REVIEW PROCESS POLICY

AXIOM : Jurnal Pendidikan dan Matematika applies a double-blind peer review (reviewers do not know the identity of the authors, and authors do not know the identity of the reviewers). Every manuscript is evaluated in several stages: preliminary check, initial review, peer review, and editorial decision. Only manuscripts that pass the initial review are sent to reviewers, and each is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers.

1. Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the journal’s OJS using the AXIOM manuscript template, including author names and affiliations.

2. Preliminary check

The editor checks (a) that the manuscript follows the AXIOM template and author guidelines, (b) the authorship requirement (single-author manuscripts are accepted only from invited authors or authors with a strong reputation in mathematics education research or publication), (c) similarity using Turnitin, and (d) fit with the journal’s focus and scope. Manuscripts that fall outside the focus and scope, or whose similarity index exceeds 30%, are rejected immediately. The editor examines the similarity report to distinguish acceptable overlap from plagiarism.

3. Initial review

Manuscripts that pass the preliminary check are evaluated by a Section Editor against the journal’s initial review criteria, covering the title, length, abstract, keywords, introduction (including research gap, novelty, and objectives), methods, equations, figures and tables, results and discussion, conclusion, in-text citations, and references. The Section Editor then recommends one of the following: (i) send to reviewer, when all mandatory criteria are met; (ii) send back to the author with notes, when some mandatory criteria are not met; or (iii) decline, when the manuscript does not meet the basic criteria of the journal. Authors are given two weeks to return each revision, with up to three reminders. If the requirements are still not met after the third reminder, the manuscript is rejected, and the authors may submit it again as a new submission.

4. Assignment of handling editor and reviewers

When the initial review requirements are met, the Editor-in-Chief assigns a handling editor. Before the manuscript is sent to reviewers, the editor removes all author-identifying information (names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and file properties). Reviewers are selected from the journal’s reviewer database based on subject expertise and the absence of conflicts of interest. The reviewer list is published separately from the Editorial Team.

5. Review

Each reviewer is given 14–21 working days (approximately three to four weeks). If a reviewer cannot complete the review within this period, the Editor-in-Chief appoints a replacement reviewer. Reviewers evaluate: consistency among title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion; novelty and significance; appropriateness of research design, data collection, and analysis; adequacy and recency of references; and clarity of presentation. Reviewers recommend acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection. Starting with Volume 15 Number 2 (2026), reviewers must treat manuscripts as confidential, declare any conflict of interest, and follow the journal’s AI Use Policy.

6. Editorial decision

The Editor-in-Chief makes the decision based on the reviewers’ reports and the editors’ assessment. Decisions are based solely on the scientific merit of the manuscript and are independent of the authors’ identity, institution, or country. If the reviewers’ recommendations differ substantially, an additional reviewer may be invited. Possible decisions are Accept Submission, Revisions Required, Resubmit for Review, and Decline Submission.

7. Revision after review

Authors are expected to return the revised manuscript within one month for each reminder, with up to three reminders. Revisions must be indicated, either by a list of revisions or by highlighting the revised parts in color. If the revision is not returned after the third reminder, the manuscript is rejected, and the authors may submit it again as a new submission. Revised manuscripts may be sent back to the original reviewers.

8. Acceptance and publication

A letter of acceptance is issued only after a manuscript has received a final decision of acceptance. The journal does not offer fast-track acceptance or guarantee acceptance, and payment never influences editorial decisions. The order of articles within an issue is determined by the Editor-in-Chief based on acceptance date and issue composition; the geographic diversity of authors does not affect acceptance decisions.

9. Records. Initial review notes, reviewer reports, editorial decisions, and correspondence are archived in OJS.

Indicative timeline

  1. Author submits the manuscript
  2. Preliminary check and initial review: 2–4 weeks (excluding author revision time)
  3. Double-blind peer review: 3–4 weeks
  4. Editorial decision: 1–3 weeks
  5. Author revision after review: up to one month per reminder
  6. Acceptance to publication: 4–6 weeks