Instructions for Editors

Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends

The Journal of Tourism Challenges and Trends (JTCT) is committed to publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research on dynamic and emerging areas of tourism, including sport tourism, active tourism, sustainable tourism development, tourism management, and interdisciplinary tourism studies. Editors play a critical role in maintaining the academic integrity, quality, and reputation of the journal.

1. Role and Responsibilities of Editors

Editors are responsible for:

• Ensuring academic quality and originality of published content

• Managing a fair, unbiased, and timely peer-review process

• Upholding ethical publishing standards

• Supporting authors and reviewers throughout the editorial process

• Maintaining confidentiality of submitted manuscripts

• Avoiding conflicts of interest

Editors must evaluate submissions based on scholarly merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, methodological rigor, and contribution to tourism research.

2. Editorial Structure

The journal operates under the guidance of:

• Editor-in-Chief

• Guest Editors (for special issues)

• Associate/Section Editors

• Editorial Board Members

Guest Editors for special issues (e.g., special issues focusing on sport tourism and active tourism) oversee thematic coherence while adhering to the journal’s editorial standards.

3. Manuscript Handling Process

Editors must follow the structured editorial workflow:

Step 1: Initial Screening

• Check alignment with the journal’s aims and scope

• Verify originality and plagiarism screening

• Ensure proper formatting and adherence to author guidelines

• Assess academic quality and relevance

Manuscripts failing to meet minimum standards may be desk rejected with constructive feedback.

Step 2: Reviewer Selection

• Assign at least two independent expert reviewers

• Avoid reviewers with conflicts of interest

• Ensure reviewers have relevant subject expertise

Step 3: Peer Review Oversight

• Monitor review timelines

• Ensure reviews are objective, constructive, and respectful

• Request revisions where necessary

• Make a reasoned editorial decision (Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject)

Step 4: Final Decision

Final decisions must be based on:

• Reviewer recommendations

• Scientific merit

• Ethical compliance

• Relevance to tourism research and practice

4. Ethical Standards

Editors must adhere to international publication ethics guidelines, including:

• Prevention of plagiarism and duplicate publication

• Detection of data fabrication or falsification

• Confidential handling of manuscripts

• Transparent conflict-of-interest management

• Ensuring informed consent and ethical approval for empirical research

Any ethical concern should be investigated thoroughly before publication.

5. Conflict of Interest Policy

Editors must:

• Recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists

• Avoid decision-making on submissions from close collaborators, institutional colleagues, or personal associates

• Declare any potential competing interests

In such cases, the manuscript should be reassigned to another editor.

6. Timelines

Editors are expected to:

• Complete initial screening within 7–10 days

• Secure reviewers within 10–14 days

• Aim for first decision within 6–8 weeks

• Ensure timely publication in line with the journal’s biannual schedule

7. Special Issues Management

For special issues:

• Guest Editors must prepare a clear call for papers

• Ensure thematic coherence and academic rigor

• Maintain transparency in the peer-review process

• Coordinate closely with the Editor-in-Chief

All special issue manuscripts undergo the same rigorous peer-review process as regular submissions.

8. Quality Assurance and Academic Integrity

Editors must ensure:

• Clear research objectives

• Strong theoretical contribution

• Methodological robustness

• Policy or practical implications where relevant

• Proper citation and referencing format

Low-quality, non-scholarly, or promotional content must not be accepted.

9. Communication Standards

Editors should maintain:

• Professional and respectful communication

• Constructive feedback to authors

• Confidential handling of reviewer identities (in double-blind review)

• Transparent decision letters

10. Editorial Accountability

Editors serve as custodians of the journal’s reputation. All editorial decisions must reflect:

• Academic excellence

• Ethical responsibility

• Transparency

• Impartiality

• Commitment to advancing tourism scholarship

For further clarification or editorial coordination, editors may contact the Editor-in-Chief or the journal’s editorial office.

If you want, I can also prepare:

• ✅ Reviewer Guidelines

• ✅ Editorial Board Responsibilities Page

• ✅ Peer Review Policy Page

• ✅ Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

• ✅ Special Issue Proposal Template