Editorial and Publishing Development Policy
Journal of Planner and Development (JPD)
Published on: 24 May 2026
Editorial and Publishing Development Plan 2026–2028
The Editorial Board of the Journal of Planner and Development (JPD) announces the adoption of a structured editorial and publishing development plan for the period 2026–2028. This plan forms part of the journal’s institutional commitment to strengthening academic quality, publication ethics, editorial transparency, international readability, and readiness for recognized scholarly indexing systems.
These updates are based on documented Editorial Board decisions and are intended to consolidate the journal’s long-standing academic mission since its establishment in 1995, while aligning its publishing practices with contemporary standards in scholarly communication, peer review, metadata quality, digital publishing, and research integrity.
1. Purpose of the Development Plan
The development plan aims to enhance the journal’s scholarly standards and ensure a more consistent, transparent, and internationally accessible publishing environment. It does not represent a break with the journal’s previous academic history, but rather an institutional continuation and modernization of its editorial framework.
The plan focuses on improving manuscript preparation standards, clarifying editorial procedures, strengthening publication ethics, enhancing article metadata, supporting digital visibility, and preparing the journal for future engagement with reputable indexing, archiving, and scholarly publishing systems.
2. Main Editorial and Publishing Updates
Updated Manuscript Template
The journal has adopted an updated manuscript template to improve article structure, metadata presentation, citation consistency, declarations, figures, tables, and overall publication quality.
English-Language Publishing Policy
Starting from 1 July 2026, English will be adopted as the main language for new manuscript submissions, in order to enhance international readability, citation potential, and scholarly visibility.
Updated Author Guidelines
The Author Guidelines have been revised to clarify manuscript types, article structure, abstract requirements, methodological expectations, ethical declarations, references, and submission preparation.
Peer Review and Editorial Transparency
The journal has strengthened its peer review policy by clarifying initial editorial screening, double-blind review, reviewer selection, conflict of interest handling, confidentiality, and editorial decision-making.
Publication Ethics and Similarity Policy
The journal has updated its publication ethics, plagiarism, similarity, authorship, funding, data availability, AI-use disclosure, and conflict of interest policies to support research integrity.
Journal Identity and Visual Presentation
The journal has introduced an updated visual identity, including a refined journal logo and improved presentation of journal pages, while maintaining the official journal name, ISSN records, publisher identity, and academic continuity.
3. Updated Scientific Scope
As part of the journal’s development process, the thematic scope has been updated to reflect contemporary research directions in planning and spatial studies. JPD welcomes high-quality scholarly manuscripts in the following areas:
- Urban and Regional Planning Theory and Practice
- Sustainable Development and Environmental Planning
- Urban Design, Housing, and Built Environment
- Spatial Analysis, Geoinformatics, and Planning Technologies
- Urban Systems, Economy, and Socio-Spatial Dynamics
4. Transitional Arrangements
The adoption of the updated publishing framework will be implemented through a clear transitional process. New submissions received from 1 July 2026 onward will be handled according to the updated language policy, manuscript template, author guidelines, and editorial requirements.
Manuscripts that were accepted or already under editorial processing before the transition will continue to be handled according to the approved transitional procedures. This approach ensures fairness to authors while supporting the journal’s gradual and stable movement toward its updated publishing framework.
5. Development Roadmap 2026–2028
| Phase | Period | Key Actions | Expected Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I | 2026 | Adoption of the updated manuscript template; implementation of revised author guidelines; publication of updated editorial and ethical policies; transition to English-language submissions; improvement of article metadata and journal pages. | Establishment of a consistent publishing framework and clearer submission, review, and publication procedures. |
| Phase II | 2027 | Strengthening DOI registration and metadata quality; improving digital archiving and preservation practices; enhancing reviewer database and editorial workflow; increasing international editorial and reviewer participation; monitoring publication regularity. | Improved technical readiness, greater editorial transparency, stronger digital discoverability, and more stable publication performance. |
| Phase III | 2028 | Evaluation of published issues under the updated framework; review of citation, visibility, and indexing readiness indicators; preparation of application files for relevant international indexing and scholarly publishing systems. | A documented and evidence-based basis for engagement with recognized indexing services and international publishing standards. |
6. Commitment to Continuity and Quality
JPD confirms that these updates are part of a planned and documented development process. The journal remains committed to publishing peer-reviewed scholarly work that contributes to urban and regional planning knowledge, planning methodology, spatial analysis, sustainability, urban design, governance, and socio-spatial development.
The journal will continue to monitor the implementation of these updates and will periodically review its editorial practices, publishing policies, website content, article metadata, and technical procedures to ensure consistency, transparency, and alignment with recognized standards of scholarly publishing.
Notice to Authors
Authors are kindly requested to consult the updated Author Guidelines, use the official JPD Manuscript Template, and review the journal’s editorial and ethical policies before submitting new manuscripts.
Journal of Planner and Development (JPD) | Center for Urban and Regional Planning for Postgraduate Studies, University of Baghdad
