Publishing process

Publication Process

Journal of Planner and Development (JPD) follows a structured editorial and peer review process to ensure the academic quality, originality, ethical integrity, and relevance of all published manuscripts.

The publication process consists of the following stages:

  1. Manuscript Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the journal’s online submission system. The manuscript must be prepared according to the official JPD Manuscript Template and must comply with the journal’s aims and scope, author guidelines, ethical requirements, and formatting rules.

The submission must include all required metadata, including the title, abstract, keywords, author names, affiliations, and corresponding author email in both English and Arabic.

  1. Technical Check

The editorial office conducts an initial technical check to ensure that the submission is complete and properly prepared.

At this stage, the manuscript may be returned to the author if:

  • The official template has not been used.
  • Required metadata are missing.
  • The manuscript does not include the English and Arabic title, abstract, keywords, author names, and affiliations.
  • Tables, figures, maps, or references are incomplete.
  • Required declarations are missing.
  • The manuscript does not comply with basic formatting requirements.

The technical check does not represent academic acceptance.

  1. Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity using plagiarism detection software, including Turnitin or another tool adopted by the journal or the University of Baghdad.

The similarity report is reviewed by the editorial office. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity, plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical reuse of text, data, maps, tables, figures, or images may be returned to the author or rejected before peer review.

  1. Initial Editorial Screening

The Editor-in-Chief, assigned editor, or editorial office evaluates the manuscript to determine whether it is suitable for peer review.

A manuscript may be rejected before external review if it:

  • Falls outside the journal’s aims and scope.
  • Does not correspond to either Original Research Articles or Review Articles.
  • Lacks a clear scholarly contribution.
  • Has serious methodological weaknesses.
  • Has poor language quality or unclear structure.
  • Does not comply with ethical requirements.
  • Is a descriptive report, consultancy document, opinion paper, or purely technical paper without planning relevance.
  1. Assignment to Reviewers

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial screening are assigned to at least two independent reviewers with expertise relevant to the manuscript’s topic.

JPD applies a double-blind peer review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential during the review process.

  1. Peer Review

Reviewers evaluate the manuscript according to its originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, methodological soundness, academic contribution, quality of analysis, clarity of presentation, ethical compliance, and contribution to urban and regional planning knowledge or practice.

Reviewers may recommend one of the following decisions:

  • Accept.
  • Minor revisions.
  • Major revisions.
  • Resubmit for review.
  • Reject.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The final editorial decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor.

  1. Revision by Authors

If revisions are requested, authors must submit:

  1. A revised manuscript.
  2. A response letter explaining how each reviewer comment has been addressed.
  3. A marked version of the manuscript showing changes, where requested.

Revised manuscripts may be assessed by the assigned editor or returned to reviewers depending on the extent of the required changes.

  1. Final Editorial Decision

The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor based on reviewers’ reports, the quality of revisions, editorial assessment, ethical compliance, and the manuscript’s contribution to the journal’s field.

The possible final decisions are:

  • Accept.
  • Request further revision.
  • Reject.
  1. Publication Fees

If publication fees apply, they are requested only after final acceptance of the manuscript.

Payment of publication fees does not influence editorial decisions, reviewer recommendations, or acceptance outcomes.

Authors should consult the journal’s Article Processing Charges / Fees Policy for details.

  1. Copyediting and Proofreading

Accepted manuscripts may undergo copyediting, formatting, reference checking, and proofreading before publication.

The corresponding author may be asked to review proofs and approve the final version before publication. Authors are responsible for carefully checking names, affiliations, figures, tables, references, and other article details at the proof stage.

  1. Online Publication

After final preparation, the article is published online on the journal website as part of the assigned issue. Published articles include bibliographic metadata, article files, licensing information, and other required publication details.

  1. Post-Publication Updates

After publication, any correction, clarification, expression of concern, or retraction is handled according to the journal’s correction and retraction policy.