Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ page provides clear information for authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions about the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, including its scope, submission process, peer-review standards, open access model, publication ethics, DOI and metadata practices, indexing visibility, archiving policy, and post-publication procedures.

What is the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research?
The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research is an international, peer-reviewed, open access academic journal published by Oxbridge Publishing UK Ltd. The journal welcomes high-quality scholarly work that crosses disciplinary boundaries and contributes to contemporary academic debates.

Who publishes the journal?
The journal is published by Oxbridge Publishing UK Ltd, a UK-based academic publishing company committed to transparent, ethical, and internationally accessible scholarly publishing.

What is the ISSN of the journal?
The online ISSN of the International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research is 2979-269X.

What is the publication frequency of the journal?
The journal follows a quarterly publication schedule, publishing four issues per year: January, April, July, and October. The journal has successfully published its first issues in 2026.

Is the journal international?
Yes. The journal welcomes submissions from scholars, researchers, practitioners, and postgraduate researchers from all countries, provided that the manuscript meets the journal’s academic, ethical, and editorial standards.

What is the main aim of the journal?
The journal aims to publish interdisciplinary research that connects theories, methods, and problems across different fields, especially in the social sciences, humanities, communication, education, law, business, management, cultural studies, technology, and related areas.

What makes a manuscript suitable for this journal?
A suitable manuscript should present a clear research problem, a strong theoretical or conceptual framework, a meaningful contribution to knowledge, and a methodologically or analytically sound argument. The work should also show interdisciplinary relevance.

Does the journal only accept interdisciplinary articles?
The journal gives priority to interdisciplinary work. However, strong discipline-based manuscripts may also be considered if they address broader academic, social, cultural, technological, or institutional questions with wider relevance.

What disciplines does the journal cover?
The journal welcomes work in communication studies, media studies, sociology, education, law, business, management, political science, international relations, cultural studies, philosophy, psychology, digital society, ethics, technology studies, and other related fields.

Does the journal accept manuscripts in business and management studies?
Yes. Business and management studies are within the journal’s scope, especially when the manuscript connects management, organizations, ethics, communication, leadership, digital transformation, culture, law, or society.

Does the journal accept communication and media studies articles?
Yes. Communication, media, journalism, digital platforms, public relations, visual culture, documentary studies, media ethics, and communication technology are highly relevant to the journal’s scope.

Does the journal accept legal studies articles?
Yes. The journal considers legal studies articles, particularly those connected to society, governance, ethics, human rights, communication, education, technology, business, or interdisciplinary public issues.

Does the journal accept education research?
Yes. The journal welcomes education research, including higher education, pedagogy, curriculum, digital learning, educational policy, communication in education, and interdisciplinary approaches to learning.

Does the journal accept humanities-based research?
Yes. The journal considers humanities-based research when it has a clear scholarly argument and contributes to wider interdisciplinary discussions.

Does the journal accept theoretical or conceptual articles?
Yes. Theoretical and conceptual articles are welcome, provided that they present a clear argument, engage deeply with the literature, and offer an original contribution.

What types of manuscripts does the journal accept?
The journal accepts original research articles, review articles, conceptual papers, case studies, short communications, critical essays, and interdisciplinary academic analyses.

Does the journal accept original research articles?
Yes. Original research articles should present a clear research question, relevant literature, a suitable methodology, analysis, discussion, and conclusion.

Does the journal accept review articles?
Yes. Review articles should synthesize existing scholarship, identify gaps in the literature, and offer a clear contribution to future research.

Does the journal accept systematic reviews?
Yes. Systematic reviews may be considered if they follow a transparent search strategy, clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a rigorous analytical structure.

Does the journal accept case studies?
Yes. Case studies are welcome when they offer analytical depth, theoretical relevance, and broader academic significance beyond the specific case.

Does the journal accept short communications?
Yes. Short communications may be considered when they present a focused, timely, and original contribution.

Does the journal publish book reviews?
Book reviews may be considered if they are academically relevant to the journal’s scope and approved by the editorial team.

Does the journal publish conference papers?
Conference papers may be considered only if they are substantially revised, not previously published as full papers, and comply with the journal’s originality and ethical requirements.

Does the journal publish special issues?
Yes. Special issue proposals may be considered if they are academically strong, clearly themed, interdisciplinary, and aligned with the journal’s editorial standards.

Does the journal accept student or postgraduate submissions?
Yes. Submissions from postgraduate researchers are welcome, provided that the manuscript meets the same academic and ethical standards applied to all authors.

How can I submit my manuscript?
Authors may submit manuscripts through the journal’s official submission system or by following the instructions provided on the journal website. Authors should carefully read the author guidelines before submission.

Is there a submission fee?
No. The journal does not charge a submission fee.

Is there a peer-review fee?
No. The journal does not charge a separate peer-review fee.

Should the manuscript be anonymized before submission?
Yes. Because the journal uses double-blind peer review, the manuscript file should not include author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, or any information that directly identifies the authors.

Where should author details be provided?
Author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, contact details, and acknowledgements should be provided separately from the anonymized manuscript file.

Does the journal require ORCID iD?
ORCID iD is strongly encouraged for all authors because it improves author identification, metadata quality, and scholarly discoverability.

What file format should be used for submission?
Authors should follow the journal’s submission guidelines. Manuscripts are generally expected in an editable document format such as Microsoft Word.

Does the journal provide a manuscript template?
If a template is provided on the journal website, authors are encouraged to use it. If no template is used, manuscripts should be clearly formatted, consistently referenced, and prepared according to the journal’s author guidelines.

What referencing style does the journal use?
The journal generally follows APA 7th edition unless otherwise stated in the author guidelines.

Is an abstract required?
Yes. Each manuscript should include a clear abstract that summarizes the purpose, method or approach, main findings or argument, and contribution of the study.

Are keywords required?
Yes. Authors should provide relevant keywords to improve indexing, searchability, and discoverability.

Can I submit more than one manuscript at the same time?
Authors may submit more than one manuscript, but each submission must be original, complete, and independently prepared. Multiple submissions do not guarantee acceptance.

Can I submit a manuscript that is under review elsewhere?
No. Manuscripts submitted to IJIR must not be under consideration by another journal, book, conference proceedings, or publishing platform at the same time.

Can I submit a previously published manuscript?
No. The journal does not accept manuscripts that have already been published in substantially the same form.

Can I submit a manuscript based on my thesis or dissertation?
Yes. Manuscripts based on theses or dissertations may be submitted if they are rewritten as journal articles and meet the journal’s academic standards.

Is the journal peer-reviewed?
Yes. All research articles submitted to the journal are subject to editorial screening and, where appropriate, double-blind peer review.

What does double-blind peer review mean?
Double-blind peer review means that the reviewers do not know the identity of the authors, and the authors do not know the identity of the reviewers.

Does every submitted manuscript go directly to peer review?
No. All submissions first undergo editorial screening. Manuscripts may be declined before peer review if they are outside the scope, insufficiently original, poorly prepared, ethically problematic, or not ready for external review.

What happens during the initial editorial screening?
The editorial team checks the manuscript’s scope, originality, academic quality, ethical compliance, formatting, anonymization, and suitability for peer review.

How long does peer review take?
The journal aims to handle submissions efficiently. However, review timelines vary depending on reviewer availability, manuscript quality, revision requirements, and editorial workload. The journal does not guarantee acceptance or publication within a fixed number of days.

How many reviewers evaluate a manuscript?
Manuscripts sent for peer review are normally evaluated by qualified reviewers with relevant expertise. The number of reviewers may vary depending on the manuscript type and editorial requirements.

What are the possible editorial decisions?
Possible decisions include accept, minor revision, major revision, revise and resubmit, reject, or reject without external review.

Does a revision guarantee acceptance?
No. A revised manuscript is reconsidered by the editorial team and may be returned to reviewers. Acceptance depends on whether the authors have adequately addressed the editorial and reviewer comments.

Can authors appeal an editorial decision?
Yes. Authors may submit a formal appeal if they believe there has been a procedural error or a serious misunderstanding. Appeals must be evidence-based, respectful, and submitted to the editorial office.

Can authors suggest reviewers?
Authors may suggest potential reviewers if the submission system or journal guidelines allow it. The editorial team is not obligated to use suggested reviewers.

Can authors request that certain reviewers be excluded?
Authors may identify individuals with potential conflicts of interest. The editorial team will consider such requests, but final reviewer selection remains an editorial decision.

Can a manuscript be rejected after peer review?
Yes. A manuscript may be rejected after peer review if it does not meet the journal’s standards, if the contribution is insufficient, or if the revisions do not adequately address reviewer concerns.

What are common reasons for rejection?
Common reasons include weak originality, unclear contribution, insufficient interdisciplinary relevance, poor theoretical framework, inadequate literature review, methodological problems, unsupported conclusions, ethical concerns, plagiarism, or poor language quality.

Is the journal open access?
Yes. The journal follows an open access publishing model. Published articles are made freely available to readers.

Does the journal charge an Article Processing Charge?
Yes. The journal charges an Article Processing Charge only after acceptance. APC information is provided on the journal’s APC Policy page.

Is the APC charged before peer review?
No. APC payment is not required at submission and is not a condition for peer review.

Does payment of the APC guarantee acceptance?
No. Editorial decisions are based solely on academic quality, peer review, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

What does the APC cover?
The APC supports editorial administration, peer-review management, plagiarism checks, copyediting, production, DOI registration, metadata preparation, online hosting, archiving, and long-term accessibility.

Can my institution or funder pay the APC?
Yes. If an institution, department, research project, or funder agrees to cover the APC, the invoice may be issued accordingly.

Are APC waivers or discounts available?
Waivers or discounts may be considered in exceptional cases, subject to editorial and publisher policy. Authors should contact the editorial office before acceptance if they need to discuss this.

Is the APC refundable?
APC refund conditions depend on the stage of publication and the journal’s APC policy. Once production, DOI registration, or publication has occurred, refunds may not be available.

Are there hidden charges?
No. The journal aims to maintain a transparent publication fee policy. Authors should consult the APC Policy page for current information.

Does the journal assign DOI to published articles?
Yes. Each published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier through the journal’s DOI and metadata workflow.

What is the purpose of a DOI?
A DOI provides a persistent identifier for a published article, making it easier to cite, locate, and connect to the scholarly record.

Does each article have its own landing page?
Yes. Each published article should have a dedicated article page containing key bibliographic information, DOI, abstract, author details, and access to the full text.

Does the journal register metadata?
Yes. The journal prepares and maintains article-level metadata to improve discoverability through scholarly infrastructure and indexing systems.

Can DOI metadata be updated after publication?
Yes. If necessary, DOI metadata may be updated to reflect corrections, changes to article information, retractions, or improved bibliographic data.

Are articles published online?
Yes. Published articles are made available online through the journal website.

Does the journal publish full issues?
Yes. Articles are organized within journal issues according to the journal’s publication schedule.

Can authors share the published article?
Yes. Authors may share the official published version according to the journal’s open access and copyright policy.

Who holds copyright of the published article?
Copyright and licensing terms are stated in the journal’s Copyright and Licensing Policy. In open access publishing, authors normally retain significant rights while granting the journal the right to publish and disseminate the article.

Can authors reuse their own work after publication?
Yes. Authors may reuse their work in accordance with the journal’s license terms, provided that the original publication is properly cited.

Can authors deposit their article in an institutional repository?
Yes. Authors may deposit the published article in institutional or subject repositories according to the journal’s open access policy.

Can published articles be used for teaching?
Yes. Published articles may be used for teaching, research, and academic purposes, provided that proper citation is given.

Can readers download and read articles for free?
Yes. Articles published by the journal are freely accessible to readers under the journal’s open access model.

What is the journal’s plagiarism policy?
All submissions may be checked using plagiarism detection tools. Manuscripts with plagiarism, excessive similarity, unattributed copying, or unethical text recycling may be rejected.

Does the journal use a fixed similarity percentage?
Similarity reports are evaluated contextually. A low percentage does not automatically mean that a manuscript is ethical, and a higher percentage may require editorial interpretation depending on references, quotations, methods, and repeated terminology.

What happens if plagiarism is detected after publication?
If plagiarism is detected after publication, the journal may issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the seriousness of the case.

What is duplicate publication?
Duplicate publication occurs when substantially the same work is published or submitted in more than one place without proper disclosure. The journal does not accept duplicate publication.

What is self-plagiarism?
Self-plagiarism occurs when authors reuse substantial parts of their own previously published work without proper citation or transparency.

Does the journal allow the use of AI tools?
AI tools may be used only for limited support such as language editing, formatting assistance, or technical improvement. AI tools must not replace the author’s intellectual contribution, analysis, interpretation, or responsibility for the manuscript.

Should AI use be disclosed?
Authors should disclose substantial use of AI-assisted tools where such use has affected the writing, analysis, data processing, or presentation of the manuscript.

Can AI be listed as an author?
No. AI tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, or ethical compliance of the work.

What are the authorship criteria?
Authors should have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the conception, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript and should approve the final version before submission.

Does the journal allow gift authorship or ghost authorship?
No. Gift authorship, honorary authorship, guest authorship, and ghost authorship are not acceptable.

Can the author list be changed after submission?
Authorship changes after submission require a formal request, explanation, and confirmation from all affected authors. The editorial team may reject unjustified authorship changes.

Are conflicts of interest required to be disclosed?
Yes. Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial, institutional, personal, academic, or professional conflicts of interest that may influence the work.

Is funding information required?
Yes. Authors should disclose all funding sources, grants, institutional support, or financial relationships related to the research.

Is ethical approval required for all manuscripts?
Not all manuscripts require ethical approval. However, studies involving human participants, personal data, interviews, surveys, experiments, vulnerable groups, or sensitive information may require ethics committee approval or documented informed consent.

What if my article is theoretical and does not involve human participants?
Purely theoretical, conceptual, or literature-based manuscripts may not require ethics committee approval. Authors should still clearly state the nature of the study and comply with research integrity standards.

Does the journal require informed consent?
Yes. Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information, interviews, images, or sensitive data should include appropriate informed consent where applicable.

How does the journal handle research misconduct?
Suspected research or publication misconduct is reviewed by the editorial team. The journal may follow internationally recognized publication ethics procedures when evaluating such cases.

Can an article be corrected after publication?
Yes. If a published article contains an error that does not invalidate the main findings, the journal may publish a correction notice.

What is an expression of concern?
An expression of concern may be issued when serious questions arise about a published article but the investigation has not yet reached a final conclusion.

When can an article be retracted?
An article may be retracted if it contains serious errors, plagiarism, fabricated data, unethical research, duplicate publication, invalid findings, or other major breaches of publication ethics.

Does a retracted article disappear from the website?
Normally, the scholarly record is preserved. A retraction notice is published, and the article page is clearly marked according to editorial policy.

Can authors withdraw a manuscript after submission?
Yes. Authors may request withdrawal before publication by submitting a formal request to the editorial office.

Can a manuscript be withdrawn after acceptance?
Withdrawal after acceptance may be subject to conditions, especially if peer review, editorial processing, production, DOI preparation, or publication work has already been completed.

Can a published article be withdrawn by the author?
Published articles are part of the scholarly record. After publication, removal is not normally permitted except in exceptional legal, ethical, or safety-related cases.

How are complaints handled?
Complaints should be submitted in writing to the editorial office. The journal reviews complaints carefully, fairly, and in accordance with its editorial and ethical policies.

Is the journal indexed?
The journal is developing its indexing and metadata visibility profile. Indexing applications and database inclusion processes are handled according to the requirements and timelines of each indexing service.

Does the journal guarantee indexing in specific databases?
No. Indexing decisions are made by independent databases and indexing services. The journal cannot guarantee acceptance by any external index.

Is the journal working toward recognized indexing databases?
Yes. The journal is committed to strengthening its editorial quality, metadata completeness, publication ethics, transparency, DOI infrastructure, and archiving practices in line with recognized indexing expectations.

Can articles appear in scholarly search engines?
Published articles may become discoverable through scholarly search engines, metadata services, DOI infrastructure, and external indexing systems, depending on each platform’s crawling and inclusion policies.

Does the journal archive published content?
Yes. The journal is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of published scholarly content through its digital publishing and archiving practices.

What happens if the journal website changes in the future?
The journal aims to maintain persistent article-level URLs and DOI metadata so that published content remains traceable and accessible even if technical or platform changes occur.

How can I become a reviewer for the journal?
Researchers and academics interested in reviewing may contact the editorial office with their CV, institutional affiliation, ORCID iD, areas of expertise, and recent publications.

Are reviewers paid?
Peer review is usually an academic service. Unless otherwise stated, reviewer roles are voluntary and based on scholarly contribution to the academic community.

What is expected from reviewers?
Reviewers are expected to provide fair, constructive, confidential, timely, and evidence-based evaluations of manuscripts.

Can early-career researchers become reviewers?
Early-career researchers may be considered if they have relevant expertise, publication experience, and the ability to provide rigorous academic assessment.

How can someone join the editorial or advisory board?
Interested academics may contact the journal with their CV, institutional profile, ORCID iD, publication record, and areas of expertise. Editorial and advisory appointments are subject to the publisher’s and journal’s evaluation.

What is the role of the editorial board?
The editorial board supports the journal’s academic quality, scope development, peer-review integrity, international visibility, and disciplinary expertise.

Will authors receive proof before publication?
Yes. Authors may receive page proofs or final files for checking before publication. Proof corrections should be limited to typographical, formatting, or minor factual corrections.

Can authors make major changes at proof stage?
No. Major conceptual, methodological, or structural changes are not normally allowed at proof stage unless requested by the editorial team.

Will authors receive a publication certificate?
A publication certificate or acceptance letter may be provided upon request, depending on the journal’s administrative policy.

Can authors promote their published article?
Yes. Authors are encouraged to share and promote their published article through academic networks, institutional repositories, personal websites, conferences, and social media, with proper citation and DOI.

How should authors cite their published article?
Authors should cite the article using the final bibliographic details provided on the article page, including journal title, volume, issue, year, page or article number where applicable, and DOI.

Can authors update their affiliation after publication?
Minor metadata corrections may be considered if there is a clear reason. However, affiliation changes after publication are handled according to the journal’s correction and metadata policy.

Can author names be corrected after publication?
Author name corrections may be considered upon formal request. The journal may require documentation or confirmation depending on the nature of the correction.

Can published articles be translated?
Translations may be possible depending on copyright and licensing conditions. The original article must always be properly cited.

How can I contact the journal?
Authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions may contact the journal through the official email address, contact form, or contact details provided on the journal website.

Who should I contact for submission questions?
Submission-related questions should be directed to the editorial office.

Who should I contact for APC or invoice questions?
APC, payment, invoice, or receipt questions should be directed to the publisher or administrative contact listed on the APC Policy or Contact page.

Who should I contact for DOI or metadata questions?
Questions about DOI, article pages, citation details, or metadata should be sent to the editorial or production office.

What should I do if I cannot find the answer to my question?
If your question is not answered in this FAQ, please contact the editorial office through the official journal website. The editorial team will respond as soon as possible.