Indian Journal of Learning and Teaching (IJLT)
Indian Journal of Learning and Teaching (IJLT) is committed to maintaining academic integrity, editorial independence, fairness, transparency and high standards of scholarly publishing. Editorial decisions are based on the academic merit, originality, relevance, methodological soundness and contribution of submitted manuscripts to the journal’s scope.
The journal publishes scholarly work relating to education, learning, teaching, pedagogy, teacher education, educational technology, curriculum, assessment and related interdisciplinary areas.
1. Editorial Independence
Editorial decisions are made independently and shall not be influenced by commercial, financial, institutional or personal interests.
The Editor-in-Chief has primary responsibility for overseeing the editorial process and making or approving final publication decisions in accordance with the journal’s policies.
The Publisher provides administrative and publishing support but does not interfere with the academic evaluation of individual manuscripts.
2. Editorial Decision-Making
Manuscripts are assessed on their scholarly merit without discrimination on the basis of an author’s nationality, institutional affiliation, gender, geographical location, seniority, political opinion, religion or other personal characteristics unrelated to academic quality.
Editorial decisions may include:
- Accept;
- Accept subject to minor revision;
- Major revision and resubmission;
- Reject; or
- Decline without external review where the manuscript is outside the journal’s scope or does not satisfy basic editorial requirements.
Acceptance of a manuscript is not guaranteed at any stage before the final editorial decision.
3. Initial Editorial Screening
Every manuscript submitted to IJLT may undergo an initial editorial assessment before being sent for peer review.
The editorial office may examine:
- relevance to the aims and scope of IJLT;
- originality and scholarly contribution;
- overall quality and organisation;
- compliance with author guidelines;
- ethical and research integrity requirements;
- plagiarism, duplication or inappropriate text overlap;
- authorship and conflict-of-interest declarations; and
- completeness of required information and supporting documents.
A manuscript may be returned to the author for corrections or declined at this stage where it clearly does not meet the journal’s requirements.
4. Peer Review
Manuscripts considered suitable after preliminary screening are subjected to scholarly peer review.
IJLT follows a double-anonymous peer-review process wherever practicable, under which the identities of authors and reviewers are not disclosed to each other during the review process.
Reviewers are selected on the basis of their relevant subject expertise, research experience and ability to provide an objective assessment.
Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts with respect to:
- originality;
- relevance;
- research design and methodology;
- clarity of objectives;
- adequacy of analysis;
- interpretation of findings;
- contribution to existing knowledge;
- quality and relevance of references; and
- overall academic presentation.
Peer-review reports are advisory. The final editorial decision remains with the Editor-in-Chief or an authorised handling editor.
5. Confidentiality
Submitted manuscripts, correspondence, reviewer reports and unpublished information obtained during the editorial process shall be treated as confidential.
Editors and reviewers must not disclose manuscript contents to unauthorised persons or use unpublished information obtained through the peer-review process for personal or professional advantage.
6. Conflicts of Interest
Authors, editors and reviewers must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, academic or personal interests that could reasonably be perceived as influencing their judgement.
A reviewer should decline a review where a significant conflict of interest exists.
An editor who has a conflict relating to a submitted manuscript must not participate in the editorial decision concerning that manuscript. The manuscript shall be assigned to another suitably qualified editor.
Disclosure of potential competing interests supports transparency and does not automatically prevent publication.
7. Manuscripts Submitted by Editors or Editorial Board Members
Manuscripts submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, editors, editorial board members, reviewers or individuals closely associated with the journal shall not receive preferential treatment.
Where an editor or editorial board member is an author or has a significant connection with a manuscript, that individual shall be excluded from its evaluation and decision-making process.
An independent editor and appropriate external reviewers should handle such submissions.
8. Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers should:
- provide objective, constructive and academically reasoned comments;
- maintain confidentiality;
- declare relevant conflicts of interest;
- avoid personal or inappropriate criticism;
- identify important published work that may have been overlooked where relevant;
- notify the editor of suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication or other research-integrity concerns; and
- Complete reviews within the agreed period wherever possible.
Reviewers must not use confidential information obtained during peer review for personal research, financial advantage or any other improper purpose.
9. Editorial Responsibilities
Editors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are handled fairly, confidentially and consistently.
Editors should:
- select suitably qualified reviewers;
- protect reviewer and author confidentiality according to the journal’s review model;
- Consider reviewer comments objectively;
- manage competing interests;
- investigate credible concerns about research or publication integrity;
- maintain appropriate editorial records; and
- ensure that publication decisions are based primarily on scholarly considerations.
10. Research and Publication Ethics
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research has been conducted ethically and in accordance with applicable institutional, national and disciplinary requirements.
Where research involves human participants, personal information, identifiable data, vulnerable populations or other activities requiring ethical oversight, authors should provide appropriate information concerning ethical approval and informed consent where applicable.
The journal may request supporting documentation where ethical concerns arise.
11. Originality, Plagiarism and Duplicate Publication
Submissions should represent original scholarly work.
Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate manipulation of data, duplicate publication and substantial undisclosed redundant publication are not acceptable.
The journal may use appropriate similarity-detection or other screening methods as part of its editorial assessment.
A similarity report shall not normally be treated as the sole basis for determining plagiarism. Editors should consider the nature, context and extent of any textual overlap before reaching a decision.
12. Authorship and Contributorship
Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work and who accept responsibility for the submitted manuscript.
Authors should ensure that:
- All legitimate contributors are appropriately acknowledged;
- No person who has not made an appropriate contribution is listed as an author;
- all authors have approved the submitted version; and
- All authors are aware of and agree to the submission.
Disputes concerning authorship may be referred to the relevant authors’ institutions where independent investigation is required.
13. Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, citations and content of manuscripts submitted to IJLT.
Artificial intelligence or generative AI tools must not be listed as authors because they cannot assume responsibility or accountability for scholarly work.
Where AI tools have been used substantively in preparing, analysing or presenting research, authors should provide appropriate disclosure in accordance with the journal’s applicable author guidelines.
The use of AI tools does not transfer responsibility from the authors to the technology provider or the journal.
14. Data Integrity and Availability
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the data underlying their research.
Where appropriate to the discipline and subject to legal, ethical, privacy or confidentiality restrictions, authors are encouraged to preserve research data and provide sufficient information to support verification of their findings.
The journal may request supporting information or underlying data where legitimate questions concerning the integrity of a published or submitted work arise.
15. Editorial Decisions and Revisions
Authors receiving a revision decision should address reviewers’ and editors’ comments carefully and provide a clear account of the changes made.
Submission of a revised manuscript does not constitute acceptance.
The editorial team may obtain further peer review where substantial revisions have been made or where additional specialist assessment is considered necessary.
16. Appeals
Authors may appeal an editorial decision where they believe that a significant factual, procedural or academic error occurred during evaluation.
An appeal should clearly explain the grounds for reconsideration and should address the relevant editorial or reviewer comments.
Appeals based solely on disagreement with the outcome, without substantive academic or procedural grounds, may not result in reconsideration.
Where appropriate, an appeal may be evaluated by an editor who was not responsible for the original decision.
The outcome of the journal’s formal appeal process shall ordinarily be considered final.
17. Complaints
Complaints concerning editorial procedures, publication ethics, journal staff, editors, reviewers or published material should be submitted to the journal through its official contact channel.
Complaints will be reviewed objectively and, where appropriate, independently of individuals directly involved in the matter.
The journal will seek to address legitimate complaints fairly and in accordance with its applicable policies and established principles of publication ethics.
18. Allegations of Research or Publication Misconduct
The journal takes credible allegations of misconduct seriously whether they arise before or after publication.
Possible concerns may include:
- plagiarism;
- fabrication or falsification;
- manipulation of data or images;
- undisclosed duplicate publication;
- inappropriate authorship;
- unethical research;
- undisclosed competing interests; or
- manipulation of peer review.
The journal may request explanations or supporting records from authors and, where appropriate, seek clarification from relevant institutions.
Editorial actions will depend upon the evidence available and the seriousness of the concern.
19. Corrections, Retractions and Other Post-Publication Actions
IJLT recognises its responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.
Where a significant error is identified after publication, the journal may issue an appropriate correction or other notice.
Where reliable evidence indicates that published findings are seriously unreliable because of misconduct or major error, or where another substantial publication-ethics issue warrants such action, the journal may consider retraction in accordance with applicable publication-ethics principles.
Published notices should identify the affected article and explain the nature of the editorial action sufficiently clearly to maintain transparency of the scholarly record.
Minor typographical errors that do not affect the meaning or integrity of an article may be handled editorially where appropriate.
20. Post-Publication Discussion
The journal welcomes responsible scholarly discussion concerning published work.
Readers may communicate substantive concerns, comments or academic criticisms to the editorial office. Authors may be invited to respond where appropriate.
Legitimate concerns relating to data, methodology, ethical conduct or publication integrity will be assessed according to their substance rather than the identity or status of the person raising them.
21. Commercial Considerations
Editorial decisions shall not be determined by advertising, sponsorship, publication charges, institutional relationships or other commercial considerations.
Where fees or charges apply, payment or the ability to pay shall not determine whether a manuscript is academically accepted.
Any applicable publication charges should be communicated separately and transparently through the journal’s official policies.
22. Intellectual and Academic Freedom
IJLT supports responsible academic discussion and the publication of well-founded scholarly findings, including findings that may challenge established assumptions or report negative, inconclusive or unexpected results.
Editorial decisions should be based on academic quality and relevance rather than whether findings support a particular viewpoint.
23. Editorial Board
Editorial Board members are appointed on the basis of relevant academic qualifications, disciplinary expertise, research experience and their potential contribution to the journal.
Members may support the journal by:
- advising on editorial policy;
- reviewing manuscripts;
- recommending qualified reviewers;
- contributing to the academic development of the journal; and
- supporting ethical and scholarly publishing practices.
Editorial Board membership does not confer authority to guarantee acceptance of any manuscript.
24. Policy Review
IJLT may periodically review and update its editorial policies to reflect developments in scholarly publishing, research integrity, publication ethics and applicable academic standards.
Substantive policy revisions should be reflected on the journal website.
25. Commitment to Publication Ethics
The Indian Journal of Learning and Teaching seeks to conduct its editorial activities consistently with recognised principles of responsible scholarly publishing, including relevant guidance concerning peer review, conflicts of interest, research integrity, complaints, appeals and correction of the scholarly record.
Reference may be made, where appropriate, to established guidance such as the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and other recognised scholarly publishing standards.
Journal: Indian Journal of Learning and Teaching (IJLT)
Publisher: PhD Kro
Frequency: Quarterly
Publication Formats: Print and Online
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Website: https://ijltjournal.com/
Last reviewed: 25 September 2026