About the Journal

EDITORIAL POLICY

Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal published annually by the Center for Journal Publications. It serves as a platform for disseminating original and high-quality research from local, national, and international researchers across disciplines. All submissions undergo rigorous double-blind peer review to ensure scholarly quality, integrity, and relevance to contemporary academic and societal concerns.

Scope

The journal accommodates research in the following fields:

  • Natural Sciences
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities
  • Education
  • Criminal Justice and Law
  • Biodiversity
  • Computer Technology
  • Communication
  • Business and Economics
  • Management
  • Psychology
  • Mathematics

Types of Contributions

  • Empirical articles
  • Theoretical articles
  • Review articles
  • Methodologic articles
  • Philosophical articles
  • Creative works

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Guimaras State University Open Journal Systems (OJS). Authors must register or log in to submit. The corresponding author is responsible for completing the online submission process and ensuring that all required metadata and files are uploaded accurately.

  • The submission is original and is the intellectual property of the author(s).
  • The manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal.
  • All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
  • All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
  • Permission has been obtained for photographs, datasets, and other third-party material, when applicable.
  • The manuscript uses respectful and scholarly language.

PEER REVIEW SYSTEM

Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal subjects submitted manuscripts to independent scholarly evaluation by reviewers with appropriate expertise in the field of study. The journal follows a strict double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of the authors and reviewers are withheld from each other.

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial screening are forwarded to qualified external reviewers who evaluate the significance and scholarly contribution of the work, methodological rigor, substance of the content, clarity of presentation, technical appropriateness, and compliance with applicable ethical standards.

Reviewer recommendations may include:

  • Accept without revision
  • Accept with minor revision
  • Accept with major revision
  • Reject with option to resubmit
  • Reject without option to resubmit

When reviewer recommendations differ substantially, the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board may seek clarification or invite an additional independent reviewer before making an editorial decision. The final decision on the disposition of a manuscript rests with the Editorial Board.

Criteria for Acceptance and Rejection

Initial Screening. All submitted manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening before external peer review. The screening determines whether the manuscript meets the journal’s basic scholarly, technical, ethical, and originality requirements and is suitable for further evaluation.

Initial screening considers the following:

  • Quality and significance of the contribution: The manuscript demonstrates scholarly merit, relevance, originality, and a meaningful contribution to knowledge and/or practice. Evaluation considers criteria appropriate to the research approach, including validity or credibility, reliability or dependability, generalizability or transferability, theoretical or conceptual grounding, novelty, clarity of analysis, and potential impact or utility.
  • Technical appropriateness: The manuscript complies with the journal’s prescribed structure, formatting, academic writing, citation and referencing requirements, and other submission guidelines. The presentation should be clear, coherent, logically organized, and appropriate to the study's nature.
  • Ethical considerations: The study demonstrates compliance with applicable ethical principles and research standards. For studies involving human or animal participants, researchers must observe appropriate safeguards. These include beneficence, through measures that prevent or minimize harm; justice, through fair and appropriate treatment of participants; and respect, through informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and protection of participants’ rights. The Editorial Board may require ethics clearance, informed-consent documentation, permissions, or other pertinent records when applicable.
  • Similarity and originality: The manuscript must pass the journal’s plagiarism and similarity screening using iThenticate, with an overall similarity index of 15% or less. Manuscripts exceeding the prescribed similarity threshold may be returned to the author(s) for appropriate revision and resubmission. Regardless of the similarity percentage, evidence of plagiarism, inappropriate text recycling, duplicate publication, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of publication misconduct may constitute grounds for rejection.

Manuscripts that do not satisfy the journal’s scholarly, technical, ethical, originality, or submission requirements may be returned to the author(s) for revision or declined during the initial screening. Only manuscripts that satisfactorily complete the initial screening proceed to external double-blind peer review.

Technical Appropriateness. Manuscripts must demonstrate satisfactory compliance with the journal’s technical and scholarly requirements before they are considered for external peer review. The Editorial Board evaluates the completeness, clarity, organization, academic presentation, and conformity of the manuscript with the prescribed author guidelines.

Technical screening considers the following:

  • Title: Accurately, clearly, and concisely represents the content of the study and avoids unnecessary abbreviations.
  • Author Information: Provides the complete names of the authors, institutional affiliations, country, ORCID iDs, and corresponding-author information as required by the journal.
  • Abstract: Provides a concise and informative summary of the study, including its purpose or objectives, methodology, principal findings, and conclusion, in accordance with the journal’s prescribed format.
  • Introduction: Establishes the background and significance of the study, identifies the research gap, provides relevant scholarly context, and establishes the rationale for undertaking the research.
  • Research Objectives/Statement of the Problem: Clearly and concisely states the purpose, objectives, or research questions addressed by the study.
  • Materials and Methods/Methodology: Adequately describes the research design, setting, participants or data sources, sampling procedures, instruments, data-gathering procedures, methods of analysis, and applicable ethical safeguards to support the credibility and, where appropriate, reproducibility of the study.
  • Results and Discussion: Presents the findings clearly and logically in accordance with the study objectives and provides appropriate interpretation in relation to relevant literature, theory, previous research, and the context of the study.
  • Organization and Development of Ideas: Demonstrates logical sequencing, coherence, appropriate transitions, and consistency among the different sections of the manuscript.
  • Conclusion: Directly addresses the objectives of the study and presents conclusions and implications that are supported by the findings without merely repeating the Results and Discussion.
  • Mechanics and Language Use: Demonstrates appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence construction, word choice, and conventions of scholarly writing.
  • Tables and Figures: Presents only relevant tables and figures, which are appropriately numbered, titled or captioned, cited in the text, and presented according to the journal’s requirements.
  • In-Text Citations: Properly acknowledges ideas, information, data, textual material, and visual materials obtained from other sources using the journal’s prescribed citation style.
  • Reference List: Includes the works cited in the manuscript, provides accurate and complete bibliographic information, and follows the reference style prescribed by the journal.

Manuscripts that satisfactorily meet the journal’s technical requirements may proceed to the next stage of the editorial and peer-review process. Manuscripts with deficiencies may be returned to the author(s) for correction or revision before further consideration. Manuscripts that substantially fail to comply with the journal’s requirements may be declined during the initial screening.

External Review. Manuscripts that pass initial screening are forwarded to two independent external reviewers with expertise relevant to the subject and methodology of the manuscript. External reviewers evaluate the manuscript particularly in terms of:

  • Significance of its contribution to knowledge and/or practice;
  • Substance and scholarly quality of the content; and
  • Clarity of exposition.

Reviewers provide specific comments and recommendations for improvement. These comments are consolidated and communicated to the authors. When reviewer assessments substantially conflict, the Editor-in-Chief may seek clarification or invite a third independent reviewer before reaching an editorial decision.

Double-Blind Process. The GSU Center for Journal Publications (CJP) implements a strictly double-blind peer-review process. The GSU Center for Journal Publications (CJP) withholds author identities from reviewers and reviewer identities from authors throughout the review process.

Reviewer Selection and Qualification. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, specialization, research experience, publication record, and relevance to the subject matter and methodology of the manuscript. All peer reviewers are external to the journal, and the Editorial Board selects and appoints them.

To ensure appropriate scholarly competence, reviewers must have demonstrated expertise in their respective fields and must have published at least five research papers in refereed journals within the past five consecutive years. Reviewers are invited according to their field of specialization, research expertise, and capacity to provide an impartial and rigorous evaluation of the manuscript.

The Center for Journal Publications (CJP) maintains a pool of qualified external reviewers from relevant disciplines and areas of specialization. The Editorial Board selects appropriate reviewers from this pool based on the nature, subject, and methodological requirements of each submitted manuscript.

If the Editorial Board cannot identify a qualified reviewer with the required expertise in the existing pool, it may, with assistance from the Center for Journal Publications, identify and invite other qualified external experts. For highly specialized or interdisciplinary manuscripts, the Editorial Board may ask authors to suggest potential reviewers with appropriate expertise. However, such suggestions do not guarantee appointment, and the Editorial Board retains sole discretion over final selection and appointment.

In selecting reviewers, the Editorial Board shall consider their independence, relevant expertise, publication experience, and ability to conduct an objective and confidential assessment. Individuals with actual or potential conflicts of interest that may compromise the impartiality of the review should not be assigned to evaluate the manuscript.

Scoring System. Research manuscripts are evaluated using the following editorial recommendation scale:

Score Description
5 Accept without revision
4 Accept with minor revision
3 Accept with major revision
2 Reject with option to resubmit
1 Reject without option to resubmit

The mean score is determined by summing the reviewers' scores and dividing the total by the number of reviewers.

A manuscript receiving an average score of 2.00 or below may be rejected. Manuscripts obtaining an average score above 2.00 may be considered for revision, resubmission, or further editorial action based on the reviewers' recommendations and the judgment of the Editorial Board.

Regardless of the numerical rating, authors are expected to address applicable reviewer and editorial comments before final acceptance.

Transmittal of Review Comments and Author Revision. After the double-blind peer-review process is complete, the Editorial Board communicates the editorial decision and consolidated reviewer comments and recommendations to the corresponding author. The communication may also include additional editorial comments and other relevant evaluation results requiring action by the author(s).

Authors whose manuscripts require revision are given 15 days from receipt of the editorial communication to address the reviewers’ and editors’ comments and submit the revised manuscript. The revised submission should clearly and adequately respond to the recommendations and incorporate the necessary corrections and improvements.

The revised manuscript is subsequently evaluated to determine whether the comments and recommendations have been satisfactorily addressed. When necessary, the manuscript may be returned to the author(s) for further revision or undergo an additional round of peer review, particularly when substantial changes require further expert evaluation.

Failure to submit the required revision within the prescribed period without prior communication with the Editorial Office may affect the continued processing of the manuscript.

Completion of the revision process does not constitute final acceptance for publication. The revised manuscript remains subject to editorial evaluation and final approval in accordance with the journal’s review and publication process.

Finalization of the Journal Entries by the Board. The Editorial Board determines the final manuscripts accepted for publication after completion of the required editorial, peer-review, revision, ethical, and technical processes.

GRAMMAR CHECK

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts demonstrate clear, grammatically appropriate, and professional academic writing. The Editorial Office may use appropriate language- and grammar-checking tools as part of editorial quality control. Authors may be required to undertake language revision when deficiencies affect the clarity or scholarly presentation of the manuscript.

SIMILARITY AND ORIGINALITY CHECK

All submitted manuscripts undergo similarity checking using iThenticate before peer review.

Editors evaluate similarity reports through editorial judgment rather than solely on a numerical similarity percentage. Properly cited quotations, references, commonly used terminology, methodological expressions, and other legitimate textual matches may be considered when interpreting the similarity report.

Evidence of plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate text recycling, data fabrication, data falsification, or other forms of publication misconduct may result in the manuscript being returned for revision or rejected, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to request clarification, supporting documentation, or revisions when concerns regarding originality arise.

COPYRIGHT POLICY

Authors retain copyright in their contributions published in Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal.

Articles published by the journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license permits others to share, copy, redistribute, adapt, and build upon published material provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the use is non-commercial.

Other elements of the journal, including its name, structure, organization, and institutional publication materials, remain protected by applicable copyright provisions of Guimaras State University.

Declaration of Previous Publication. Authors must disclose any prior publication, dissemination, or substantial overlap involving the submitted manuscript. A manuscript must not have been previously published or be simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

When copyrighted material from another publication is reproduced, the authors are responsible for securing the necessary permission before publication.

Policy for Handling Complaints. Complaints concerning copyright infringement, intellectual-property violations, material inaccuracies, publication misconduct, or other potentially unlawful or unethical content will be investigated by the journal.

The Editorial Board may request relevant parties to provide supporting documentation or clarification. Appropriate corrective action may include revision, correction, retraction, removal, or other measures warranted by the circumstances and applicable publication standards.

POLICY ON CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Authors must disclose all actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, the conduct, interpretation, or publication of the research.

Relevant financial, institutional, professional, commercial, or other relationships should be disclosed as required by the journal. Funding sources and institutional support relevant to the conduct of the research should likewise be appropriately identified.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the required conflict-of-interest declarations are complete and accurate.

AUTHORSHIP

Author Undertaking. Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the work, including contributions to the conception or design of the study; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; drafting or critical revision of the manuscript; and approval of the final version for publication.

Individuals who provide only technical, administrative, logistical, financial, or other forms of support without satisfying the criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors.

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Guimaras State University Open Journal Systems (OJS). The corresponding author is responsible for completing the online submission, providing accurate metadata, and ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

During the editorial and publication process, authors may be required to submit the Declaration of Authorship, Copyright Agreement, and other documents prescribed by the journal through OJS or the Editorial Office.

Originality Undertaking. Submission of a manuscript constitutes a declaration that the work is original, has not been previously published, and is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Authors are responsible for conducting an adequate review of relevant literature and accurately acknowledging all ideas, data, figures, tables, text, and other materials derived from existing sources.

Himal-us does not tolerate plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, or other forms of publication misconduct. All manuscripts are subject to originality and similarity screening as part of the journal's editorial process.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice

Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal is committed to maintaining high standards of publication ethics and scholarly integrity.

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal attest that their work is original, accurately represents their scholarly contributions, and has not been plagiarized, fabricated, falsified, or improperly duplicated. Authors are responsible for disclosing relevant conflicts of interest and complying with applicable ethical requirements governing their research.

The journal is committed to an objective, fair, confidential, and rigorous double-blind peer-review process. Editors and reviewers must avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest and must provide constructive, impartial, and timely evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

Suspected breaches of publication ethics should be reported to the Editor-in-Chief. The journal will investigate credible concerns and take appropriate editorial action consistent with the nature and seriousness of the matter.

GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) STATEMENT

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the conduct of the research or preparation of manuscripts submitted to Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal.

The disclosure should indicate:

  • The name and version of the AI tool, when available;
  • The purpose and extent of its use, such as language editing, literature-search assistance, code generation, data-analysis assistance, translation, or figure creation; and
  • Confirmation that all AI-assisted content was reviewed, verified, and edited by the author(s).

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, appropriate citation, and ethical compliance of the submitted work. AI-generated references, information, data, or other content must be independently verified before inclusion in the manuscript.

Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies must not be listed as authors or co-authors, as they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for the work.

When generative AI has been used, authors must include a Generative AI Disclosure Statement in the manuscript before the References section. When no generative AI has been used, authors may provide a statement declaring that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the research or preparation of the manuscript.

SCHEDULE OF PUBLICATION AND CIRCULATION

Schedule. Himal-us: Guimaras State University Multidisciplinary Research Journal is published annually in June by the Guimaras State University Center for Journal Publications.

Access and Circulation. Himal-us provides open access to its published scholarly content through the Guimaras State University Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, allowing readers to access published articles online.

The journal is also produced in printed copies as part of its publication and dissemination activities. Printed copies are distributed to relevant public and private higher education institutions, government and partner agencies, libraries, research institutions, and other stakeholders in accordance with the dissemination policies of Guimaras State University. Complimentary printed copies may also be provided to authors and other designated recipients.

Through both online open-access publication and printed distribution, Himal-us promotes the wider dissemination, accessibility, visibility, and utilization of research outputs among academic institutions, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders.

BOARD ADJUDICATION

The Editorial Board is responsible for final editorial decisions concerning manuscripts submitted to the journal. Decisions are based on editorial screening, external peer-review reports, author compliance with required revisions, ethical and technical requirements, and the overall scholarly quality and suitability of the manuscript.

The Editorial Board's final publication decision is final and unappealable.