To maintain high standards of scholarship, Mimbar Sekolah Dasar implements a thorough three-step review process that evaluates each submission for its academic integrity, originality, and overall quality.
Step 1: Initial Screening and Plagiarism Check
All submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the editors through a preliminary assessment process. The first step involves checking for plagiarism using Turnitin software. Manuscripts with an overall similarity index exceeding 15%, or with more than 3% similarity from a single source, will be automatically rejected. Manuscripts that meet the similarity threshold will proceed to an evaluation of research design. Only those with a sound and well-structured research design will move forward to the peer review stage. Submissions lacking methodological rigor or clarity will be declined at this stage.
Step 2: Double-Blind Peer Review
Mimbar Sekolah Dasar adopts a double-blind peer review process. All author-related details are anonymized before peer review to preserve the neutrality of the evaluation. Each manuscript is evaluated by three independent reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. Reviewers assess the manuscript using a standardized review form accessible through a secure reviewer login. Based on their evaluation, reviewers provide a recommendation: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject, each accompanied by a justification. In cases where reviewer opinions are significantly divergent, the editor may consult an additional expert to reach a final decision.
Step 3: Editorial Decision and Author Revision
Following the completion of the peer review, the editor conveys the outcome and next steps to the author(s). If revisions are requested, the author(s) are expected to respond and submit the revised manuscript within the specified deadline. Failure to do so will result in rejection.
Revised manuscripts will undergo further evaluation:
Manuscripts needing extensive revision are forwarded to the reviewers for a second assessment. In contrast, minor revisions are examined and finalized by the editor
Final proofreading and copyediting will only proceed once the manuscript is fully accepted. Throughout the review process, all correspondence takes place strictly between the editor and the author(s); direct communication between authors and reviewers is not permitted. The editorial team ensures that all decisions are supported by clear, transparent reasoning.
The peer review process is guided by the ethical standards outlined in the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers, which are followed by both editors and reviewers.