Peer Review & Publication Ethics

Peer Review Process

All submissions to GAST undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the highest standards of academic quality and integrity.

Review Stages

  1. Initial Screening (3–5 business days) — The Editor-in-Chief reviews the submission for scope, quality, and formatting compliance.
  2. Reviewer Assignment — At least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise are invited.
  3. Review Period (2–4 weeks) — Reviewers evaluate the manuscript on originality, methodology, significance, clarity, and ethical compliance.
  4. Editorial Decision — Accept / Minor revisions / Major revisions / Reject
  5. Revision & Resubmission — Authors address reviewer comments point-by-point.
  6. Final Decision — The editor makes the final publication decision.

Publication Ethics

GAST adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Author Responsibilities

  • Submitted manuscripts must be original work not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
  • All authors must have meaningfully contributed to the research.
  • Any potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
  • Proper acknowledgment of others' work through accurate citations is required.

Reviewer Responsibilities

  • Provide objective, constructive, and timely reviews.
  • Maintain confidentiality of the review process.
  • Declare any conflicts of interest and recuse when necessary.

Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism. Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 20% (excluding references) will be returned or rejected.