Policy Guidelines For The Beacon Journal

Pakistan Navy War College (PNWC) invites manuscripts for its publication ‘The Beacon Journal’. The journal is under process for recognition with HEC in ‘Y’ category. Research articles shall be accepted in areas related to International Affairs, International Security, Geopolitics, Diplomacy, Maritime Affairs, Blue Economy, Indo-Pacific Studies, Maritime Security, Defence and Strategic Studies, Naval Warfare, Hybrid Warfare, International and Maritime Law and Lawfare, Environmental Issues including Climate Change.

Policy for Authorship

Everyone designated as an author should have contributed significantly, directly, and intellectually to the work. For example, they should have contributed to the conceptualization, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of data in the case of a research report. It is not permissible to be an honorary or guest author. The corresponding author should verify that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the work before submitting it for publication. Those who have contributed to a significant component of the study should be acknowledged in a "Acknowledgement" section. No forcible inclusion of the name be allowed.

Policy on Conflict of Interests

In the case of any author(s) and institution with whom the Editor has a conflict of interest (e.g., due to competitive, collaborative, or professional standing), the author takes precedence under the Beacon Journal’s policy. Similarly, when providing directions to reviewers and Editorial Board members, the Editor follows the same policy. The Beacon Journal follows a strict policy since HEC does not permit the work of the Editor or any member of the Editorial Board. In reality, the Editor updates the list of similar interests (e.g., financial, academic, or any other sort) for all Editorial Board members and editorial staff on a regular basis.

Confidentiality

The author(s) and reviewers' confidentiality is respected throughout the double-blind peer review process, with the information on the article remaining solely between the two contractual parties. The Editor has the ability to notify the author of the paper's approval or rejection. The contents of the manuscript are kept secret by both the Editor and the reviewer (s). In this regard, a contract is made between the Editor and the reviewer(s).

Publication Policy

  • Editorial Policy: The Editorial Policy of the Beacon Journal adheres to the HEC Guidelines. When a paper is submitted to the Beacon Journal, it is evaluated to see if it fits the submission standards. If it does, the editorial staff will identify suitable peer reviewers from the area of research to double-blind peer-review the paper and, if required, give comments to the author(s).
  • Peer Review Policy: The "Similarity Index" detecting programme is used to screen all submissions. Articles chosen by the Editorial Board will be subjected to double-blind peer review. The referees may not approve items for publication at this point. Reviewers may, however, offer either substantial or small modifications in the paper if they are judged fit for the Journal. The revising process may require several rounds. Timelines for peer reviews vary according to Reviewer availability, area of expertise, and responsiveness. Research Papers in relevant study topics are submitted to reviewers who assess the work's originality, validity, and importance in order to choose an article for publication in the Beacon Journal. During the procedure, no information about the author(s) is made available to the reviewers. Similarly, the identities of reviewers are not published in review reports distributed to authors.
  • Manuscript Policy: Submitting a manuscript to the Beacon Journal implies that:
    • The submitted manuscript has permission for publication from all concerned author(s) and has been approved by the responsible authorities where that work was carried out
    • The author(s) work has not previously been published in any other journal, book, or book chapter, whether printed or online; and (except in the form of an abstract or an academic thesis).
    • It is not being considered for publication elsewhere
    • If accepted in the Beacon Journal, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in any language, without the prior consent of the publisher.
  • Publication Fee/Charges: There are no review or publication charges in The Beacon Journal. The Beacon Journal is completely free for authors and readers to promote the knowledge sharing community.
  • Editorial Procedure: The submitted papers are handled in the following manner:
    • Author acknowledgement upon receipt of paper (s).
    • Preliminary review (initial sifting) by the editorial staff (rejection or temporary acceptance) in accordance with the journal's scope and policy.
    • Reviewers conduct blind peer evaluations.
    • Improvement/revision (if necessary) by the author(s) based on the reviewer's suggestions.
    • Resubmit to the reviewer(s), if required.
    • Acceptance or rejection of the article based on the suggestions of the reviewers.
    • The editing process includes final editing, formatting, processing, and printing.
    • Publication of the journal.
  • Publication Fee/Charges: There are no review or publication charges in The Beacon Journal. The Beacon Journal is completely free for authors and readers to promote the knowledge sharing community.
  • Publication Fee/Charges: There are no review or publication charges in The Beacon Journal. The Beacon Journal is completely free for authors and readers to promote the knowledge sharing community.

Plagiarism Policy:

The Beacon Journal follows the policies of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan regarding plagiarism. It uses Turnitin Originality Report software. The journal has a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism.

Citation Format:

Footnotes and Bibliography must comply with Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.

Copyright Policy:

Without prior permission from the Editor/Publisher, reproduction, storage, or transmission of any portion of The Beacon Journal, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, is forbidden. The ideas stated in the journal are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher, Editorial & Advisory Board, or other parties.

Complaint Policy: to ensure continuous improvement:

the editorial team of the Beacon Journal welcomes complaints and suggestions. The team can be approached citing journal’s vol. no., issue no., paper title, and page no to Editor Beacon Journal at editor.beacon@pnwc.paknavy.gov.pk

Miscellaneous:

  • UK English Spellings should be used. Dates must be written as 1 January 2023
  • Acronyms should be written within brackets after first citation.
  • The resolution of Images/ Maps must be of 300-600 dpi.