Following the submission, each manuscript is read by the members of the Editorial Board to determine its suitability for publication prior to peer review. To be considered, manuscripts need to show they advance scholarship on the subject matter in a timely, logical, and original way, contributing to the journal’s goals in the area of critical education and social policy research. Manuscripts that are poorly written, of low technical quality, and/or do not align with the journal’s aims and scope will not be considered for peer review. Authors will be notified of the Editorial Board’s decision following this internal review. In addition, manuscripts are screened for plagiarism upon submission using the Crossref Similarity Check powered by iThenticate; however, the Gulf Education and Social Policy Review does not take any responsibility for plagiarism conducted by the authors.

For manuscripts accepted for peer review, the Gulf Education and Social Policy Review uses a double-blind process, which means the identities of both reviewers and authors remain anonymous. Potential reviewers are contacted according to their areas of expertise. Reviewers are expected to notify Natasha Mansur (natasha.m@alqasimifoundation.rak.ae) if they believe their expertise is not a suitable match for conducting the review or if they have competing interests. Reviewers are also expected to adhere to the review deadline of two to four weeks. In some rare cases, according to the recommendations from the Editorial Board and reviewers, a second round of peer review may be initiated.

Alongside specific comments, two reviewers are asked whether the manuscript should be (1) accepted with changes, (2) submitted to a different journal, or (3) rejected. Reviewers are asked to acknowledge that their comments are to be returned directly to the author(s). In these comments, reviewers are asked to consider the manuscript’s strengths and quality in terms of whether:

• the title is appropriate and succinct;
• the abstract accurately summarizes the article;
• the main text makes a significant contribution to education and social policy research in the Gulf region;
• the main text is written clearly and timely, and is original;
• reviews of the literature are comprehensive and up-to-date;
• the methodology includes conceptual frameworks/models, constructs or variables that are operationalized, and thoroughly detailed approaches;
• data is presented in an organized way and discusses accuracy, reliability, and validity;
• a thorough discussion of the findings is presented;
• conclusions are logical and based on the evidence presented with a discussion of the research’s limitations and future research directions/policy recommendations.

Authors can expect to be informed of the decision and revision suggestions in four to eight weeks.

The Editorial Board makes the final decision as to whether or not a manuscript is ready for publication. If it is ready, the Board decides the issue in which it will be published.