking typesetting, completeness, and accuracy; substantial changes to the content (e.g., new results or rewriting of large sections of text) are not permitted without specific approval from the editor.
Copyright and License
The authors have unrestricted copyrights and distribution rights. This article is published under the CC BY 4.0. license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en). This allows reuse and distribution, provided that the author and the journal are properly attributed.
Publication Fees
To support the sustainability of high-quality publication and the wide dissemination of content, an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 6,000,000 Iranian Rials is charged for manuscripts (3,000,000 at the submission stage [non-refundable peer-review/submission fee] and 3,000,000 upon manuscript acceptance).
Online Publication
This article will be published online immediately after it is finalized. Since JCEP is open access, the final published version is freely available and can be shared using the article's DOI link.