publication Policies

Our Commitment to Responsible Publishing

Open Horizons is committed to responsible scholarly publishing. The journal aims to evaluate manuscripts fairly, communicate clearly with authors, and protect the integrity of the academic record.

Authors, editors, and reviewers are expected to act honestly and respectfully throughout the submission, review, and publication process.

Editorial Screening

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening. The editor checks whether the manuscript:

• Fits the journal's aims and scope;
• Contains original academic work;
• Is written clearly enough for academic evaluation;
• Follows the journal's submission requirements;
• Contains the required author and declaration information; and
• Raises no immediate ethical or legal concerns.

A manuscript may be declined at the screening stage if it is outside the journal's scope, incomplete, unsuitable for review, or inconsistent with the journal's requirements.

Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial screening may be sent to qualified external reviewers selected according to the subject area.

Reviewers assess matters such as originality, academic relevance, methodology, clarity, evidence, references, and the quality of the conclusions.

The editor considers the available review reports and makes the final editorial decision. The possible decisions include:

• Accept;
• Accept subject to minor revisions;
• Revise and resubmit;
• Send for additional review; or
• Reject.

Publication Fee Policy

The journal does not request payment before the manuscript has been evaluated and an editorial decision has been communicated.

Payment does not influence peer review, editorial decisions, or the order in which manuscripts are evaluated.

Authors should request an official fee notice from the editorial office before making any payment. Do not send money to a personal account or to an unofficial contact.

Originality and Duplicate Submission

Authors must submit original work that is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.

Authors must disclose substantial overlap with previously published work and must obtain permission for copyrighted material where required.

Authorship and Responsibilities

All listed authors should have made a genuine contribution to the research or manuscript. All authors should approve the final version and agree to its submission.

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the journal and confirming that all authors have approved the submission.

Research Ethics

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with applicable institutional and national ethical requirements.

Where human participants, personal data, animals, or sensitive information are involved, authors should provide information about ethics approval or explain why approval was not required.

Corrections and Retractions

If a significant error is discovered after publication, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the issue.

Retractions may be considered in cases involving plagiarism, fabricated data, serious ethical violations, major errors, or unreliable findings.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors may contact the editorial office if they have a concern about the submission process, an editorial decision, a publication charge, or a possible ethical issue.

Complaints should include the manuscript title, submission reference, explanation of the concern, and supporting information where relevant.

Indexing and Affiliation Statement

Open Horizons is an independent journal published through Scopusify. Scopusify is not affiliated with Elsevier or the official Scopus service.

The journal does not guarantee acceptance into Scopus or any other indexing database. Indexing decisions are made independently by each database according to its own requirements.