We are committed to promptly evaluating and publishing fully accepted papers in the Journal of Fuzzy Extension & Applications (JFEA). To maintain a high-quality publication, all submissions undergo a rigorous review process. Characteristics of the peer review process are as follows:

Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to different journals will not be tolerated.

Manuscripts with contents outside the scope will not be considered for review.

Papers will be refereed by at least two experts as suggested by the editorial board.

In addition, Editors will have the option of seeking additional reviews when needed. Authors will be informed when Editors decide further review is required.

The journal's Editors-in-Chief make all publication decisions based on the referees' reports. Authors of papers that are not accepted are notified promptly.

All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents. We expect our Board of Reviewing Editors and reviewers to treat manuscripts as confidential material.

To ensure an unbiased evaluation, editors and reviewers with direct competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with authors should disclose any conflicts of interest and excuse themselves from the review process. Using privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review is unacceptable for competitive gain. Our peer-review process is strictly confidential, and the reviewers' identities cannot be disclosed.

 Description of Peer Review Process

Peer review is a critical evaluation process that systematically assesses manuscripts submitted to journals. This evaluation is conducted by specialists who are independent of the editorial staff. Peer review is essential to academic research, including scientific research, as it provides unbiased and independent evaluation. This process helps editors decide which manuscripts to publish while aiming to improve the quality, accuracy, transparency, and completeness of published papers. However, peer review cannot guarantee the quality of manuscripts or reliably detect scientific misconduct. Reviewers advise editors on improving the manuscript and its priority for publication. The editor makes the final decision to accept or reject a manuscript, taking into account the reviewer's recommendations. Not all submitted manuscripts are sent for review, as some may be deemed unsuitable for that particular journal. Editors should publish statistics periodically, such as the number of manuscripts submitted, acceptance rates, and the average time from submission to publication. The Journal of Fuzzy Extension & Applications (JFEA) accepts submissions through its online system. Authors must complete forms explaining why their manuscript should be considered and declare any competing interests. They are also required to submit a copyright declaration of competing interests. The JFEA ensures that all papers are peer-reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Acceptance is granted only when both reviewers' recommendations are positive. The journal is available online.

Initial review: The journal aims to speed up the decision process without compromising quality. The journal has a double-blind peer review, and the peer reviewers may be editorial board members or external reviewers. The selection of peer reviewers depends on their availability and the manuscript's subject. One step before the reviewing process, the journal editors use the PLAGIARISM software, Ithenticate (http://www.ithenticate.com/). A text similarity score below 20% is acceptable to the journal. Also, submissions that are out of the Journal's scope or of an unacceptably low standard may be rejected without review. This reviewing period (announcing to the author or starting the reviewing process) is at most seven days, and reviewing process is done by at least two journal reviewers. Notably, the specified time to review the process is approximately 1 to 3 months at most.

Manuscripts that have the potential to be suitable will undergo a review process by at least two experts in the field. This is done to make a prompt decision. In case of any statistical reasoning within the manuscripts, specialist statistical advisers are consulted to ensure its accuracy. Reviewers are also required to disclose any competing interests they may have.

Peer review: JFEA follows the Double-Blind Peer Review process. Papers that pass the initial review are assigned to a subject Editor, who selects several referees based on their expertise. At least two referees under a double-blind peer-review process review each paper where the referees and the authors are kept anonymous. Referees are asked to evaluate the paper based on originality, novelty, clarity, completeness, significance, soundness of methodology, and research contribution and relevance to design practices. Based on the Review Remarks, the papers may be placed in any one of the categories:

• Article Accepted
• Accepted with Minor Revision
• Accepted with Major Revision
• Clear Rejected

Referees are asked to complete their reviews within 4-6 weeks to facilitate timely publication. After collecting the referees' reports, the subject Editor recommends the acceptability of the paper to the Editor-in-Chief.

Recommendation

Based on the review board member comments and the subject Editor's recommendation, the Editor-in-Chief makes a final decision on the acceptability of the paper and communicates to the authors the decision, along with referees' reports. The final decision can be "Accept Submission," "Revisions Required," "Resubmit for Review," or "Decline Submission." A revised paper should be re-submitted within 15-30 days of the decision. It will usually be returned to the original referees for evaluation.

When a Review Board Member recommends a manuscript, it may need to go through several rounds of review before being accepted. The corresponding authors of eligible submissions will be informed of any updates. The final decision to accept a paper is based on feedback from referees and the editorial board. If an article is ultimately accepted after this thorough review process, the Editorial Board will decide which issue it will be published in and notify the author accordingly.

The detailed process for peer review in journals follows the flow diagram below: