✅ ARJST Internal Technical Screening Checklist

This checklist must be completed for every new submission before it is assigned to an Associate Editor. If any “No” is checked, the manuscript should be returned to the author for “Technical Correction.”

1. Identity & Anonymity Check

  • [ ] Two Files Present? Does the submission contain both a Title Page and an Anonymized Manuscript?

  • [ ] Blind Review Ready? Has all identifying metadata (Author names, affiliations, and document properties) been removed from the Anonymized Manuscript?

  • [ ] ORCID Verified? Does the corresponding author have a valid, linked ORCID iD?

2. Formatting & Template Integrity

  • [ ] Template Match? Is the paper set in Times New Roman, 12pt, double-spaced?

  • [ ] Word Count? Is the manuscript between 4,000 and 8,000 words?

  • [ ] Structure? Does it contain all required sections (Abstract, Keywords, Intro, Method, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References)?

3. Academic Rigor (APA 7th)

  • [ ] Citations: Are all in-text citations formatted correctly (e.g., Author, Year)?

  • [ ] Reference List: Does the list at the end follow the APA 7th Edition hanging indent and formatting style?

  • [ ] DOI Links: Are DOI links (https://doi.org/…) provided for all journal references where available?

4. Ethical & Integrity Screening

  • [ ] Plagiarism Report: Has the paper been run through Plagiarism software (Turnitin/iThenticate)? Result: _____% (Must be below 15-20% excluding references).

  • [ ] Conflict of Interest: Has a signed or checked COI declaration been provided?

  • [ ] Permissions: If the paper uses external tables/figures, has the author provided proof of permission?

🚦 Decision Tree for Support Staff

Use this logic to process the incoming mail:

Result Action
All “Yes” Forward to Editor-in-Chief for “Desk Review.”
Minor Formatting Issues Send “Technical Correction Request” to Author.
Anonymity Failed Reject Immediately (Ask author to re-anonymize and re-submit).
High Plagiarism Alert Editor-in-Chief for potential Ethical Violation.

🔄 Monitoring the Workflow

By catching errors at this stage, you ensure that your Associate Editors and Peer Reviewers only spend time on papers that are professionally presented.