Peer Reviewer Process

Vocat journal is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and quality through a comprehensive and transparent peer review process. This approach ensures that published research adheres to rigorous scholarly and ethical standards while making significant contributions to the field of Catholic Education.

 

Submission
Authors are required to submit their manuscripts via the journal's online submission system, ensuring compliance with the journal’s formatting and ethical guidelines. Before undergoing editorial review, all manuscripts are checked with plagiarism detection software to confirm their originality and integrity.

 

Initial Evaluation
The editorial team performs an initial assessment to determine if the manuscript aligns with the journal's scope, meets fundamental quality criteria—including originality, clarity, and relevance of research—and adheres to ethical guidelines, such as authorship policies and AI disclosure requirements. Manuscripts that do not meet these standards are desk rejected without external review, and authors are informed of the reasons for rejection.

 

Peer Review
If a manuscript successfully passes the initial evaluation, it is assigned to two or more independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. Reviewers are chosen based on their expertise, reputation, and experience in evaluating academic manuscripts. Vocat employs a double-blind peer review system, ensuring that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the process to promote fairness and objectivity.

Reviewers assess the manuscript based on criteria such as originality and its contribution to English language education, research methodology and validity of findings, clarity and coherence of presentation, significance and impact of the study, as well as adherence to ethical guidelines including authorship transparency, AI disclosure, and research integrity. Reviewers provide detailed feedback along with a recommendation that may include acceptance without revisions, minor revisions, major revisions, or rejection.

 

Revision Process
When revisions are requested, authors must thoroughly address all reviewer comments and submit a revised manuscript that incorporates the necessary changes along with a detailed response letter explaining how each comment was addressed. For major revisions, the revised manuscript is usually sent back to the original reviewers for further evaluation. This process may continue until both reviewers and the editorial team are satisfied with the revisions.

 

Final Decision
Following the peer review process, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision based on the reviewers’ recommendations. Possible outcomes include acceptance, conditional acceptance pending minor revisions, or rejection. The editor communicates the final decision to the authors along with the reviewers' comments. If accepted, the manuscript proceeds to production.

 

Production and Publication
Accepted manuscripts undergo proofreading and typesetting in preparation for publication. Authors may be asked to review proofs for accuracy before final publication. Once finalized, the manuscript is published online and included in the next available issue of the journal.

 

Continuous Improvement of the Peer Review Process
Vocat is committed to continually enhancing its peer review process by gathering feedback from authors, reviewers, and editors while adapting to international best practices and ethical standards. This dedication ensures that all published research maintains high levels of scholarly quality and integrity. By adhering to this rigorous and transparent peer review process, Vocat guarantees that all published research upholds superior academic and ethical standards, thereby contributing to advancements in Catholic education scholarship.