Wichcha Journal Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University employs a Double-Blind Peer Review system to ensure that the evaluation process is transparent, fair, objective, and free from bias. Under this system, the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the review process.

            All submitted manuscripts are reviewed by at least three independent external reviewers who possess expertise relevant to the subject area of the manuscript and have no conflicts of interest with the authors. The journal is committed to maintaining high standards of academic quality, research integrity, publication ethics, and international scholarly publishing practices to ensure that all published articles meet recognized academic standards.

            In addition, all submitted manuscripts undergo a plagiarism screening process using CopyCatch (Copyright, Academic Work, and Thesis Checking System) prior to peer review. The journal requires a Similarity Index of no more than 20%. However, editorial decisions are not based solely on the similarity score; the nature, context, and appropriateness of overlapping text are also carefully evaluated by the editors.

            The manuscript review and publication process consists of the following 13 steps:

 

 

Step 1: Manuscript Submission
            Authors submit their manuscripts through the Thai Journal Online (ThaiJO) system together with all required supporting documents. Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the journal’s Author Guidelines and submission requirements.
            Submitted manuscripts must be original works that have not been previously published and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
            Processing Time: Manuscripts may be submitted at any time.

Step 2: Initial Editorial Screening
            The Journal Manager and Editor conduct an initial screening to assess the completeness of the submission, compliance with journal formatting requirements, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, preliminary academic quality, and adherence to publication ethics.
            All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using CopyCatch. Manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope, fail to meet minimum quality standards, or do not comply with journal requirements may be rejected without external review (Desk Rejection) or returned to the authors for revision prior to peer review.
            Processing Time: Approximately 1-3 days.

Step 3: Assignment of Section Editor
            The Editor assigns a Section Editor with expertise relevant to the manuscript’s subject area. The Section Editor is responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and monitoring the peer review process throughout the editorial workflow.
            Processing Time: Approximately 1-3 days.

Step 4: Reviewer Selection
            The Editor or Section Editor selects and invites at least three qualified reviewers from different institutions who possess expertise relevant to the manuscript.
            Reviewers must have no conflicts of interest with the authors and are required to maintain the confidentiality of all manuscript materials and related information throughout the review process. Manuscripts are provided to reviewers in an anonymized form in accordance with the Double-Blind Peer Review policy.
            Processing Time: Approximately 7-14 days.

Step 5: Peer Review
            Reviewers evaluate the manuscript based on its originality, academic significance, methodological rigor, validity of data and analyses, quality of discussion, appropriateness of references, and overall contribution to the field.
            Reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive comments and recommendations to improve the quality of the manuscript.
            Processing Time: Approximately 21-30 days.

Step 6: Editorial Decision
            Upon receiving the reviewers’ reports, the Editor considers all recommendations and communicates the editorial decision to the author(s).
            The decision may be one of the following:
                    • Accept Submission
                    • Minor Revision
                    • Major Revision
                    • Resubmit for Review
                    • Decline Submission
            The Editor’s decision is considered final.
            Processing Time: Approximately 3-7 days.

Step 7: Revision Process
            Authors are required to revise the manuscript according to the reviewers’ and editors’ comments and submit a detailed response letter explaining how each comment has been addressed.
            Processing Time: Authors are normally given 7-30 days, depending on the extent of revisions required.

Step 8: Revised Manuscript Evaluation
            When necessary, revised manuscripts are returned to the reviewers for further evaluation to verify that all comments and recommendations have been adequately addressed before a final decision is made.
            Processing Time: Approximately 14-21 days.

Step 9: Acceptance
            Once the manuscript has successfully passed the peer review process and all required revisions have been completed, the Editor issues an official Acceptance Letter through the ThaiJO system.
            Processing Time: Approximately 1-3 days.

Step 10: Language Editing and Manuscript Preparation
            Accepted manuscripts undergo language editing and manuscript preparation to ensure compliance with the journal’s publication standards.
            English abstracts and full English manuscripts are reviewed by qualified English-language specialists to improve clarity, accuracy, and readability.
            Processing Time: Approximately 7-14 days.

Step 11: Author Proof Approval
            The editorial office prepares the page proofs and sends them to the corresponding author for final review.
            Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy of the content, tables, figures, references, and formatting before approving the final version for publication.
            Processing Time: Approximately 3-7 days.

Step 12: Scheduling and Publication
            Manuscripts that have successfully completed all editorial and production processes are scheduled for publication in Wichcha Journal Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University.
            All articles are published as Open Access through the ThaiJO platform and other dissemination channels of the journal.
            The journal publishes two issues per year.
            Processing Time: According to the journal publication schedule.

Step 13: Indexing and Archiving
            Following publication, article metadata and bibliographic information are prepared and submitted to relevant indexing databases and archiving systems to enhance discoverability, accessibility, and citation impact.
            Articles are also preserved through the journal’s long-term archiving and preservation systems.
            Processing Time: Following publication.

 

Notes
            Wichcha Journal Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University does not charge any fees for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial processing, or publication (No Article Processing Charges: No APCs).
            The average time from manuscript submission to the first editorial decision is approximately 60 days. However, the actual processing time may vary depending on manuscript volume, reviewer availability, and the responsiveness of authors during the revision process.