About the Journal
International Journal of Governance and Development (IJOGDES) (ISSN 2971-6691, e-ISSN 2971-6705), previously titled the Journal of Local Government Studies, is an institutional journal. It is an independent, open access publishing outlet from the Department of Local Government and Development Studies, Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. It is a multidisciplinary behavioral science journal that publishes critical articles on all areas of government, non-governmental, development, public finance, management, local government, public administration, political economy, management, public policy, development studies, globalisation, political science business administration, gender studies, peace and conflict studies, climate change, industrial relation and personnel management social work and international relations, community development amongst others. IJOGDES is devoted to the study, research dissemination and exchange of knowledge and information on all aspects of governance and development and other related issues within and outside Nigeria. IJOGDES publishes two times (June and December) of each year. All rights are reserved to the owner/author through the Editor-in-Chief, Department of Local Government and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University.
Note: All previous journal are in print only and they are available on request.
Aims and Scope:
The International Journal of Governance and Development Studies (IJOGDES) is a peer-reviewed publication that follows an open access policy. This multidisciplinary journal focuses on behavioral science and publishes insightful articles across a broad spectrum of topics, including government and non-governmental organizations, development studies, public finance, management science, local governance, public administration, political economy, public policy and analysis, globalization, political science, business administration, gender studies, peace and conflict studies, climate change, industrial relations, personnel management, social work, international relations, and community development, among others.
Peer Review Process:
The peer-review process for the International Journal of Governance and Development Studies (IJOGDES) is designed to publish high-quality works that contribute to literature in the fields of Governance and Development Studies and other related fields. Our double-blind review process typically takes between 4 to 12 weeks, depending on the cooperation of the authors of submitted manuscripts. Authors will be notified at each stage of the review process.
Outline of the IJOGDES Peer Review Process:
- Each submitted paper undergoes an initial plagiarism check using CrossRef’s Similarity Check software, powered by iThenticate’s Turnitin. Articles containing plagiarized content from other published works and of significant AI content will be rejected.
- Articles that pass the plagiarism check enter a blind pre-review process, during which their quality, accuracy, references (up-to-date, appropriate, and sufficient), punctuation, spelling, and grammar are assessed.
- Manuscripts that do not pass the initial blind pre-review are returned to their respective authors for amendments and resubmission, or they may be rejected.
- If a paper passes the pre-review stage, it is assigned to two reviewers who have expertise relevant to the manuscript's scope for blind reviews. All IJOGDES reviewers are officially appointed by our Journals publication team for their specific subject areas.
- During the blind reviews, the reviewers evaluate the submitted manuscript, assign marks, and provide comments based on the following criteria:
- Originality and creativity
- Interest of the topic to readers
- Significance/usefulness
- Mastery over the subject/contribution to knowledge
- Accuracy (methodology)
- Comprehensiveness
- Punctuation, spelling, and grammar
- References (up-to-date, appropriate, and sufficient)
- Tables, charts, and captions
- The reviewers summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript in a review report, provide an overall score, and recommend one of the following actions: Publish as is, Publish with minor revisions, Publish with major revisions, or Reject.
- Once the final report from the reviewer is submitted to the Editorial Team, a final decision is made regarding the manuscript, and the result is communicated to the author.
- Authors of accepted manuscripts are expected to implement the necessary corrections and submit the following:
- A copy of the revised manuscript
- A Word document outlining point-by-point the corrections made in response to the reviewer’s comments.
Guidelines for Author:
IJOGDES invites authors from around the world to share their innovative research and findings. Submissions to IJOGDES receive more visibility and undergo a peer-review process. We welcome the following types of academic contributions: original academic articles, conference papers, and book reviews.
Authors are expected to adhere to the following publishing ethics:
- Avoid plagiarism of others' work.
- Do not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal or publisher simultaneously.
- Cite and acknowledge other authors’ work appropriately.
- Only list co-authors who have made significant contributions.
- Avoid fabrication or the creation of false research data.
- Avoid falsification or manipulation of existing research data.
Authors submitting journal articles are encouraged to follow this format:
- Title
- Author's name, institutional affiliation, and email address
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Findings and Discussion
- Recommendations
- Conclusion
- Profile of Author(s)
- Reference
Before submitting a manuscript for publication in IJOGDES, please ensure that:
- Your findings advance the understanding in a specific research field.
- Your work is relevant to the journal's audience.
- Your manuscript is structured according to the journal's editorial policy.
- You have included keywords, all figures (with relevant captions), and all tables (with titles, descriptions, and footnotes).
- Your conclusions are justified by your results.
- You use the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style, as recommended by all IJOGDES journals.
- You have reviewed your work and corrected any grammatical and spelling mistakes.
- One author is designated as the corresponding author and provides their contact details: email address, institution, and phone number.
- The order of authors in the manuscript is appropriately listed. Any additions, deletions, or rearrangements of authorship should be made only before the manuscript is accepted.
Each submitted manuscript for publication will undergo a peer-review process.
Guidelines for Reviewers:
Peer review is essential for the academic development of reviewers as it keeps them updated on the latest research and stimulates their own research activities. The International Journal of Governance and Development Studies (IJOGDES) employs a double-blind peer review process for every submitted manuscript. In this model, both the reviewer and the author remain anonymous, offering several advantages:
- Author anonymity reduces reviewer bias related to the author's gender, country of origin, academic status, or prior publication history.
- Articles authored by prestigious or renowned individuals are assessed based solely on their content rather than their reputation.
- The quality of published papers is improved.
- Previous work is appropriately acknowledged.
- The model aids in identifying plagiarism and unethical practices.
As a reviewer, before accepting a manuscript for review, ensure the following:
- The article aligns with your area of expertise.
- You have enough time to complete the review by the deadline. IJOGDES typically requires reviews to be finished within three to four weeks.
- You are familiar with the journal's editorial policy. If this information is not provided by the editor, please request it.
Assessment Procedure:
When reviewing a manuscript, you should:
- Present your main impressions of the article.
- Assess whether the article adheres to the journal's editorial policy.
- Keep your comments factual and avoid speculation.
- Use short, clearly defined paragraphs.
- Inform the editor if you suspect plagiarism, fraud, or ethical violations.
- Provide feedback on various aspects of the article, including the abstract, introduction, methodology, findings and discussions, conclusion, and references.
- Rate the article based on criteria such as originality and creativity, relevance to readers, significance and usefulness, mastery of the subject/contribution to knowledge, accuracy of methodology, comprehensiveness, punctuation, spelling and grammar, as well as the appropriateness and sufficiency of references, tables, charts, and captions.
- Outline the strengths, weaknesses, and other comments for the author in your review report.
- Provide an overall score and recommend one of the following options: Publish as is, Publish upon minor revisions, Publish upon major revisions, or Reject.
Reviewers will receive a link to complete and submit a Reviewer’s Report form. Once the final report is submitted to the Editorial Team, a decision regarding the manuscript will be made and communicated to the author.
Open Access Policy:
All research papers published in the International Journal of Governance and Development Studies (IJOGDES) are open access. This ensures that they are freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication, allowing users to download them at no cost from the journal’s website. Open access enables authors to share their research with a broader audience, and the global research community can access all articles without any restrictions, memberships, or fees. Users can read, copy, distribute, print, search, link to the full texts of the articles, index them for crawling, utilize them as data for software, or employ them for any other lawful purposes without requiring prior permission from either the publisher or the authors. This aligns with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access. The copyright holder—namely, the authors of all published articles—grants usage rights to others under an open license (CC BY license). The majority of open access publications are made available through Creative Commons licences. These licences stipulate specific conditions for how works can be adapted, shared, or reused. Specifically, all IJOGDES published articles are licensed under the CC BY license.
Publication Ethics:
IJOGDES adheres to rigorous review procedures throughout our publication process. We expect authors to submit articles that are not concurrently under consideration for peer review elsewhere and to agree to the publication fees upon notification. Should any errors be identified in articles prior to publication, we ask that authors cooperate in rectifying these issues.
Plagiarism is regarded as a serious offense by IJOGDES, and we are dedicated to excluding manuscripts with potential instances of plagiarism from the review and publication process.
As fabricating, manipulating, or falsifying data in a manuscript is unethical, IJOGDES strictly follows the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to address suspected cases of data fabrication and falsification appropriately.
IJOGDES bears the responsibility of making final decisions regarding recommendations from the Editorial Board in cases of potential unfair assessments of manuscripts submitted for publication.
We ensure that confidentiality is diligently maintained during the double-blind review process for all submitted journal articles.
Articles submitted to IJOGDES may only be withdrawn prior to publication. However, IJOGDES reserves the right to withdraw an article before or after publication if there are suspected cases of plagiarism or data falsification. Withdrawal by an author will only be accepted under compelling or unavoidable circumstances arising from their institution or due to conflicts between the author and co-authors. In such cases, the author must formally write to IJOGDES, including a signed letter from all authors detailing the reasons for withdrawal.
Indexing:
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