Clear guidelines and ethical standards governing our publishing practices.
Transparency, integrity, and quality assurance in all aspects of scholarly communication.
Symphony is committed to open access publishing across its journal portfolio. This approach ensures that our articles are instantly available worldwide without any financial barriers. Readers, whether individuals or institutions, can freely access, download, share, print, and utilize our content for any lawful purpose under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
Our commitment aligns with the principles outlined in the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), which advocates for the removal of obstacles to scholarly knowledge dissemination. By adhering to these guidelines, we aim to foster a more inclusive and collaborative academic environment.
Symphony applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license to all its journal publications. Authors retain copyright of their work while granting Symphony a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to publish and distribute content worldwide. Users can download, modify, and share the material for both non-commercial and commercial purposes, provided they properly cite the original authors and source.
Symphony journals employ a double-blind peer review system as the standard for all submissions, ensuring both author and reviewer anonymity throughout the process. All submissions undergo rigorous peer evaluation with a minimum of two qualified reviewers. The Editor-in-Chief holds final authority on publication decisions.
Once the author submits a manuscript for review, it will be prescreened by the Editorial Office. The staff will check whether it meets our technical requirements for submission. The Peer-Review Support Specialist will check whether it is in accordance with the journal's aims and scope.
Following completion of the prescreen by the Editorial Office, the manuscript will be assessed by the Editor-in-Chief. A comprehensive evaluation will ensue, considering alignment with the journal's aims and scope, methodological rigor, and overall article readability.
Subsequently, the Editor-in-Chief will assign the manuscript to an Associate Editor or Guest Editor (for submissions to Special Issues) based on the research fields encapsulated.
The appointed Associate Editor or Guest Editor will then meticulously invite a minimum of two anonymous reviewers for the manuscript, adhering to the double-blind peer review approach.
The Editor-in-Chief will make a final decision based on the received recommendation and their own assessment of the manuscript, indicating approval for rejection, acceptance, minor revision, or major revision.
Double-blind peer review: Both reviewers and authors remain anonymous throughout the process, ensuring objective evaluation based solely on scientific merit.
Initial editorial decision is typically provided within 2 weeks of submission. The standard review process takes 8-12 weeks from submission to first decision. Review completion is expected within 4-6 weeks of reviewer acceptance, with extensions available upon request.
All reviews must include detailed scientific explanations and constructive feedback. We maintain international reviewer pools to ensure diverse perspectives and expertise across our interdisciplinary scope.
For questions regarding the editorial process, please contact journals@symphonypub.com
Symphony ensures long-term accessibility of published content through multiple digital preservation systems. The full text of all articles is deposited in CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, and PKP Preservation Network (PN) to guarantee perpetual access to the scholarly record.
Through these multi-tier preservation systems, Symphony guarantees that all published articles will remain accessible to the scholarly community in perpetuity, even in the event of publisher discontinuation or technical failures.
Symphony uses professional plagiarism detection software including Crossref's Similarity Check service powered by iThenticate to identify textual similarities in submitted manuscripts. Our journals consider text similarity below 20% acceptable.
The system compares submitted manuscripts against comprehensive academic databases and web resources. Authors must minimize word reuse, properly credit sources, and accurately cite all references.
All Symphony journals follow international authorship standards as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All listed authors must make substantial contributions to the work and be accountable for the research and its presentation.
Authors must provide ORCID IDs and describe individual contributions in the manuscript. The corresponding author coordinates communication and ensures all co-authors approve the final version. Academic status should not determine authorship order.
Symphony strongly supports The FAIR Data Principles, believing that research data should be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable where ethically and legally feasible.
Authors are encouraged to share research data in relevant public repositories and provide data availability statements. Some journals may require data sharing as a condition of publication, with peer reviewers potentially reviewing the research data before publication.
All submissions must be original, unpublished work not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts should be submitted in Word format using provided templates, include proper APA 7 formatting, and meet language standards.
Authors must ensure manuscripts comply with technical requirements, scope alignment, and formatting guidelines before submission. All co-authors must be registered during the submission process.
Submissions must include title page, manuscript file, and author declarations. Additional documentation may be required for specific research types.
Symphony supports the dissemination of research results through self-archiving. Authors may archive submitted manuscripts in preprint servers and deposit accepted manuscripts in institutional repositories immediately after acceptance.
The final published version may be used for self-archiving on personal websites and institutional repositories immediately after publication with proper citation and DOI linking.
Symphony maintains the integrity of the scientific record through transparent correction and retraction procedures. Minor post-publication corrections that do not affect scientific understanding may be rejected.
Retractions are considered for unreliable data, plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research, or compromised peer review. All correction and retraction notices explain the reasons and are published promptly.
Authors may appeal editorial decisions based on major misunderstandings of technical aspects or failure to recognize scientific advances. Appeals must include sufficient justification and are only considered from original submitting authors.
Complaints regarding published materials are accepted within 12 months of publication. All appeals and complaints should be directed to the journal editorial office.
Symphony protects personal information collected through journal services. Names and email addresses are used exclusively for stated journal purposes and manuscript processing. Published author information becomes part of the public scholarly record.
Authors have rights including access, correction, and deletion of personal data under applicable data protection laws. Contact the editorial office to exercise these rights.
Authors may include supplementary materials such as applications, images, videos, and datasets to enhance content. All supplementary materials are published as provided and must include descriptive captions.
Changes to supplementary materials at any stage require submission of updated files with clear explanations of modifications.
All Symphony journals accept manuscripts only in English. Authors may use either British (-ise) or American spelling but must apply the chosen style consistently throughout the manuscript.
Manuscripts must follow provided templates, include proper APA 7 formatting, and meet professional language standards. Authors are responsible for language proofreading before submission.
Following acceptance, manuscripts undergo final editorial review and formatting verification. Authors receive proofs for approval and must return corrections within the specified timeframe, typically 5 working days.
The corresponding author completes publication license agreements and provides final documentation before online publication and DOI assignment.
Symphony journals may publish thematic issues focusing on specific topics within journal scope. Guest Editors oversee the peer review process while maintaining the same quality standards as regular issues.
Guest Editor contributions are limited to 25% of thematic issue content and undergo external peer review. All thematic issues follow standard editorial and ethical guidelines.
Symphony ensures perpetual access through multiple preservation systems: LOCKSS provides distributed preservation across global libraries, CLOCKSS offers automatic public release if publisher content becomes unavailable, and PKP Preservation Network specializes in OJS journal preservation.
This multi-tier preservation strategy guarantees redundancy and long-term access to the scholarly record across geographic and institutional boundaries.
Symphony maintains editorial independence by currently excluding advertisements from journal articles and official websites. This policy ensures that commercial interests do not influence editorial decisions or content presentation.
Any future commercial partnerships will be transparently disclosed and designed to support scholarly publishing without compromising editorial integrity.
Authors submitting revised manuscripts must provide a comprehensive response letter addressing each reviewer comment, a tracked changes version showing modifications, and a clean final version.
Reasonable time is allowed for revisions based on the scope of required changes. Extension requests are generally accommodated when justified circumstances are presented.
Following acceptance, manuscripts typically undergo final review and are published online within 15 days. The process includes license completion, final formatting, author proof approval, and DOI assignment.
Authors receive proofs for approval and must return corrections within 5 working days to maintain publication schedules.
Editorial board members maintain independence in decision-making, oversee peer review quality, and ensure adherence to publication standards. They cannot participate in review processes for their own submissions.
Board members must recuse themselves from decisions involving potential conflicts and ensure fair, unbiased editorial processes.
Symphony values reviewer contributions and provides professional certificates upon request for career portfolios. Outstanding reviewers may be invited to join editorial boards or serve as guest editors.
Reviewer identities remain confidential unless they choose to reveal themselves to authors after publication decisions.
Authors may archive preprints before submission, share accepted manuscripts immediately after acceptance, and use published versions for self-archiving with proper attribution.
Authors retain copyright while granting Symphony non-exclusive publishing rights under CC BY 4.0. No exclusive copyright transfer is required.
Authors may withdraw submissions before peer review completion but must provide justification. Post-acceptance withdrawals require editorial board approval and may result in publication of withdrawal notices.
Manuscripts must be submitted in Word format using provided templates, with files under specified size limits and proper formatting according to journal guidelines. All authors must provide ORCID IDs during submission.
Symphony is committed to accessible scholarly publishing. Currently, select journals in our portfolio operate with no Article Processing Charges (APCs), ensuring free publication for authors and free access for readers worldwide.
As our publishing activities expand, some journals may introduce reasonable processing fees to support enhanced editorial services and quality assurance. Any fee structures will be transparently communicated and designed to support excellence in scholarly publishing.
All Symphony journals are currently free to publish and free to read. Check individual journal policies for specific fee information.