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: All submissions to, ‘The Beacon Journal’ are first reviewed inaccordance with journal’s policy guidelines and later assessed by the Editor-In-Chief who decides whether these are suitable for peer review. All research articles and book review(s) published in The Beacon Journal are subject to an anonymous three-tiered double-blind peer review process by external referees and members of The Beacon Journal’s Editorial Team. The primary objective of the peer review process entails providing the Editorial Team the expertise they need to make an impartial, evidence-based assessment that complies with the journal's editorial norms. Review reports enable authors in making necessary revisions to their paper(s) in order for them to be accepted for publication. The publication in The Beacon Journal is discretion of the Editorial Team.

  • 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.

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.

Disclaimer:

Pakistan Navy War College (PNWC) makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the content (information) contained in ‘The Beacon Journal.’ However, the views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the policy and position of PNWC, its executive body or the Editorial Team.

Copyright Policy:

All rights are reserved. No part of the content of this journal may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, and disseminated in any form or by any means without prior written permission from PNWC.

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 [email protected]

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.