About the Journal

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal devoted to advancing scholarship and dialogue in global policy, governance, and strategic affairs. It seeks to explore the dynamic intersections between regional developments and global transformations, offering critical insights into diplomacy, economics, security, and international cooperation.

Published by the Bengal Frontier Research Initiative, the journal serves as a platform for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to present evidence-based research, innovative ideas, and forward-looking strategies addressing global challenges. The Bengal Frontier encourages original contributions that foster intellectual exchange and policy innovation across disciplines, regions, and cultures.

Aims and Scope

The Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy aims to promote interdisciplinary and policy-relevant research on contemporary global issues, with an emphasis on the strategic roles of emerging regions such as South and East Asia.

The journal welcomes manuscripts that advance theoretical, empirical, and practical understanding of:

• Global and regional governance frameworks

• International relations and diplomacy

• Security studies and strategic policy analysis

• Economic policy, trade, and sustainable development

• Digital transformation, technology governance, and innovation policy

• Environmental and climate policy

• Social justice, migration, and human rights in global policy contexts

BFJGPS encourages submissions from academics, practitioners, and early-career researchers that bridge scholarship and practice. The editorial board values methodological diversity, policy impact, and original contributions that inform effective governance and promote international understanding.

 

Author Guidelines

1. Overview

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) welcomes original research articles, policy analyses, review essays, and commentaries that contribute to scholarly understanding and policy discourse in global governance, strategy, and development. Submissions must be unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.

2. Types of Manuscripts

The journal accepts the following categories:

• Research Articles (5,000–8,000 words): Empirical or theoretical contributions with clear methodological grounding.

• Policy Papers / Analyses (3,000–6,000 words): Applied studies addressing practical policy challenges or strategic implications.

• Review Essays (3,000–5,000 words): Analytical reviews of books, policies, or major global developments.

• Commentaries / Perspectives (1,500–3,000 words): Brief, thought-provoking discussions on emerging issues.

Word counts include references, tables, and figures.

3. Manuscript Preparation

File Format:
Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).

Language:
Submissions must be in clear, grammatically correct English (British or American usage accepted, but consistency is required).

Layout and Structure:

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt

• Spacing: 1.5 lines

• Margins: 1 inch on all sides

• Page numbers: bottom centre

• Alignment: justified

Article Structure (recommended):

1. Title

2. Author(s) name, affiliation, and email address

3. Abstract (150–250 words)

4. Keywords (3–6 terms)

5. Introduction

6. Methodology (if applicable)

7. Results / Analysis

8. Discussion

9. Conclusion and Policy Implications

10. References

Headings: Use up to three levels of heading, formatted consistently.

Tables and Figures:

• Number consecutively (e.g., Table 1, Figure 1).

• Include clear titles and sources (if applicable).

• Submit figures as high-resolution images (JPEG/PNG, at least 300 dpi).

4. Referencing Style

BFJGPS follows the APA 7th Edition referencing style.

In-text citation examples:

• (Ahmed, 2023)

• (Rahman & Lee, 2021, p. 45)

• (World Bank, 2022)

Reference list examples:

• Book:
  Ahmed, S. (2023). Global Strategy and South Asian Diplomacy. Routledge.

• Journal article:
  Rahman, T., & Lee, K. (2021). Policy innovation in post-pandemic governance. Global Policy Review, 10(2), 45–67.

• Website:
  World Bank. (2022). World development indicators. https://data.worldbank.org

5. Ethical Considerations

• Submissions must be original and free from plagiarism.

• Authors should disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

• Studies involving human participants must state compliance with ethical standards.

• BFJGPS adheres to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines for editorial integrity. 

6. Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo double-blind peer review by at least two expert reviewers. The process typically takes 6–8 weeks. Editorial decisions (accept, revise, or reject) are based on originality, scholarly rigor, policy relevance, and clarity.

7. Submission and Communication

Authors must submit manuscripts through the OJS online submission system at
https://journal.bengalfrontier.org

All correspondence regarding submissions, revisions, or publication inquiries should be directed to:
✉️ editor@bengalfrontier.org

8. Copyright and Open Access

BFJGPS publishes all content under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing others to share and adapt the work with proper citation. Authors retain copyright of their work.

9. Article Processing Charges (APC)

There are no submission or publication fees at this stage. The journal is fully open access and supported by the Bengal Frontier Research Initiative.

Peer Review Policy

1. Overview

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) maintains a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, integrity, and relevance of all published works. The journal upholds high academic and ethical standards, providing constructive evaluation that strengthens the contribution of each manuscript to the fields of global policy and strategic studies.

2. Review Model

The journal follows a double-blind peer review process:

• The reviewers do not know the identities of the authors.

• The authors do not know the identities of the reviewers.

This ensures impartiality and reduces potential bias during evaluation.

3. Reviewer Selection

Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, publication record, and familiarity with the manuscript’s subject area. Each submission is typically evaluated by two independent reviewers.
The Editorial Board maintains a diverse pool of national and international reviewers from academic, policy, and professional institutions.

4. Review Criteria

Manuscripts are assessed according to the following criteria:

• Originality and contribution to the field of policy and strategic studies

• Theoretical and methodological soundness

• Clarity and coherence of argumentation

• Policy relevance and practical significance

• Quality of writing, referencing, and presentation

Reviewers provide detailed written feedback and may recommend:

• Accept without revision

• Accept with minor revision

• Revise and resubmit for further review

• Reject

The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief, based on reviewers’ reports and the journal’s editorial standards.

5. Review Timeline

The initial editorial screening is completed within 2–3 weeks of submission.
The double-blind review process generally takes 6–8 weeks, depending on reviewer availability. Authors are notified promptly of the decision, and revised manuscripts are evaluated for final acceptance.

6. Confidentiality

All submissions and reviews are treated as confidential documents. Reviewers must not share or use unpublished material from a submitted manuscript for personal advantage. Editorial correspondence and reviewer identities remain confidential at all stages.

7. Ethical Standards

BFJGPS adheres to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines to ensure fairness, transparency, and integrity in peer review. Any concerns about research ethics, data manipulation, or publication misconduct are investigated according to COPE protocols.

8. Reviewer Recognition

The journal values the scholarly service of its reviewers. Those who contribute regularly may be acknowledged annually on the journal’s website (with consent), and may be invited to join the editorial or advisory board based on performance and expertise.

⚖️ Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

1. Commitment to Ethical Publishing

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and academic integrity. The journal strictly adheres to the COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Core Practices, ensuring that all parties involved in the publication process — authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher — act with honesty, transparency, and responsibility.

2. Duties of Authors

Authors are responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work. They must:

• Submit only original manuscripts that have not been published elsewhere or under consideration by another journal.

• Properly acknowledge all sources, data, and contributions through accurate citation and referencing.

• Avoid all forms of plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, data fabrication, and image manipulation.

• Disclose any conflicts of interest that may influence interpretation of results.

• Ensure that research involving human participants complies with ethical and legal standards, including informed consent and institutional approval where applicable.

• Promptly inform the editors of any significant errors discovered after publication and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions if necessary.

3. Duties of Editors

The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board are responsible for maintaining academic quality and fairness. They must:

• Make editorial decisions based solely on scholarly merit, without discrimination regarding race, gender, institutional affiliation, or political belief.

• Treat all submissions with strict confidentiality, disclosing content only to those directly involved in the review and publication process.

• Ensure the integrity of the peer review process and take active steps to prevent any form of bias or manipulation.

• Address allegations of research misconduct, plagiarism, or unethical behavior in accordance with COPE guidelines.

• Publish corrections, clarifications, or retractions when ethical concerns are validated.

4. Duties of Reviewers

Reviewers play a critical role in maintaining the scholarly integrity of BFJGPS. They must:

• Provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations of manuscripts.

• Maintain confidentiality regarding the review process and not use information from submitted work for personal gain.

• Declare any conflicts of interest that could compromise impartial judgment.

• Identify and alert editors to any potential plagiarism, data manipulation, or ethical concerns observed in the manuscript.

5. Publisher’s Responsibilities

The Bengal Frontier Research Initiative as the journal’s publisher ensures:

• The independence of editorial decisions from commercial or political influence.

• Permanent digital preservation and accessibility of published content.

• Transparent communication with indexing services, repositories, and readers.

• Immediate action upon discovering any instance of publication malpractice.

6. Handling Misconduct and Complaints

BFJGPS takes all allegations of research and publication misconduct seriously.
In cases of suspected plagiarism, data falsification, or ethical violations:

• The editors will conduct a preliminary investigation.

• If warranted, the journal will follow COPE’s structured process for dealing with misconduct, which may include contacting the author’s institution and, if necessary, retracting the article.

• Complainants will be treated confidentially and fairly.

7. Retraction and Correction Policy

Articles may be retracted, corrected, or withdrawn if substantial errors, ethical violations, or research misconduct are confirmed. Retraction notices will clearly state the reason and remain permanently accessible to maintain the integrity of the academic record.

8. Ethical Oversight

BFJGPS supports transparency in research ethics, including:

• Ethical approval for studies involving human or animal participants.

• Disclosure of funding sources and institutional support.

• Clear authorship criteria and acknowledgment of contributors.

9. Open Access and Licensing

BFJGPS is an open-access journal publishing under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. This permits unrestricted sharing and adaptation of published work with proper attribution to the original authors.

Open Access Policy

1. Commitment to Open Knowledge

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) is an open-access journal dedicated to the free and global exchange of academic knowledge. The journal firmly believes that publicly funded research should be freely available to all readers and that open access promotes greater dissemination, visibility, and impact of scholarly work.

All articles published in BFJGPS are immediately and permanently available online without subscription fees or registration barriers.

2. Licensing Terms

All published articles are distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license allows:

• Use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format,

• Provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source,

• A link to the license is included, and

• Indication is made if changes were made.

Readers, researchers, and institutions are free to:

• Download and distribute the published works,

• Use them for teaching, data mining, or derivative research,

• Translate or adapt materials with proper attribution.

License link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

3. Copyright Policy

Authors publishing in BFJGPS:

• Retain full copyright of their work.

• Grant the journal the right of first publication under the CC BY 4.0 license.

• May archive, share, or republish their work elsewhere, with acknowledgment of its initial publication in BFJGPS.

This ensures that authors maintain ownership and control over their intellectual contributions while benefiting from wide dissemination and academic citation.

4. Archiving and Digital Preservation

To ensure long-term accessibility, all published content in BFJGPS is preserved using:

• LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and/or CLOCKSS archiving systems.

• Institutional repositories and indexing databases as part of its digital preservation policy.

5. Article Processing Charges (APC)

BFJGPS currently operates as a no-fee open-access journal.
There are no submission charges, processing fees, or publication costs for authors.
The journal’s open-access policy is fully supported by the Bengal Frontier Research Initiative.

6. Self-Archiving and Repository Policy

Authors are permitted and encouraged to deposit any version of their article (submitted, accepted, or published) in:

• Institutional repositories,

• Subject repositories, or

• Personal academic websites.

Proper citation to the published version in Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy must be included.

7. Accessibility and Inclusivity

BFJGPS is committed to making all published materials accessible to a global audience.
The journal’s website and PDFs are optimized for readability across devices and designed to meet international accessibility standards for users with visual or physical impairments.

Would you like me to now draft the “Archiving and Indexing Policy” next? It’s the next logical section to follow this one and is required for applications to DOAJ, Google Scholar, and Scopus.

 

Archiving and Indexing Policy

1. Digital Preservation Commitment

Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of all published content. The journal ensures that its scholarly materials remain permanently available and citable, even in the event of website or system failure.

To achieve this, BFJGPS employs internationally recognized digital preservation mechanisms and institutional partnerships that safeguard the integrity and availability of its publications.

2. Archiving Systems

BFJGPS participates in multiple trusted archiving initiatives, including:

• LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe): Ensures permanent preservation by storing content in multiple library systems worldwide.

• CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS): Provides a decentralized and secure preservation network for long-term accessibility.

• PKP Preservation Network (PN): A dedicated preservation system for journals using Open Journal Systems (OJS), which automatically archives all published issues.

These services guarantee that all published articles remain retrievable and accessible in perpetuity.

3. Institutional and Repository Archiving

Authors are encouraged to self-archive their work in:

• Institutional repositories,

• Subject repositories (e.g., SSRN, ResearchGate, Academia.edu), and

• National digital libraries or archives.

All versions (submitted, accepted, or published) may be archived, provided that full citation to the Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy is included.

4. Indexing and Abstracting

BFJGPS aims to enhance the discoverability and citation of published works by indexing in leading scholarly databases.
The journal is in the process of (or intends to be) indexed in the following platforms:

• Google Scholar

• Crossref (DOI registration for each article)

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

• WorldCat

• PKP Index

• ROAD (Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources)

Applications for inclusion in additional databases such as EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Web of Science will be pursued as the journal matures.

5. Metadata Standards

The journal adheres to international metadata and interoperability standards, including OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting), ensuring that BFJGPS content can be indexed and harvested by global research databases and library systems.

6. Permanent Identifiers

Each published article in BFJGPS will receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) via Crossref, ensuring permanent, reliable citation and global traceability across scholarly databases.

7. Preservation of the Scholarly Record

In the event that Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy ceases publication, the publisher will ensure that all journal content remains accessible through participating preservation networks and repositories. The editorial and publisher teams are committed to the enduring integrity of the scholarly record.

©️ Copyright and Licensing Policy

1. Copyright Ownership

Authors who publish with Bengal Frontier: Journal of Global Policy and Strategy (BFJGPS) retain full copyright of their work.
Upon publication, authors grant the journal the right of first publication and the non-exclusive license to distribute the work under the terms of the selected Creative Commons license.

This means authors remain the legal owners of their articles and may:

• Share and distribute their work freely;

• Deposit their work in institutional or subject repositories;

• Reuse the content in future works (books, chapters, reports, etc.);

• Grant reproduction rights to others, provided the original publication in BFJGPS is properly cited.

2. Licensing Terms

All articles published in BFJGPS are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this license, anyone may:

• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format;

• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially;

provided that:

• Proper credit is given to the author(s) and the journal,

• A link to the license is included, and

• Changes are indicated when applicable.

License link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

3. Author Rights

Authors publishing with BFJGPS retain the following rights:

• To use the article in future works such as books, lectures, or teaching materials;

• To post the published version (PDF) on personal or institutional websites;

• To deposit all versions (submitted, accepted, and published) in repositories with appropriate citation;

• To grant permissions to third parties to reproduce the work, provided that BFJGPS is acknowledged as the original source.

No prior permission is required from the journal for such use.

4. Publisher Rights

The Bengal Frontier Research Initiative, as the publisher, holds the right to:

• Publish, distribute, and archive the work in all forms and media;

• Maintain the official version of record;

• Ensure digital preservation through recognized archiving systems (LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, PKP PN).

The publisher does not claim copyright ownership over published works.

5. Open Access and Redistribution

All content of BFJGPS is freely available online to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts without financial, legal, or technical barriers.
Readers, educators, and institutions are encouraged to use and share published materials under the conditions of the CC BY 4.0 license.

6. Third-Party Material

Authors must ensure that any third-party material (e.g., images, figures, tables) used in their manuscript is properly licensed and credited.
If the material is not covered under CC BY 4.0, authors must obtain written permission from the copyright holder before submission.

7. Changes to Licensing Terms

The journal reserves the right to update its licensing policy in line with evolving best practices for open-access publishing. However, any such change will not affect the rights granted to authors for previously published works.