IMCC Journal of Science

Currently, IMCC Journal of Science DOES NOT charge submission and publication fees.

Step 1. Submission of Paper

The corresponding author submits the paper to the journal. This is usually via email.

Step 2. Editorial Office Assessment (3 days)

The journal checks the paper’s composition and arrangement against the journal’s Author Guidelines to make sure it includes the required sections and stylizations. The quality of the paper is not assessed at this point.

Step 3. Appraisal by the Chief Editor (Pre-Review) (7 days)

The Chief Editor checks that the paper is appropriate for the journal and is sufficiently original and interesting. If not, the paper may be rejected without being reviewed any further. Originality of the paper is checked at this stage using a plagiarism detection software. A pre-review result is sent to the corresponding author. The Chief Editor then endorses the paper to Associate Editor for peer review.

Step 4. Associate Editor Assigns Editorial Board Member and External Peer Reviewers (1 day)

The Associate Editor assigns editorial board member and external peer reviewers to the submitted paper.

Step 5. Invitation to Reviewers (7 days)

The Managing Editor sends invitations to editorial board member and external peer reviewers assigned by the Associate Editor. As responses are received, further invitations are issued, if necessary, until all required acceptances are obtained.

Step 6. Response to Invitations (1 day)

Potential reviewers, including the editorial board member, consider the invitation against their own expertise, conflicts of interest and availability. They then accept or decline. If possible, when declining, they might also suggest alternative reviewers. In case the editorial member declares conflict of interest, the Associate Editor reviews the paper.

Step 7. Review is Conducted (21 days, depends on the review duration)

The reviewer sets time aside to read the paper several times. The first read is used to form an initial impression of the work. If major problems are found at this stage, the reviewer may feel comfortable rejecting the paper without further work. Otherwise, they will read the paper several more times, taking notes to build a detailed point-by-point review. The review is then submitted to the Managing Editor, with a recommendation to accept or reject it – or else with a request for revision (flagged as either major or minor) before it is reconsidered.

Step 8. Journal Evaluates the Reviews (7 days)

The Managing Editor sends to the Associate Editor the result of the peer-review process. The Associate Editor then considers all the returned reviews before recommending an overall decision.

Step 9. The Decision is Communicated (7 days)

The Associate Editor recommends the overall decision of the paper to the Chief Editor. The Chief Editor may or may not approve the recommendation of the Associate Editor. The Chief Editor communicates the results to the Managing Editor. The Managing Editor then sends a decision email to the author including any relevant reviewer comments.

If accepted, the paper is sent for production. If the article is rejected or sent back for either major or minor revision, the Chief Editor provides constructive comments from the reviewers to help the author improve the article. At this point, the Managing Editor sends an email or letter informing the outcome of the peer-review. If the paper was sent back for revision, the reviewers receive a new version, unless they have opted out of further participation. However, where only minor changes were requested, this follow-up review might be done by the Associate Editor.

Step 10. Second Round Review (21 days, depends on the re-review duration)

The corresponding or submitting author submits the revised version of the paper to the Managing Editor within 21 days after the receipt of the decision email from the Managing Editor. The Managing Editor checks the revised paper. If the Managing Editor finds that all comments/suggestions are rectified and/or if the corresponding author justifies the parts in question, the Managing Editor sends to the Associate Editor the result of the second-round review process. Otherwise, further review and revision are needed. The Associate Editor then considers all the returned reviews and revisions before recommending an overall decision.

Step 11. Production (28 days)

The Associate Editor recommends the overall decision of the paper to the Chief Editor. The Chief Editor may or may not approve the recommendation of the Associate Editor. The Chief Editor communicates the results to the Managing Editor. The Managing Editor then sends a decision email to the author including any relevant comments.

If accepted, the paper is sent for production. If the article is rejected or sent back for either major or minor revision, another round of review is conducted (Step 10).

The Managing Editor then forwards the accepted papers to the Language Editors for English-language editing.

The Language Editors send the edited papers to the Managing Editor within 7 days after the receipt of the paper.

The Managing Editor then sends the edited papers to the Layout Editor for the design and layout of articles. The Layout Editor then sends the galley proof of the paper to the Managing Editor within 7 days after the receipt of the paper.

Upon receipt of the galley proof of the paper, the Managing Editor then sends it to the corresponding author for approval and/or corrections. If there are corrections received within 2 days after the receipt of the galley proof by the corresponding author, the galley proof is sent back to the Layout Editor for further editing. At this stage, the Managing Editor sends the author approval and copyright transfer forms to the corresponding author.

Upon receipt of the approval and copyright transfer forms, the Managing Editor sends the approved galley proof of the paper to the Chief and Associate Editors. The Chief Editor, upon the recommendation of the Associate Editor, then approves the galley proof of papers for publication (online and printed). The Chief Editor signs the certificate of acceptance for publication in IMCC Journal of Science to the authors.

The Managing Editor then sends the approved papers to the Research and Publication Coordinator for printing, delivery, and quality assurance of printed materials. The papers are also sent to the Webmaster for online publication and indexing of journal articles.

The Managing Editor notifies the corresponding author that the paper is available in online and printed forms. The certificate of acceptance and the printed copy of the journal are also given at this stage. 

Digital Preservation Policy

Digital preservation can be seen as the set of processes and activities that ensure information which now exists in digital formats is backed up and distributed to guarantee continued access for the long term. The digital content of the journal is extremely valuable and measures are in place to ensure both its current accessibility and long-term preservation. The preservation policy includes the following measures:

Website Archiving. All of journal’s electronic content (website, manuscripts, etc.) is stored on three different sources. Content on one server is online and accessible to the readers. The copy of the same content is kept as a backup on two other sources. In case of failure of one server, any one of the other sources can be made online and website expected to be accessible within less than 24-36 hours.

Abstracting/Indexing Services. The journal’s Abstracting/Indexing services store many essential information about the articles. Additionally, two of the journal’s Abstracting/Indexing services archive not only the metadata about the article, but the electronic versions of the articles, as well. Therefore, copies of the articles are available to the scientific community through their systems as an alternative to the journals own.

Self-Archiving. Authors may archive the final published version of their articles in personal or institutional repositories immediately after publication.

Internet Archive. IMCC Journal of Science content is continually archived and preserved in Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/@imcc_journal_of_science

Schedule of Publication and Circulation

IMCC Journal of Science is published in online and print biannually. Both online and print publication shall be scheduled in the fourth week of June and December. There shall be at least five papers per volume excluding the entries in the Editorial Section.

IMCC Journal of Science is available in printed copy. The dissemination of the journal will be in the form of subscription for public and private institutions and agencies. A complimentary copy will be given to the primary authors, and in-press copies to the co-authors. Articles are published online in the official website of the journal (https://myjournal.imcc.edu.ph/).