Notice of Revised Journal Policies and Editorial Guidelines — Effective 1 November 2026

The Editorial Office of Three Teachings Studies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism (TTS) announces a comprehensive revision of the journal's editorial policies, author instructions, peer review procedures, and publication guidelines. All revised policies will take effect on 1 November 2026. These updates are intended to strengthen editorial transparency, academic integrity, consistency of publication procedures, protection of authors' rights, and the independence of scholarly evaluation.

The revisions reflect the journal's continuing commitment to responsible international scholarly publishing and to the particular requirements of research in Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, philosophy, religious studies, intellectual history, philology, and related interdisciplinary fields.

Effective Date and Applicability

The updated editorial and publication policies will become effective on 1 November 2026. Authors submitting manuscripts and reviewers accepting assignments from that date should consult and follow the revised requirements.

For manuscripts already undergoing editorial evaluation, the Editorial Office will communicate material procedural adjustments where necessary and seek to ensure fair and consistent treatment. The policy revisions do not, by themselves, invalidate editorial decisions already formally issued.

Revised Author Guidelines and Submission Procedures

The journal has revised its submission and manuscript preparation guidelines to clarify contribution categories, language requirements, scholarly documentation, and editorial processing expectations.

• Submission Requirements: The journal continues to accept Research Articles, Review Articles, Book Reviews, Translation and Annotation, Forum Contributions, Documents and Textual Notes, and Lectures, subject to the requirements of each category.
• Publication Languages: Manuscripts are accepted in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, with English titles and abstracts required for non-English submissions.
• Flexible Formatting: A compulsory manuscript template is not required. However, all manuscripts must follow The Chicago Manual of Style, Notes and Bibliography system.
• Official Submission Procedure: Manuscripts, revisions, and related submission materials must be processed through the journal's official online submission system.
• Author Information: Revised guidance clarifies abstract requirements, keywords, anonymized manuscripts, author information, and the preparation of supporting materials.

Relevant pages: Submission Guidelines, Manuscript Formatting Guidelines, and Author FAQs.

Peer Review and Editorial Decision-Making

The revised policies provide a clearer distinction between independent peer review, editorial assessment, manuscript revision, and final publication decisions.

• Research Articles ordinarily undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent external reviewers.
• Other scholarly contribution types may undergo editorial or specialist assessment appropriate to their content and academic purpose.
• The journal aims to complete first-round peer review within approximately 8–12 weeks from initial submission, including the preliminary editorial screening period.
• Reviewers are ordinarily requested to submit their reports within four weeks after accepting an invitation.
• Reviewer recommendations inform editorial decisions, but final acceptance or rejection remains the responsibility of the authorized editorial leadership.

Relevant pages: Peer Review Policy and Publication Process & Timeline.

Publication Ethics and Research Integrity

The journal has strengthened its ethical framework to provide more detailed requirements concerning originality, authorship, source reliability, conflicts of interest, responsible use of artificial intelligence, and the handling of academic misconduct.

• Authors must conduct a preliminary similarity check before submission and maintain a total similarity index below 15%, excluding references and bibliography.
• Similarity percentages are screening indicators and do not independently establish plagiarism or research misconduct.
• The journal recognizes the special requirements of classical textual scholarship, translations, historical documents, canonical sources, and religious research materials.
• Material AI assistance must be disclosed where required, and human authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their scholarly work.
• Revised procedures clarify the assessment of ethical concerns, opportunities for affected parties to respond, editorial appeals, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

Relevant pages: Publication Ethics, Author Ethical Responsibilities, and Plagiarism & Similarity Screening.

Open Access, Copyright, and Publication Charges

The revised publication policies provide further clarification of author rights, reuse permissions, third-party materials, and the relationship between publication charges and editorial independence.

• Authors retain copyright in their original scholarly contributions and grant the journal non-exclusive publication rights.
• Published scholarly articles remain immediately open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
• Authors may immediately share and self-archive the final published version without an embargo period.
• Third-party images, modern translations, archival reproductions, and other protected materials may remain subject to separate copyright or licensing conditions.
• The standard Article Processing Charge for accepted Research Articles is USD 350. There are no submission or peer review fees. Book Reviews and Forum Contributions are exempt from the standard APC, and partial or full waivers may be considered according to the journal's policy.

Relevant pages: Copyright & Licensing, Open Access Policy, and Article Processing Charges.

Reviewer Responsibilities and Confidentiality

Updated reviewer policies establish more detailed requirements for confidential manuscript handling, reviewer independence, responsible use of automated tools, protection of unpublished intellectual contributions, and reporting of ethical or information-security concerns.

• Reviewers must provide independent, evidence-based, constructive, and professionally expressed assessments.
• Unpublished manuscripts, review reports, and protected editorial communications must not be disclosed to unauthorized third parties.
• Confidential manuscript materials must not be uploaded to external generative AI services without explicit authorization and appropriate safeguards.
• Reviewers must disclose material conflicts of interest and must not delegate review assignments without prior editorial permission.
• Completed review reports should ordinarily be submitted through the journal's official online review system.

Relevant pages: Reviewer Guidelines and Confidentiality & Ethics.

Publication Information and Annual Schedule

TTS continues to operate as an annual, online-only scholarly journal with rolling online publication. Accepted articles may be published after completing the required production procedures, with the annual volume finalized on 30 December.

Following formal acceptance, the journal ordinarily aims to complete publication preparation and online release within approximately 3–5 weeks in total, subject to production readiness and administrative requirements.

For further institutional and bibliographic information, please consult Publication Information.

Guidance for Authors and Reviewers

Authors preparing new submissions are encouraged to consult the revised Submission Guidelines, Manuscript Formatting Guidelines, and Author Ethical Responsibilities before submitting their manuscripts. Reviewers are requested to consult the updated Reviewer Guidelines and Confidentiality & Ethics policy before accepting new assignments.

The journal's policies are intended to provide clear and consistent standards for all participants. Questions regarding their interpretation or application may be directed to the Editorial Office.

TTS remains committed to independent scholarly assessment, fair editorial procedures, the protection of intellectual contributions, and the responsible dissemination of research across linguistic, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries.

Effective Date: 1 November 2026

Journal: Three Teachings Studies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism

Publisher: Panorama Scholarly Group (PSG)

Editorial Office: [email protected]

Journal Website: https://journals.panorama-sg.com/tts

Issued by the Editorial Office
Three Teachings Studies: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism
Panorama Scholarly Group (PSG)