OPEN ACCESS AND COPYRIGHT POLICY
Philippine Journal on Curriculum Studies (PJCS) grants an open-access publication. It makes research information available at no cost. Full-text articles can be read, downloaded, copied, distributed, printed, searched, or reused without asking prior permission from the publisher or author with the condition that the original publication is properly cited and referenced. This is in keeping with the
Budapest Open Access Initiative.
Copyright and Licensing
PJCS is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). Authors grant the publisher, Curriculum Studies Association of the Philippines Inc. (CSAPI), the right to be identified as the original publisher. Authors also grant any third party to use or reuse their content published in the journal provided that appropriate citations and references are attributed.
Self-Archiving
PJCS permits self-archiving of their articles on institutional or specialized repositories. However, authors should use the final PDF version released on the PJCS website.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The PJCS’ editorial policy is guided by the
Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) principles and regulations. PJCS ensures excellent scientific publications by upholding rigorous ethical standards for publication. Refer to
COPE’s guidelines for information on ethical issues.
Articles published in PJCS undergo a thorough double-blind peer-review process. PJCS only accepts and publishes original scholarly works. Therefore, authors should ensure that manuscripts submitted are original, unpublished, and not in consideration for publication in other journals.
Peer Review Process
PJCS peer review process aims to ensure the high quality of published research articles in the journal. It follows three stages:
1. Preliminary Check
The first stage for a submitted manuscript is a preliminary check. The Editor-in-Chief considers the following criteria:
- Alignment of the topic with the aims and scope of the journal
- Scholarly relevance to be cited in future related research
- Acceptable standard of the written text
Upon clearance in this initial stage, the manuscript is sent for external peer review.
2. Peer Review
Once the decision has been made to review the manuscript, at least two external reviewers are selected by the Editor-in-Chief.
The reviewers are chosen based on the following reasons: (a) independence from the authors and their institutions, (b) ability to fully and fairly evaluate the technical aspects of the manuscript, and (c) availability to review the manuscript within the requested time.
All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer-review process. It means that both the author's and reviewer's identities are concealed from each other throughout the review process.
Reviewers provide recommendations through a review report based on aspects of originality, relevance, validity, ethics, rigor, and reader interests. The role of reviewers is critical to preserving the integrity and quality of the publication.
3. Decision
The Editor-in-Chief considers the review results provided by the peer reviewers to arrive at a decision. The following decisions are typically given:
- Accept: the manuscript is accepted in its original form or with minor corrections
- Revise: the manuscript is accepted provided that review suggestions are addressed
- Decline: the manuscript is not accepted even if substantial revisions are made
Appeals and Complaints Policy
Appeals may be made by authors on their journal submissions. This letter should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief, detailing the nature of and reasons for the appeal so that appropriate review and consultations may be undertaken.
Complaints on the policies and procedures of PJCS may be emailed to the publisher, CSAPI. These will be acknowledged and resolved at the soonest possible time.
PUBLICATION ETHICS POLICY
Guidelines for Editors
Editors are responsible for ensuring the quality of the journal and the integrity of the evaluation process. Part of this responsibility is to support the authors and reviewers by providing timely and unbiased information about the ongoing review and publication process. Editors are accountable for an effective peer review process and secure manuscript handling. Any information about submitted manuscripts cannot be used by editors for their research or personal purposes.
Guidelines for Reviewers
All articles published in PJCS undergo thorough peer review. This is important to keep the integrity and quality of the journal. As such, peer reviewers have to be carefully guided by the
COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Every peer reviewer is expected to:
- Conduct reviews in an ethical and accountable manner by ensuring that comments and suggestions made are derived from valid and reliable academic criteria
- Maintain objectivity in the process through proper expression and support of views and arguments
- Disclose any competing or conflicting interests for a manuscript under consideration and not agree to have it reviewed
- Respect the confidentiality of all manuscripts submitted for review ensuring that no information will be used for purposes outside the review process
- Report to the Editor-in-Chief any suspicions of ethics violation, working in cooperation with relevant bodies within the journal publisher for any investigations to be made
Guidelines for Authors
Authors should ensure the originality of submitted manuscripts with proper acknowledgment of sources used according to the publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). They are also to guarantee the originality of their work, ensuring that the manuscript submitted has not yet been published or is under review elsewhere in another journal.
Accuracy in the processes of data collection, analysis, and interpretation should be observed. Data should be represented accurately and details presented sufficiently to allow replication of the research.
Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited. Manuscripts that are confirmed to be plagiarized will automatically be rejected upon going through the process stipulated under
COPE’s guidelines. Unethical behavior constituting data fabrication or data manipulation are similarly unacceptable in any of PJCS publications. See our guidelines on Plagiarism and Data Fabrication.
All authors are required to disclose any conflicting or competing interests that may be understood to influence the results of the study. Sources of financial support are to be included in the disclosure statement.
Research that entails the use of human subjects or handling of confidential data must meet the regulations for
ethical guidelines for educational research. All authors must comply with these rules to ensure observance of ethics in the research process.
Authors are advised to deposit their research data into a public repository to make it accessible and openly available. These can also be uploaded as supplementary files with the submitted manuscript.
Under exceptional circumstances, articles may need to be retracted, removed, or replaced to keep the integrity and quality of the journal and the literature. This will be determined by the Editor-in-Chief, but may also be initiated by the author should erroneous data or conclusions be found. For more information, kindly read our guidelines on Article Retraction.
