Peer Review Process

IMPACTA: Journal of Community Development implements a structured, transparent, and constructive peer review process to ensure the quality, relevance, and practical impact of all published community service articles. The journal is published four times a year, in February, May, August, and November.

1. Submission and Initial Screening

All manuscripts submitted to IMPACTA are first evaluated by the Editorial Office to ensure compliance with the journal’s scope, author guidelines, formatting requirements, and ethical standards.

At this stage, manuscripts are screened for:

  1. Relevance to community development and community service activities
  2. Completeness of manuscript components
  3. Compliance with ethical and publication standards
  4. Similarity and plagiarism using plagiarism detection software

Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned to authors for technical revision or declined prior to peer review.

2. Peer Review Process

Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers with expertise in community development, community engagement, or related applied fields.

Reviewers are selected based on their experience, subject expertise, and absence of conflicts of interest. Each reviewer independently evaluates the manuscript and provides constructive feedback focused on improving the clarity, relevance, and practical impact of the community service program.

3. Review Criteria

Reviewers assess manuscripts based on:

  1. Relevance of the program to community needs
  2. Clarity of problem identification and objectives
  3. Appropriateness of methods of implementation
  4. Evidence of outcomes and community benefits
  5. Practical impact and contribution to community development
  6. Sustainability and replicability of the program
  7. Clarity of presentation and organization

4. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewers’ recommendations, the Editor makes one of the following decisions:

  1. Accept Submission
  2. Revisions Required
  3. Resubmit for Review
  4. Decline Submission

The editorial decision and reviewers’ comments are communicated to the authors through the journal’s online submission system.

5. Revision Process

Authors are required to revise their manuscripts in accordance with reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version along with a point-by-point response explaining how each comment has been addressed.

Manuscripts categorized as Resubmit for Review may be sent back to the original reviewers for further evaluation.

6. Final Decision and Production

After the revision process is completed, the Editor makes the final decision regarding acceptance. Accepted manuscripts proceed to:

  1. Copyediting
  2. Layout and formatting
  3. Proofreading

Authors are given the opportunity to review and approve the final manuscript before publication.

7. Publication Schedule

Accepted articles are published according to the journal’s regular publication schedule:

  1. February
  2. May
  3. August
  4. November

Articles may be published online prior to assignment to a specific issue.

8. Ethical Commitment

IMPACTA is committed to upholding high ethical standards in the peer review and publication process. Reviewers are required to:

  1. Maintain confidentiality of manuscripts
  2. Declare any potential conflicts of interest
  3. Provide fair, objective, and constructive reviews

The journal follows best practices in scholarly publishing and community engagement ethics.