All manuscripts submitted to JOINS go through the following process.

1. Submission
Authors submit the manuscript through the OJS system. The manuscript must follow the JOINS template (2026 version) and the Author Guidelines.

2. Initial Screening
The editors check each manuscript for compliance with the Author Guidelines, including the template, the minimum number of references (15, or 25 for systematic literature reviews), and originality. Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism with Turnitin. Manuscripts with a similarity index above 20% (excluding the bibliography), fewer than the required number of references, or that clearly do not fit the journal's focus and scope may be returned to the authors or rejected without further review.

3. Anonymization
Before the manuscript is sent to reviewers, the editor removes all author-identifying information from the title page. If the authors have posted a preprint, they must inform the editor at submission so that the double-blind process can be handled appropriately.

4. Double-Blind Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are reviewed by two to three reviewers appointed by the editors according to their expertise. The identities of the authors and reviewers are not disclosed to each other. Reviewers assess each manuscript on the following criteria:
- Contribution of the paper to the research subject
- Originality and novelty
- Suitability of the abstract
- Clarity of structure and presentation
- Completeness and currency of references
- Language and grammar
- Other aspects

The review period is generally two to four weeks.

5. Editorial Decision
Based on the reviewers' recommendations, the editors make one of the following decisions: accepted, revisions required, or rejected. The decision is sent to the authors by email.

6. Revision
Authors whose manuscripts require revisions are expected to submit the revised manuscript within 30 days of the revision decision. The revised manuscript is uploaded again in OJS through the Upload Revisions section, together with a response to the reviewers' and editors' comments. The revised manuscript then proceeds to the next review round. Authors who abandon the revision process may be subject to the blacklist policy described in the Author Guidelines.

7. Acceptance and Publication
After a manuscript is accepted, the authors are informed about the article processing charge, which is payable after acceptance. Accepted articles then go through final editing and are published in the order in which they complete the process. There is no submission deadline.

Reviewer and Editor Responsibilities
- Manuscripts and review reports are confidential. Reviewers and editors must not share them or upload them to publicly available AI tools.
- Reviewers must give objective, constructive, and timely assessments, and must declare any conflict of interest and decline the review if one exists.
- Editors make decisions based solely on the scientific quality and relevance of the manuscript, regardless of the authors' identity, affiliation, or nationality.