Samkvidro follows a transparent and rigorous editorial and peer-review process designed to ensure the academic quality, originality, integrity, and relevance of all published Research Articles.

The journal accepts original Research Articles in English and Georgian. Manuscripts in other languages may be considered in exceptional cases at the discretion of the Editorial Board.

1. Manuscript Submission

Authors submit their manuscripts through the submission system designated by Samkvidro.

Each submission should include:

• Anonymized Manuscript — the manuscript prepared for double-blind peer review, with all author-identifying information removed.

• Author Information — a separate document containing the full names, institutional affiliations, country, email addresses, ORCID iDs, funding information, conflict of interest statement, acknowledgements, and author contributions where applicable.

All manuscripts must comply with the journal’s Submission Guidelines, Article Template, Publication Ethics, Copyright & Licensing, and Reference & Citation Style requirements.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

After submission, each manuscript undergoes an initial editorial assessment.

The editorial team evaluates whether the manuscript:

• falls within the journal’s Aims & Scope;
• constitutes original scholarly research;
• meets the journal’s academic and methodological requirements;
• is suitable for external peer review;
• complies with the journal’s submission and formatting requirements;
• meets the journal’s ethical and academic integrity standards.

Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage if they fall outside the journal’s scope, do not meet the required academic standards, contain substantial ethical or originality concerns, or do not comply with essential submission requirements.

Passing the initial editorial screening does not constitute acceptance for publication.

3. Originality and Academic Integrity Checks

Submitted manuscripts may be subject to plagiarism and originality checks.

Similarity reports are used as an editorial assessment tool and are not, by themselves, considered proof of plagiarism. Any concerns are assessed in context and may result in requests for clarification, revision, or further investigation in accordance with the journal’s Plagiarism & Academic Integrity and Publication Ethics policies.

4. Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment are sent for double-blind peer review.

The identities of both authors and reviewers are kept confidential throughout the review process.

Reviewers are selected according to their academic expertise and the subject of the manuscript. Where appropriate, the journal may seek independent reviewers from different institutions and scholarly backgrounds.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts with regard to:

• originality and significance;
• scholarly and methodological rigor;
• quality and appropriate use of sources;
• clarity and coherence of the argument;
• engagement with relevant scholarly literature;
• validity of the analysis and conclusions;
• overall scholarly contribution.

Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, provide objective and constructive evaluations, disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest, and refrain from using unpublished information obtained through the review process for personal or professional advantage.

5. Editorial Decision

Following peer review, the Editor-in-Chief makes the final editorial decision, taking into consideration the reviewers’ reports and the overall scholarly quality of the manuscript.

Possible decisions are:

Accept
The manuscript is accepted for publication without substantive revisions.

Accept with Minor Revisions
The manuscript is accepted subject to limited revisions that do not require substantial reconsideration.

Revise and Resubmit
The manuscript requires substantive revisions and may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation.

Reject
The manuscript does not meet the journal’s academic, methodological, ethical, or editorial requirements for publication.

Peer-review recommendations inform the editorial decision but do not automatically determine it.

6. Revision

When revisions are requested, authors should submit:

• a revised version of the manuscript; and
• a clear response to the reviewers’ comments explaining how each substantive issue has been addressed.

Where appropriate, revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers.

The journal may request more than one round of revision where necessary to ensure the academic quality and integrity of the published article.

7. Final Acceptance

A manuscript is considered formally accepted only after the Editor-in-Chief has issued an acceptance decision.

Acceptance is based exclusively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and its compliance with the journal’s academic, ethical, and editorial requirements.

Payment of the journal’s USD 50 Article Processing Charge (APC) is not required at submission or during peer review and does not influence editorial or peer-review decisions.

8. Copyediting and Publication

After formal acceptance, the manuscript proceeds to the publication stage.

This may include:

• final editorial review;
• language and copyediting;
• formatting and typesetting;
• verification of bibliographic information and metadata;
• DOI assignment;
• final author review where applicable; and
• online publication.

The published article constitutes the official version of record.

9. Publication and DOI

Each published Research Article receives a permanent bibliographic record and, where applicable, a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

The DOI provides a persistent identifier for the article and facilitates citation, discovery, linking, and long-term scholarly accessibility.

Authors and readers are encouraged to cite and share the official Samkvidro article page and DOI.

10. Editorial Independence

Editorial and peer-review decisions are based on the scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, significance, and relevance of the manuscript.

Decisions are not influenced by an author’s:

• nationality;
• institutional affiliation;
• academic status;
• gender;
• ethnicity;
• religion;
• political views; or
• other personal characteristics unrelated to the scholarly merits of the work.

The journal’s editorial decisions are independent of commercial, institutional, or personal interests.

11. Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Where a conflict may compromise impartiality, the journal may assign an alternative editor or reviewer or take other appropriate measures.

Further information is available in the journal’s Conflict of Interest policy.

12. Publication Ethics

All participants in the publication process are expected to comply with the journal’s standards of academic integrity and publication ethics.

The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, inappropriate authorship attribution, peer-review manipulation, or other forms of academic misconduct.

Further information is available in the journal’s Publication Ethics and Plagiarism & Academic Integrity policies.

13. Estimated Timeline

The duration of the editorial and peer-review process may vary depending on the subject of the manuscript, reviewer availability, the number of review rounds required, and the complexity of revisions.

The journal aims to process submissions as efficiently as possible while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

No guarantee of acceptance or a specific publication date is made at the time of submission.

14. Submission and Publication Fees

Submission Fee: USD 0

Peer-Review Fee: USD 0

Article Processing Charge: USD 50

The APC is payable only after formal acceptance.

Authors who are unable to pay the APC may request a full or partial waiver. Waiver requests are considered confidentially and separately from editorial and peer-review decisions.

The inability to pay an APC is not grounds for rejection.

15. Author Responsibility

Submission of a manuscript to Samkvidro indicates that the author(s) have read and agree to comply with the journal’s applicable policies and guidelines, including:

• Submission Guidelines
• Article Template
• Peer Review Process
• Publication Ethics
• Open Access Policy
• Copyright & Licensing
• Plagiarism & Academic Integrity
• Conflict of Interest
• Corrections & Retractions
• AI Policy
• Reference & Citation Style

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and lawful use of the material contained in their manuscripts.