Editorial Policies

Submission Conditions & Originality

  • Submitted manuscripts must be original work not published elsewhere and not under review at another journal at the same time.
  • All authors must approve the submitted version and consent to submission.
  • Manuscripts should conform to the journal’s formatting, style, and submission guidelines (abstract, keywords, references, etc.).
  • Submissions must include a statement on conflicts of interest and — if applicable — ethical approval (for research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data).

Peer Review Process

  • The journal employs a double‑blind peer review system: reviewers do not know authors’ identities, and authors do not know who the reviewers are.
  • After an initial editorial screening (for scope, basic quality, formatting, originality, ethics), suitable manuscripts are sent to at least two independent peer reviewers. In some cases, an additional reviewer may be used.
  • Editorial decisions (acceptance, revision, rejection) are based on reviewer feedback and editorial judgment. The editorial board reserves the right to make final decisions.
  • Reviewers evaluate manuscripts on criteria listed below, which authors should take into consideration when preparing the manuscript:

1. Relevance and Scope

  • Does the article align with the journal’s aims and scope (higher education in Central Asia, the Turkic world, and related regions, or comparative/regionally relevant studies)?
  • Is the topic timely and significant to higher education research, policy, or practice?
  • Does the article make a clear contribution to the field, either theoretically, methodologically, empirically, or practically?

2. Originality and Contribution

  • Is the study original, or does it meaningfully extend prior research?
  • Does it address a gap in knowledge or a new perspective?
  • Are the objectives, research questions, or hypotheses clearly stated and justified?
  • Does the manuscript provide insightful analysis or interpretation rather than simply reporting data?

3. Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

  • Is there a clear theoretical or conceptual framework guiding the study?
  • Are key concepts and theories clearly defined and properly referenced?
  • Does the framework logically connect to the research questions and methodology?
  • For conceptual or theoretical papers: is the argument coherent, well-structured, and supported with relevant literature?

4. Literature Review

  • Is the literature review comprehensive and up-to-date?
  • Are key studies, regional and international, adequately cited?
  • Does the review provide a critical synthesis rather than just a list of prior studies?
  • Does it clearly identify gaps or debates in the field that the current study addresses?

5. Research Design and Methodology

  • Is the methodology clearly described and appropriate for the research questions?
  • For empirical studies:
    • Are the research design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, and analysis procedures clearly explained?
    • Are ethical considerations addressed (e.g., human subjects, confidentiality, consent)?
    • Is the methodology rigorous, transparent, and reproducible?
  • For qualitative studies: are methods for coding, interpretation, and ensuring trustworthiness clearly described?
  • For quantitative studies: are instruments, measures, and statistical analyses clearly described and appropriate?
  • For theoretical or policy papers: is the analytical approach coherent and justified?

6. Data Presentation and Analysis

  • Are the results presented clearly and logically?
  • Are tables, figures, or charts accurate, properly labeled, and interpretable?
  • Is the analysis thorough, rigorous, and aligned with the research questions?
  • For qualitative data: is interpretation credible, supported with examples or quotes?
  • For quantitative data: are statistical procedures correctly applied and interpreted?

7. Discussion and Interpretation

  • Does the discussion connect findings to the research questions and framework?
  • Are results interpreted in light of existing literature and theory?
  • Does the discussion highlight contributions, implications, limitations, and potential for future research?
  • Is the interpretation balanced, objective, and evidence-based?

8. Practical, Policy, or Theoretical Implications

  • Does the paper provide meaningful implications for higher education practice, policy, or scholarship?
  • Are the implications clearly articulated and supported by the findings?
  • For policy-focused papers: are recommendations realistic, relevant, and actionable?

9. Clarity, Structure, and Writing Quality

  • Is the manuscript well-organized with clear sections (abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references)?
  • Is writing clear, concise, and free of grammatical or typographical errors?
  • Are headings, subheadings, and paragraphing used effectively to guide the reader?
  • Is the abstract concise and informative, summarizing the purpose, methods, key findings, and implications?

10. Referencing and Citations

  • Are all sources properly cited in-text and in the reference list?
  • Is the reference list complete, accurate, and formatted according to journal guidelines?
  • Are key regional and international studies included to situate the research appropriately?

11. Ethical Considerations and Integrity

  • Is the research conducted ethically, following accepted standards?
  • Is there no evidence of plagiarism or duplicate publication?
  • Are potential conflicts of interest declared?
  • Are AI tools disclosed if used in writing, analysis, or image generation?

12. Overall Assessment for Publication

  • Does the manuscript make a substantial scholarly contribution to the field of higher education?
  • Is the paper suitable for the journal’s audience?
  • Does it meet the journal’s quality standards in terms of originality, methodology, analysis, writing, and ethics?

Authorship, Contributions & Accountability

  • Only individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions (e.g. conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, writing) should be listed as authors. Others (e.g. administrative support, editing, funding only) should be mentioned in acknowledgments.
  • All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to responsibility for the integrity of the work (data, references, interpretation).

Open Access, Copyright & Licensing

  • This journal follows a diamond open access model, ensuring that all content is freely available to readers without subscription fees and that authors are not charged any publication or processing fees. All published articles are immediately accessible online, allowing users to read, download, distribute, and cite the work without restriction, provided proper attribution is given. The journal believes that open access to scholarly research enhances visibility, promotes knowledge exchange, and supports equitable participation in global academic discussions, particularly for scholars and institutions with limited resources.
  • The journal operates under CC BY Creative Commons License. Authors retain copyright. By publishing in the journal, authors grant the journal a license to publish and permanently archive the article. This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. 

 Research Ethics, Integrity & Plagiarism Policy

  • The journal adopts high standards of research ethics, aligned with recognized guidelines (e.g. those of Committee on Publication Ethics — COPE, and similar international norms).
  • Submissions must be original and not previously published in whole or in part elsewhere (except, e.g., in thesis form, conference abstract, or as part of an institutional repository — with proper disclosure).
  • Plagiarism and duplicate/submitted‑elsewhere works are strictly prohibited. Manuscripts will undergo plagiarism screening before review.
  • Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, personal) and sources of funding.
  • For research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data, authors must obtain necessary ethical approvals (e.g. from an institutional review board) and declare ethical compliance in their manuscript.

Policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

  • If authors use AI tools (e.g. for drafting text, translation, image creation, data analysis, or other supportive tasks), they must disclose the use and extent of such tools within the manuscript (e.g. in an “AI‑assistance statement”).
  • AI tools or AI-generated content cannot be listed as an author. All named authors must be human, with substantial intellectual contribution, and must take full responsibility for the content, accuracy, originality, and ethical standards of the work.
  • The use of AI does not exempt authors from responsibility for accuracy, originality, proper citation, ethical compliance, and clarity. The journal reserves the right to reject submissions if AI usage is judged inappropriate or undisclosed.

Data Transparency and Availability

  • Authors are encouraged to provide access to underlying data, materials, and supplementary information that support the findings — unless ethical, legal, or privacy constraints apply. Access can be provided via a reference to public repositories, in supplementary files or upon request.
  • If data sharing is restricted (e.g. due to confidentiality, consent, or regional constraints), authors must include a clear data availability statement, explaining any restrictions and how data may be accessed (e.g. upon request, anonymized, or with permission).
  • This practice supports reproducibility, transparency, and trust in published research — a norm increasingly adopted in social science and higher‑education research.

Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern

  • If substantive errors (methodological, factual, ethical) are identified after publication, the journal will issue a correction notice to amend the article, while preserving transparency.
  • In cases of serious ethical breaches (e.g. plagiarism, data fabrication, undisclosed conflicts) the journal may retract the article, issuing a retraction notice with explanation.
  • If concerns arise but investigation is ongoing, the journal may publish an expression of concern until resolution — alerting readers while preserving due process.

Archiving and Long‑Term Preservation

  • The journal commits to long-term preservation of published content. Hosting by a reputable institution (University of Calgary) provides institutional stability and archiving reliability.
  • Published articles, including metadata (authors, date, volume/issue, DOI), will remain permanently accessible. This supports scholarly citation, indexing, and long-term availability.