Guidelines For Editor

Guidelines for Editors

The Indonesian Journal of International Relations (IJIR) relies on its Editors, who are experts in their respective fields, to oversee the peer review process and ensure the academic integrity of the journal. Editors are responsible for managing the review of manuscripts, making well-founded recommendations regarding acceptance or rejection, and attracting high-quality submissions.

These guidelines are based on the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

  1. Selecting Reviewers
  • Editors must ensure that suitable reviewers are selected for each manuscript—individuals with relevant expertise and without disqualifying competing interests.
  • Every submission should have at least two assigned reviewers. Editors are advised to refrain from selecting only the reviewers recommended by authors unless there is a strong justification for doing so.
  • Editors should discontinue working with reviewers who consistently submit poor-quality, discourteous, or late reviews.
  • A diverse pool of reviewers should be maintained, drawing from multiple sources (not only personal networks), such as bibliographic databases, previous author suggestions, and reviewer directories.
  1. Managing the Review Process
  • Editors are expected to handle manuscripts promptly, aiming to provide an initial decision within 3 months.
  • Editors should manage all papers assigned to them, regardless of specific thematic alignment, in the interest of fairness and efficiency.
  • Written editorial feedback must be provided to authors for every editorial decision, even when based directly on reviewers’ comments. In such cases, a summary referencing the reviewers’ main points may suffice.
  • Any significant deviation from IJIR’s stated peer review policy must be justifiable and documented.
  • Editors must ensure reviewers declare potential conflicts of interest before accepting an assignment.
  • Editors are expected to monitor reviewer performance and maintain high standards of quality and professionalism.
  • Editors should encourage reviewers to evaluate:
    • Ethical aspects and potential research or publication misconduct (e.g., unethical design, data fabrication/manipulation).
    • Originality, redundancy, and any signs of plagiarism.
  1. Editorial Decisions
  • Editors’ recommendations should be based on the peer review reports as well as their judgment regarding a manuscript’s originality, clarity, methodological rigor, and relevance to IJIR’s scope.
  • Editors may recommend desk rejection if a submission does not meet the basic quality threshold or journal standards.
  • Once accepted, a manuscript should not be rejected unless serious issues (e.g., ethical violations, data falsification) are discovered.
  • Successor editors should not overturn previous editorial decisions unless critical problems are identified.
  • Editors must report cases of suspected misconduct or authorship disputes to the Editor-in-Chief for further investigation.
  1. Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief and Editors
  • Editors must transmit reviewers’ comments to authors in full unless these include offensive or defamatory content.
  • Editors must respond to any suspicion or allegations of misconduct, applicable to both published and unpublished works.
  • They should not dismiss concerns outright but instead seek a response from the author(s) and escalate to the Editor-in-Chief where appropriate.
  • Editors should support investigations into misconduct and cooperate with relevant institutions if needed.
  • The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for responding promptly to complaints and must ensure that a transparent mechanism exists for escalating unresolved issues. This mechanism is described in the [Peer Review Process] section of the journal website.

Editorial System

The Indonesian Journal of International Relations uses Manuscript Central (ScholarOne) as its online submission and peer-review platform. Editors encountering technical difficulties or needing assistance may contact the Editorial Office directly.

A form for Editor, please click here.

These guidelines for editors were last revised on August 5, 2025