Overview of the Article Selection Process

Decision-Makers operates under a double-blind peer-review system, ensuring that the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process.

Each submitted manuscript undergoes an initial editorial screening by the Editorial Team to determine its suitability for the journal's aims and scope. Authors will normally be notified of the outcome of this preliminary assessment within one to two weeks of submission.

Manuscripts that comply with the journal's guidelines and fall within its scope are forwarded to at least two expert reviewers. Reviewers evaluate submissions based on the quality of the research, relevance, scientific rigor, originality, methodological soundness, appropriate use of current primary and secondary literature, and reference quality.

Reviewers are encouraged to follow COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.

The Editorial Team makes the final decision to accept or reject an article accepted by the reviewers.

 

Editorial Process

Decision-Makers is committed to serving the scholarly community with professionalism, integrity, and efficiency. The journal's editorial team has extensive expertise in publishing and prioritizes the technical aspects of scholarly editing, along with other responsibilities within the Publications Service of Universidad Panamericana, Mexico.

The journal is committed to ensuring that manuscripts are reviewed by independent experts with demonstrated academic credentials as efficiently as possible. Accepted manuscripts are edited promptly and published on a continuous open-access basis once the final version has been approved and typeset.

 

1. Initial Editorial Screening

Authors submit manuscripts to Decision-Makers’ Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

The Editor-in-Chief, in collaboration with the Editorial Board, conducts an initial assessment to verify compliance with the journal's submission requirements and evaluate the manuscript's thematic relevance and overall scholarly quality. This assessment considers, among other aspects:

• Alignment with the journal's aims and scope;
• Scientific quality and originality;
• Disciplinary relevance;
• Methodological rigor;
• Appropriate and current use of primary and secondary literature;
• Adequacy of references;
• Initial plagiarism screening;
• Where appropriate, AI-generated content detection.

If formatting or submission requirements are not fully met, authors may be invited to revise and resubmit the manuscript before peer review.

Any manuscript found to contain plagiarism will be rejected immediately.

Manuscripts meeting all preliminary requirements proceed to peer review.

 

2. Peer Review

The Editor-in-Chief, with the support of the Editorial Board, invites reviewers with recognized expertise in the manuscript's subject area. Reviewers are international scholars, the majority of whom are external to Universidad Panamericana, possess relevant academic qualifications and publication records, and have no conflicts of interest that could compromise the evaluation process.

Reviewers assess manuscripts using the journal's evaluation forms and are encouraged to provide qualitative comments or an annotated anonymous version of the manuscript.

Reviewer reports are returned to the authors through the OJS platform for revision as applicable, which is required before the article can be accepted. As a refereed journal, Decision-Makers gives due consideration to reviewers' recommendations when making publication decisions. Final publication decisions remain the responsibility of the Editorial Board and require compliance with the journal's editorial standards.

Manuscripts may receive one of the following decisions:

• Rejected;
• Accept with major revisions;
• Accept with minor revisions;
• Accept without revisions.

For manuscripts requiring minor revisions, authors may decide whether to implement the suggested changes. Acceptance of manuscripts requiring major revisions is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the requested modifications.

If both reviewers recommend rejection, the manuscript will not be published. In cases where one review is favorable and the other unfavorable, the editor may issue an independent assessment or appoint a third reviewer.

Authors whose manuscripts are accepted agree to complete all requested revisions within the timeframe established, which depends on the complexity of the revisions and the journal’s publication schedule.

Between acceptance and publication, all authors are required to transfer copyright to Decision-Makers by completing and signing the copyright transfer form provided by the Editorial Board.

Prior to publication, authors will receive page proofs in PDF format for typographical corrections only, which must be returned within three days. If no response is received within this period, the proofs will be deemed approved.