About the Journal

Polytechnic  Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci.) is a biannual academic journal published by Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil, KRG, Iraq. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. publishes original researches in all areas of Humanities and Social Sciences. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is a Peer-Reviewed Open Access journal with Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. provides immediate, worldwide, barrier-free access to the full text of research articles without requiring a subscription to the journal.  It has an article processing charge (APC) of ID75,000 for the EPU's authors and ID150,000 for the outside EPU's authors. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. applies the highest standards to everything it does and adopts Harvard citation/referencing style. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Section Policy includes three types of publications; Articles, Review Articles and Letters. By publishing with us, your research will get the coverage and attention it deserves. Open access and continuous online publication means your work will be published swiftly, ready to be accessed by anyone, anywhere, at any time. Article Level Metrics allow you to follow the conversations your work has started.

EDITORIAL POLICIES

Scope and Focus
Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. publishes original research in all area of Humanities and Scoial Sciences. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is published biannually by Erbil Polytechnic University, KRG, Iraq. We believe that if your research is scientifically valid and technically sound then it deserves to be published and made accessible to the research community. By publishing with us, your research will get the coverage and attention it deserves. Open access and continuous online publication means your work will be published swiftly, ready to be accessed by anyone, anywhere, at any time. Article Level Metrics allow you to follow the conversations your work has started.

Journal Sections
Articles: Articles section is for original research articles present a scientific advance. These manuscripts should present well-rounded studies reporting innovative advances that further knowledge about a topic of importance to the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences. The conclusions of the Original Research Article should clearly be supported by the results. These can be submitted as a full-length article (no more than 6000 words, 8 figures, 6 tables) with Abstract should not exceed 200 words. Original Research Articles contain at least five sections:

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. Materials and Methods
  4. Results
  5. Discussion

Review Articles: Review Articles provide a reasoned survey and examination of a particular subject of research in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences. These can be submitted a long review (no more than 6,000 words, 8 figures, and 6 tables). They should include a critical assessment of the works cited, explanations of conflicts in the literature, and analysis of the field. The conclusion must discuss in detail the limitations of current knowledge, future directions to be pursued in research, and the overall importance of the topic in Humanities and Social Sciences. The Abstract should not exceed 200 words. Reviews contain four sections:

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. Topics (with headings and subheadings)
  4. Conclusions and Outlook

Letters: Letters are original research articles present scientific advance. These manuscripts should present well-rounded studies reporting innovative advances that further knowledge about a topic of importance to the fields of the Journal. The conclusions of the Original Research Article should clearly be supported by the results. These can be submitted as a Brief Communication (no more than 2,500 words, 3 figures, 2 tables). The Abstract should not exceed 150 words. Original Research Letters contain five sections:

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. Materials and Methods
  4. Results
  5. Discussion

Section Policies
Articles: This is the main type of publication that Polytechnic J. will produce. 

[CheckedPeer Reviewed        CheckedIndexed        CheckedOpen Submission]

Review Articles: A critical, constructive analysis of the literature in a specific field through summary, classification, analysis, comparison.

[CheckedPeer Reviewed        CheckedIndexed        CheckedOpen Submission]

Letters: are short reports of original research focused on an outstanding finding whose importance means that it will be of interest to scientists in other fields.

[CheckedPeer Reviewed        CheckedIndexed        CheckedOpen Submission]

 

PEER REVIEW POLICIES
At Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. we are committed to prompt quality scientific work with local and global impacts. To maintain a high-quality publication, all submissions undergo a rigorous review process. Characteristics of the peer review process are as follows:

  • The journal peer review process is a "double blind peer review".
  • Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to different journals will not be tolerated.
  • Manuscripts with contents outside the scope will not be considered for review.
  • Papers will be refereed by at least 2 experts as suggested by the editorial board.
  • In addition, Editors will have the option of seeking additional reviews when needed. Authors will be informed when Editors decide further review is required.
  • All publication decisions are made by the journal's Editors-in-Chief on the basis of the referees' reports. Authors of papers that are not accepted are notified promptly.
  • All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents. We expect our Board of Reviewing Editors, Associate Editors and reviewers to treat manuscripts as confidential material as well.
  • Editors, Associate Editors and reviewers involved in the review process should disclose conflicts of interest resulting from direct competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, and remove oneself from cases in which such conflicts preclude an objective evaluation. Privileged information or ideas that are obtained through peer review must not be used for competitive gain.
  • Our peer review process is confidential and identities of reviewers cannot be revealed.

After sending the manuscript to two reviewers, the reviewers' comments and final decision will be:

[Accepted + Accepted = Accepted] ... [Accepted + With revision = With revision] ... [Accepted + Resubmit = Resubmit] ... [Accepted + Rejected = 3rd reviewer] ... [With revision +  With revision =  With revision] ... [With revision + Resubmit = Resubmit] ... [With revision+ Reject = Reject] ... [Resubmit + Resubmit = Resubmit] ... [Resubmit + Reject = Reject] ... [Reject + Reject = Reject].

Note: Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is a member of CrossRef and CrossRef services, e.g., CrossCheck. All manuscripts submitted will be checked for plagiarism (copying text or results from other sources) and self-plagiarism (duplicating substantial parts of authors' own published work without giving the appropriate references) using the CrossCheck database. Plagiarism is not tolerated.

For more information about CrossCheck/iThenticate, please visit http://www.crossref.org/crosscheck.html.

PUBLICATION FREQUENCY
Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is published 2 times per year. Accepted papers are published online ahead of print. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is e-published online with doi: :  as/when process of peer-reviewing in finalized. Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. hard-copy published with p-ISSN:  xxxx-xxxx biannually with the first issue publishes the accepted papers during (January - June) and the second issue publishes the accepted papers during (July- December). The hard-copy of  the journal issues are published with all accepted online paper within each publication period.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY
Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Open Access (OA) stands for unrestricted access and unrestricted reuse which means making research publications freely available online. It access ensures that your work reaches the widest possible audience and that your fellow researchers can use and share it easily. The mission of the Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. is to improve the culture of scientific publications by supporting bright minds in science and public engagement.
Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. open access articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. This license lets you retain copyright and let others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Commercial use of the publisher's PDF is subject to license fees. The main output of research, in general, is new ideas and knowledge, which the Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. peer-review policy allow publishing as high-quality peer-reviewed research articles. The Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. believes that maximizing the distribution of these publications - by providing free, online access - is the most effective way of ensuring that the research we fund can be accessed, read and built upon. In turn, this will foster a richer research culture and cultivate good research ethic as well. The Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. therefore supports unrestricted access to the published materials on its main website as a fundamental part of its mission and a global academic community benefit to be encouraged wherever possible.

Specifically;

  • Erbil Polytechnic University supports the principles and objectives of Open Access and Open Science
  • Polytechnic J. Hum. Soc. Sci. expects authors of research papers, and manuscripts to maximize the opportunities to make their results available for free access on its final peer-reviewed paper
  • All manuscript will be made open access online soon after final stage peer-review finalized. 
  • Authors can archive publisher's version/PDF, but neither their pre-print nor their post-print.
  • This policy will be effective from 1st January 2020 and will be reviewed during the first year of operation.
  • Open Access route is available at https://journals.epu.edu.iq/index.php/ptjhss for publishing and archiving all accepted papers, 
  • Specific details of how authors of research articles are required to comply with this policy can be found in the Guide to Authors.

OJS EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING PROCESS