Reviewer Guidelines

1. Purpose of Peer Review

As a double-blind peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Advancing Global Order, Regions, and Antiquity (J-AGORA) relies on independent, objective, and constructive peer review to ensure that published articles:

• Contribute original and meaningful knowledge to the fields of global order, regional studies, and historical inquiry.
• Demonstrate theoretical rigor, methodological soundness, and ethical research practices.
• Advance understanding of political science, governance, international relations, diplomacy, public policy, sociology, area studies, regional development, cultural studies, history, archaeology, heritage studies, historiography, and archival research.
• Promote interdisciplinary scholarship and deeper understanding of global transformations, regional dynamics, historical continuity, and contemporary social and political challenges.
• Are clearly written, logically organized, and relevant to an international and multidisciplinary scholarly audience.

Your role is to provide a fair, objective, and evidence-based evaluation that supports editorial decision-making while helping authors improve the quality, clarity, and scholarly contribution of their manuscripts.

2. Confidentiality

• Treat all submitted manuscripts as confidential scholarly documents.
• Do not disclose, discuss, or share any part of the manuscript or review comments with anyone outside the editorial process.
• Do not use unpublished ideas, arguments, data, methods, archival materials, or findings contained in the manuscript for personal research or publication.
• Delete or securely dispose of manuscript files after completing the review unless instructed otherwise by the editorial office.

3. Conflicts of Interest

Please notify the editorial office immediately if you have any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, including but not limited to:

• Recent or ongoing collaboration with any of the authors.
• Affiliation with the same institution, department, research group, or organization as any author.
• Personal, academic, professional, or political relationships that may influence your judgment.
• Direct academic competition with the submitted research.
• Financial, institutional, or other interests connected with the manuscript topic or findings.

If you are uncertain whether a conflict exists, please consult the handling editor before accepting or completing the review.

4. Criteria for Evaluation

Reviewers are requested to evaluate manuscripts using the following criteria:

A. Relevance and Scope

• Alignment with the aims and scope of J-AGORA.
• Relevance to global order, regional studies, historical studies, or related humanities and social science disciplines.
• Contribution to contemporary debates, scholarly discussions, or understanding of historical and social processes.

B. Originality and Significance

• Originality and novelty of the research.
• Contribution to existing academic knowledge or theoretical discussions.
• Potential academic, social, cultural, or policy relevance.

C. Literature Review and Theoretical Foundation

• Comprehensive and relevant engagement with existing scholarship.
• Appropriate theoretical, conceptual, or historiographical framework.
• Critical analysis of previous research and identification of scholarly contributions.

D. Methodology and Research Design

• Appropriateness and rigor of the research methodology.
• Clear explanation of research methods, sources, data collection, archival materials, fieldwork, or analytical approaches.
• Validity, reliability, and transparency of the research process.
• For theoretical, conceptual, or historical papers, assessment of logical reasoning, interpretation, and scholarly support.

E. Ethical Standards

• Compliance with accepted ethical research principles.
• Responsible use of archival sources, historical materials, field data, and research participants where applicable.
• Proper acknowledgment of sources and avoidance of plagiarism or academic misconduct.

F. Presentation and Organization

• Clear, concise, and academically appropriate writing.
• Logical organization and coherent development of arguments.
• Appropriate use of tables, figures, maps, references, archival sources, and supplementary materials.
• Compliance with the journal's submission guidelines.

G. Overall Contribution

• Potential to advance understanding of global governance, regional transformations, historical developments, or interdisciplinary scholarship.
• Overall scholarly quality and suitability for publication in J-AGORA.

5. Reviewer Recommendation

• Accept – Suitable for publication with only minor editorial or copy-editing changes.
• Minor Revisions – Requires limited revisions before acceptance.
• Major Revisions – Requires substantial revision and possible further peer review.
• Reject – Does not meet the journal's scholarly standards, lacks sufficient contribution, or falls outside the journal's scope; provide clear and constructive reasons for the decision.

6. Tone and Constructive Feedback

• Provide objective, respectful, and professional comments.
• Evaluate the manuscript rather than the authors.
• Offer clear, specific, and actionable recommendations for improvement.
• Recognize the strengths of the manuscript alongside areas requiring revision.
• Avoid personal, discriminatory, political, or inappropriate language.

7. Timeline

• Reviews are normally expected within 3–4 weeks of accepting the invitation.
• If additional time is required or you are unable to complete the review, please notify the editorial office as soon as possible.
• Timely reviews help the journal maintain an efficient and high-quality editorial process.

8. Recognition and Support

• Reviewer contributions may be acknowledged annually on the journal website, subject to reviewer preference and confidentiality.
• Participation in reviewer recognition services (such as Publons or ReviewerCredits) may be supported where applicable.
• Certificates of reviewing are available upon request following completion of the review.

9. Ethical Guidelines

Reviewers are expected to follow the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers and uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, confidentiality, impartiality, and professionalism throughout the review process.

We sincerely appreciate your valuable contribution to maintaining the quality, credibility, and integrity of Journal of Advancing Global Order, Regions, and Antiquity (J-AGORA). Your expertise plays a vital role in advancing interdisciplinary research and promoting deeper understanding of global systems, regional transformations, and historical knowledge. If you have any questions during the review process, please contact the editorial office through the journal's online submission system.