1. Composition of the Editorial Board

1) The Editorial Board shall be chaired by the Editor-in-Chief and composed of several editorial board members appointed by the Editor-in-Chief.
2) The Editorial Board shall participate in all matters related to the publication of the journal, including manuscript submission management, appointment of reviewers, confirmation and notification of review results, and verification of manuscript revisions.
3) The term of office for Editorial Board members shall be two years, and members may be reappointed.

2. Peer Review Policy

1) All submitted articles undergo a double-blind peer review process by at least two reviewers. The authors will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout the peer review process. To ensure a blind review, any potentially identifying information, such as author names and affiliations, should be removed from the manuscript before submission. This will be checked during the initial desk screening. If the manuscript does not meet the minimum requirements outlined in the instructions for authors, it may be rejected prior to the peer review.
2) The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint three first-round reviewers for each manuscript, generally including at least one international reviewer, in consultation with the reviewers recommended by the Editorial Board members. However, manuscripts that have received an Outstanding Oral Presentation Award or Outstanding Poster Award at the Korean Society for Early Childhood Education (KSECE, henceforth)’s academic conference within the past year shall be exempt from one reviewer requirement, and two first-round reviewers shall be appointed.
3) Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the topic area and research methodology and, in principle, should hold a doctoral degree. Authors are welcome, but not required, to suggest suitable reviewers. If authors do provide suggestions, they should ensure that the suggested reviewers are completely independent and not connected to the work in any way. However, the Editorial Board may choose not to use the suggested reviewers.
4) Each reviewer accesses the manuscripts via a secure website using a unique ID and password provided by the journal. Reviewers will return their evaluations by the assigned due date. Reviewers’ comments are sent to the author, who addresses the reviewers’ comments and submits the revision. The final decision will be sent by the Editorial Office.
5) Reviewers shall evaluate submitted manuscripts based on the following criteria:

• ● Clarity of the research problem and topic
• ● Originality of the study
• ● Accuracy and thoroughness in the review and analysis of relevant literature and data
• ● Validity of the research methodology and appropriateness of the logical development of the argument
• ● Potential contribution to the academic and practical fields of early childhood education in Korea
• ● Compliance with research ethics

6) Reviewers shall evaluate manuscripts based on the review criteria and make one of the following recommendations: “Accept,” “Accept with Revisions,” “Revise and Resubmit,” or “Reject.” Reviewers shall provide detailed comments and justifications for their recommendations and submit them to the Editorial Office.
7) Based on the evaluations of the three reviewers, the Editorial Office shall make a first-round overall decision of “Accept,” “Accept with Revisions,” “Revise and Resubmit,” or “Reject.” The criteria for the overall decision are as follows:

• (1) For manuscripts that received an Outstanding Oral Presentation Award or Outstanding Poster Award at the KSECE’s academic conference and are submitted within one year of the presentation date, one of the three first-round reviewer evaluations shall be waived. The waived evaluation shall automatically be counted as “Accept with Revisions.”
• (2) Manuscripts receiving an overall decision of “Accept with Revisions” shall be considered conditionally accepted for publication, provided that the requested revisions are adequately addressed. Manuscripts receiving a decision of “Revise and Resubmit” must undergo a second round of review.

8) The Editorial Board shall notify authors of the first-round overall review decision within five weeks from the manuscript submission deadline. However, in exceptional cases, the notification period may be extended depending on circumstances, provided that the extended period does not exceed seven weeks.
9) For manuscripts requiring revision, authors shall submit a revised manuscript and a response letter to the reviewers’ comments by the designated deadline following notification of the review results.
10) The Editorial Board shall review and acknowledge receipt of the revised manuscript and the response letter.
11) If the first-round overall decision is “Accept with Revisions,” the Editorial Board shall request one reviewer who was not involved in the first-round review process to evaluate the revised manuscript. The reviewer shall examine the three first-round review reports, the author’s revised manuscript, and the response letter, and shall make one of the following recommendations: “Accept” or “Accept with Revisions (additional revisions requested).”
12) If the first-round overall decision is “Revise and Resubmit,” the Editorial Board shall request one reviewer who was not involved in the first-round review process to evaluate the revised manuscript. The reviewer shall examine the three first-round review reports, the author’s revised manuscript, and the response letter, and shall make one of the following recommendations: “Accept,” “Accept with Revisions,” or “Reject.” The reviewer may also provide additional comments beyond those included in the first-round reviews.
13) The Editorial Board shall notify the author of the second-round overall review decision.
14) Authors shall submit a second revised manuscript or final manuscript, together with a response letter, by the designated deadline.
15) If the result of the “Revise and Resubmit” review is “Accept with Revisions,” the Editorial Board shall review the author’s second revised manuscript and response letter and make one of the following decisions: “Accept” or “Accept with Revisions (additional revisions requested).” The third-round overall decision shall then be communicated to the author.
16) The Editorial Board shall confirm for publication those manuscripts receiving a final decision of “Accept.”
17) Even if a manuscript has been accepted for publication, the Editorial Board may reject the manuscript regardless of the review results if it is determined that the manuscript violates the journal’s research ethics regulations.
18) If an author fails to make revisions without a justifiable reason following the review decision, the Editorial Board may determine whether the manuscript will remain eligible for publication.
19) Complaints and Appeals: The journal values transparency and fairness in its editorial process, and this policy provides a structured approach for addressing concerns raised by authors.

• (1) Complaints and appeals against editorial decisions must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief within 30 days of the decision. The submission should clearly explain the reasons for requesting reconsideration of the decision.
• (2) Upon receipt of the appeal, the Executive Editorial board (Editor-in Chief, Associate editors) will review the submission, which may involve consultation with the original reviewers or other Editorial Board members. The author may be asked to provide additional information if necessary.
• (3) The Editor-in Chief will provide a written response to the appeal within a reasonable timeframe, typically within 60 days. The decision of the Editor-in-Chief is final.

*** Matters not specified in these regulations shall be handled by the Editor-in-Chief in accordance with customary practices and subsequently reported to the Editorial Board.