Editorial Policy of PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD)

The PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing, transparency, and ethical conduct. This editorial policy establishes the principles and practices that guide all aspects of manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication conduct.

Mission and Scope

PJGD publishes original, high-quality research that advances knowledge on democracy, good governance, development, and peace in Ethiopia, Africa, and beyond. The journal welcomes multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary contributions including research articles, theoretical essays, policy analyses, book reviews, commentaries, and critical notes. Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit and relevance to the journal's scope, regardless of authors' nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, religion, or institutional affiliation.

Open Access Policy

PJGD operates as a fully open access journal, ensuring all published content is freely available to readers worldwide without subscription fees or paywalls. Users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to full texts for any lawful scholarly purpose without prior permission from the publisher or authors, in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition. All articles are published under Creative Commons licensing to facilitate maximum dissemination while protecting authors' intellectual rights.

Peer Review Process

Double-Blind Peer Review

All submissions undergo rigorous double-blind peer review, ensuring anonymity for both authors and reviewers throughout the evaluation process. This approach minimizes bias and ensures objective assessment based on scholarly merit.

Review Procedures

Upon submission, manuscripts receive initial screening by the editorial team to assess suitability for the journal's scope and basic quality standards. 

Editor-in-Chief is responsible for receiving, registering, coding, and handing over the same to Associate Editor-in-Chief/Managing Editor for pre-assessment of the academic relevance, scope, and appropriateness vis-à-vis style and format of the article in collaboration with the Editorial Board.

After ascertaining the types of manuscript (Original Research Article, Review Articles, Featured Articles, Research Notes, Commentaries and Book Review) and their respective lengths along with style and flow of the article such as title, authors and affiliation, abstract, introduction, statement of the problem followed by objective, materials and methods, results, discussion and references and format such as text, abbreviations, font size, typeface, headings and subheadings, spacing, page margins, page numbers, equations (if any), computer code, figures, illustrations, graphs and tables, caption etc. associate editor-in-chief will recommend editorial panel and will be sent to two blinded reviewers/referees along with language editor. Reviewers provide detailed feedback within four weeks, recommending acceptance, revision (minor or major), or rejection.

The comments of referees/reviewers will be sent to the author/s (s) (again blinded).  Authors receiving revision requests must comprehensively address all reviewer comments, clearly document modifications, and provide reasoned rebuttals when disagreeing with specific recommendations. After ascertaining whether comments given by referees/reviewers and the language editor are properly taken by respective author/s, editorial board members will suggest additional review, edition, and amendments to paper/s based on the comments given by referees/reviewers and language editor; and finally will decide after following the decisions/comments of the referees/reviewers whether the article is publishable or not.

 

Editorial Independence

Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members, or employees undergo the same peer review process as other submissions, with recused handling to avoid conflicts of interest. These authors do not participate in reviewer selection or editorial decisions regarding their manuscripts.

Publication Ethics

Standards of Conduct

PJGD adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct and Guidelines, establishing comprehensive ethical standards for authors, reviewers, and editors. The journal is committed to upholding integrity in all aspects of scholarly communication and expects all participants to observe the highest ethical standards.

Author Responsibilities

Authors must ensure that submitted work is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration elsewhere. All sources must be properly cited, and authors must obtain necessary permissions for reproducing previously published materials. Authorship should accurately reflect individual contributions, with all substantial contributors listed and all listed authors having approved the final manuscript.

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence research design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or presentation. Fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data constitutes serious misconduct and will not be tolerated.

Research Misconduct

PJGD defines misconduct as any act of dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or violation of publication ethics, including but not limited to plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship, and undisclosed conflicts of interest. All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection software before peer review.

Suspected misconduct may be reported by reviewers, editors, or readers at any stage. The editorial board investigates all allegations fairly, impartially, and confidentially, following COPE flowcharts and guidelines. Confirmed misconduct results in appropriate sanctions, including manuscript rejection, publication retraction, author notification to their institutions, and potential prohibition from future submissions.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding all manuscript details and refrain from using unpublished information for personal advantage. Reviews should be objective, constructive, and completed within agreed timeframes. Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest and decline review invitations when appropriate.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors must ensure fair, transparent, and timely handling of submissions. Editorial decisions must be based solely on scholarly merit, originality, significance, and fit with journal scope. Editors maintain strict confidentiality regarding manuscripts and reviewer identities throughout the review process.

The editorial team is responsible for publishing corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies when necessary to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where conflicts of interest exist.

Corrections and Retractions

PJGD is committed to maintaining the integrity of the published record. Errors identified post-publication are addressed through corrections or errata for minor errors that do not affect the article's conclusions, and retractions for serious errors, misconduct, or ethical violations that fundamentally compromise the work's validity. All corrections and retractions are clearly marked, linked to the original article, and permanently accessible.

Copyright and Licensing

JU owns the copyright of the articles published within JU-hosted journals. Authors of accepted manuscripts for publication in the JU-hosted journal shall sign the Copyright Transfer Agreement. Therefore, to publish and disseminate research articles and other types of manuscripts in PJGD, the Center for PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development requires a publishing right, which can be established through a publishing agreement between the manuscript author and PJGD (JU) as the publisher. The agreement mainly encompasses the transfer of the copyright to the publisher, but authors retain significant rights to use and share their published manuscript. As an open access journal, authors have the following responsibilities and rights:

1. Before publication of a manuscript, authors sign an exclusive license agreement, which gives authors the copyright but licenses the exclusive right of their manuscript to PJGD (JU) as indicated in subsection 1.9.1.7 and Annex 12 of Guidelines and Procedures for Publication and Extension of Jimma University.
2. Authors retain all intellectual property rights as stated in subsection 1.9 and Annex 11 of Guidelines and Procedures for Publication and Extension of Jimma University

• Authors have proper attribution and credit for their published work.

Creative Commons

Manuscripts published in the PJGD website and in hard copies are licensed under the creative common attribute 4.0 international license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License). The license permits any interested person to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work provided that the original work and source is appropriately cited.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

All accepted articles receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure permanent accessibility and citability. DOIs are assigned before final publication and prominently displayed on each article.

Archiving and Preservation

PJGD ensures long-term preservation and accessibility of all published content through participation in recognized digital archiving initiatives. This guarantees permanent public access to the scholarly record even if the journal ceases publication.

Publication Fees

PJGD does not charge article submission fees or article processing charges (APCs). Publication is free for all authors, ensuring equitable access regardless of geographic location or institutional resources.

Inclusivity and Accessibility

PJGD is committed to promoting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of publication. The journal regularly assesses policies to ensure they do not create exclusionary environments for authors, reviewers, or readers from any background. Editorial decisions are never influenced by authors' nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, institutional affiliation, or geographic location.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a detailed written justification to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of notification. Appeals are reviewed by independent editorial board members not involved in the original decision. Complaints regarding editorial process or ethical concerns are investigated promptly and confidentially according to COPE guidelines.

Transparency and Accountability

PJGD maintains transparency regarding journal ownership, governance structure, editorial team composition, peer review processes, publication timelines, and all policies affecting authors, reviewers, and readers. The journal regularly reviews and updates policies to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.