Journal Policies

Editorial Oversight

Individuals who are members of the ASIANetwork are solicited by the organization's board to apply to become Editor(s)-in-Chief. The ASIANetwork sets up a review committee consisting of senior ASIANetwork officials that interviews applicants and makes a decision based on the outcome of the application and interview process. Potential guest editors either approach the Editor(s)-in-Chief with their idea for a special issue or section proposal for the journal, or the Editor-in-Chief may inquire with ASIANetwork members about their potential interest in publishing a special, guest-edited issue or section. The Editor(s)-in-Chief choose from these proposals the ideas that have the greatest fit with and would add to the journal's scope and mission, and which potential guest editor is most qualified to coordinate the submissions for the proposed topics.

The journal is under the authority of the Board of Directors of the ASIANetwork that oversees the editorial direction of the journal and its editorial team. The editor(s) must submit to the board information on issues in progress and planned. Although the board has this authority, it has thus far never disapproved of editors' plans and decisions. Editors agree to serve for three-year terms that can be renewed by the board.

When an article is submitted, the journal's Editor(s)-in-Chief decides whether a submission fits the journal's focus and scope, and is of the quality expected by the journal for peer review. If the submission does not meet these criteria, it is desk rejected by the Editor. For articles passed to peer review, the Editor makes decisions on article acceptance following the receipt of at least two peer review reports; this includes peer-reviewed articles that will appear in sections managed by guest editors.

This journal cultivates a broad and experienced Advisory Board that contains members from across different nations, academic institutions, genders and demographics. Potential board members are approached by the editorial team while keeping this diversity in mind.

Peer Review Process

When an article is submitted, the editors first determine if its topic fits within the scope of the journal’s mission statement, with consideration given to whether the information it contains might be useful for teaching undergraduate classes on Asian Studies. If the Editor determines that article is fitting, they choose two from a list of hundreds of scholars from various disciplines of Asian Studies, who have registered with the journal to be reviewers. During the double-anonymous review process, reviewers are asked to comment on how the author might improve the submission. If both reviewers agree that the article should be accepted for publication, the author is asked to consider the reviewers' suggestions for improvement. If one reviewer suggests that the journal rejects the article but the other reviewer suggest the journal publish it, the editors seek the input of a third reviewer. If the third reviewer says the journal should reject the article, the article is rejected. If the third reviewer suggests the journal should publish the article, it will be published pending changes that may be necessary. If both of the original two reviewers suggest that the article be rejected, the Editor-in-Chief will follow their guidance and reject it.

The journal maintains a double-anonymous review policy as this is best practice in the field.

ASIANetwork Exchange builds and maintains a roster of Asian Studies scholars with their research interests. They include former authors of articles and/or the faculty members of ASIANetwork member institutions, but the journal's Editor-in-Chief maintains and expands the roster. Once a manuscript has been submitted, and the Editor-in-Chief has deemed it worthy of peer review, they consult with the potential peer reviewer roster and identify at least two peer reviewers from the list, based on their disciplinary, regional, thematic, and topical research interests.

Generally, the journal does not allow for authors to suggest peer reviewers to review their research. However, under the rare condition where no expert in the topic can be found for review after multiple rounds of declined reviewer requests from external sources and board members, the Editor(s)-in-Chief may solicit the names of potential reviewers from the author. Whether the journal uses these or not is for the discretion of the Editor(s)-in-Chief. Authors will never be informed of who has been chosen to undertake review, should any suggestions be taken on board by the editorial team.

According to its double-anonymous peer review policy, ASIANetwork Exchange does not publish peer review reports alongside articles, or the names of the peer reviewers who have undertaken review of the article. Anonymised peer review data is held securely and privately in the journal’s publishing platform for the author to access whenever they choose to.

Anonymised abstracts are provided to potential peer reviewers at the time the editors ask them to review an article. If potential reviewers agree to undertake the review based on the abstract, they then have access to the anonymised article manuscript and any accompanying figure files.

Guidance for Peer Reviewers

When reviewing a manuscript, please begin with a general assessment and summary of your recommendation. Indicate whether the article fits within the scope and aims of the journal. Consider the quality of the content by evaluating its originality, relevance, and rigor, as well as the author’s grasp of the subject matter. Reflect on whether the manuscript engages adequately with existing scholarship, cites sources appropriately, and builds on the established knowledge base. Pay attention to the use of methodology and evidence, and whether the conclusions follow logically from the main body while contributing something new to the discussion.

Assess the structure and clarity of the argument. The abstract should accurately capture the core arguments in a concise way, while the introduction should set out the scope and signpost the discussion. The manuscript should develop a coherent line of reasoning that is fully substantiated, leading to a conclusion that both summarizes and highlights the significance of the findings.

If tables, figures, or charts are included, comment on their relevance, clarity, and contribution to the argument, as well as the quality of their presentation. Please also check that the manuscript follows the journal’s author guidelines, including proper formatting of references and citations.

Language and readability are also important. The article should be clearly written, grammatically sound, and accessible to its intended readership. Where improvements are needed, please identify specific areas for clarification or refinement.

Your feedback should be constructive, offering practical suggestions for strengthening the manuscript. Where relevant, you may highlight additional references, note gaps in argumentation, or suggest clearer framing. The goal of your review is to uphold the journal’s standards while supporting the author in producing the strongest possible version of their work.

Organisation and Governance

The ASIANetwork Exchange, founded in 1992, is owned and managed by the ASIANetwork, a not-for-profit scholarly association. ASIANetwork, a consortium of over 150 North American colleges, strives to strengthen the role of Asian Studies within the framework of liberal arts education to help prepare succeeding generations of undergraduates for a world in which Asian societies play prominent roles in an ever more interdependent world. The ASIANetwork Exchange was formerly published by Ubiquity Press until 2021 and is now published by the Open Library of Humanities.

Business Practices

Advertising

The ASIANetwork Exchange does not permit any advertising on the journal’s website and will never consider requests of any kind from other parties wishing to advertise in the journal or on its webpages.

Direct Marketing

This journal does not engage in any direct marketing practices.

The publisher, the Open Library of Humanities (OLH), employs a Community Outreach Manager who undertakes general marketing activities for the publisher including the promotion of its journals. The Community Outreach Manager does not, however, engage in direct marketing for any OLH journals and this does not affect the editorial decisions of OLH journals in any way.

Other Revenue

ASIANetwork Exchange receives modest financial support from ASIANetwork, which helps to fund the work of the Editor(s)-in-Chief and the copyeditors for the journal. All streams of revenue do not affect the editorial decisions of the journal in any way.

Guest-edited Sections and Special Issues

Guest-edited sections, should they be undertaken, are usually part of the journal's standard issues. In some cases, however, only special, guest-edited articles and nothing else are included within a standard journal issue, which is then considered a 'special issue'.

Interested guest editors may approach the Editor(s)-in-Chief about the section or issue’s theme and articles that will be included. The annual ASIANetwork meeting also has a session for the journal's promotion, to cultivate the members’ interest in publishing in ASIANetwork Exchange, and to discuss potential special sections' or issues’ themes with the interested parties. Should the Editor(s)-in-Chief be interested in an ASIANetwork member's research, project, or otherwise, they may approach the member to see if a potential guest-edited section or issue is possible for the journal.

The initial screening of manuscripts for special sections or issues will be jointly undertaken by both the special issue/section Guest Editor and Editor(s)-in-Chief. Special issue/section guest editors will be in charge of communicating with the contributing authors about avoiding excessive mutual or self-citations. The peer review process for such content follows the journal's standard review process.