Editorial Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarly publishing through a fair, transparent, rigorous, and independent editorial process. The journal seeks to promote excellence in research and academic discourse by publishing original, methodologically sound, and ethically conducted studies that contribute to the advancement of Physical Education, Sports Sciences, Health, Well-being, Yoga, Indian Knowledge Systems in Physical Education, and related interdisciplinary fields.

As a scholarly publication of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the journal support research that are educationally relevant, scientifically robust, socially responsive, and aligned with national and international priorities for holistic human development.

Editorial Principles

The editorial process is guided by the following principles:

• Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, significance, and contribution of the submitted work.
• The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board exercise complete editorial independence in evaluating and deciding upon manuscripts. Editorial decisions are made free from institutional, political, commercial, financial, or personal influence.
• The journal is committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible editorial practices throughout the publication process.
• Manuscripts are evaluated objectively without discrimination based on nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, institutional affiliation, seniority, or any other personal characteristic.
• Editors and editorial staff maintain strict confidentiality regarding submitted manuscripts and related communications throughout the editorial and peer-review process.

Editorial Decision-Making

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening to determine their suitability for the journal. During this stage, submissions are assessed for their relevance to the journal's scope, originality, academic quality, compliance with submission guidelines, and adherence to ethical standards.

Manuscripts considered suitable for review are subjected to a double-blind peer-review process conducted by independent experts in the relevant field. Editorial decisions are based on reviewer’s recommendations together with the independent academic judgment of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.

The journal may issue one of the following editorial decisions: Accept, Accept with Minor Revisions, Major Revisions Required, and Reject.

The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to make the final decision on all submitted manuscripts.

Editorial Responsibilities

The Editorial Team is responsible for ensuring that every manuscript is processed efficiently, fairly, and ethically. Editors are expected to: maintain high academic standards throughout the editorial process; select suitably qualified and impartial reviewers; safeguard the confidentiality of submitted manuscripts; avoid conflicts of interest in editorial decision-making; ensure timely communication with authors and reviewers; promote constructive and unbiased peer review; and uphold internationally accepted standards of research integrity and publication ethics.

Research Integrity

The journal is committed to maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record. All submissions must represent original work that has not been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

The journal does not accept any form of: plagiarism or self-plagiarism; duplicate or redundant publication; data fabrication or falsification; image manipulation that misrepresents research findings; inappropriate authorship practices; or any other form of research misconduct.

Submitted manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism-detection software before peer review. Allegations of research misconduct will be handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy, NCERT Journals Publication Policy (2025), and internationally accepted ethical guidelines.

Conflict of Interest

Editors shall disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that may influence the editorial evaluation of a manuscript. Editors with such conflicts shall recuse themselves from handling the manuscript, and an alternative editor shall be assigned.

Authors and reviewers are also expected to disclose any conflicts of interest in accordance with the journal's policies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The journal recognizes the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in scholarly communication. AI tools may be used only as supportive tools for language editing or manuscript preparation where appropriately disclosed. AI systems cannot be credited as authors and cannot assume responsibility for the integrity, originality, or accuracy of scholarly work. Editorial decisions will always be made by qualified human editors.

Editorial Commitment

The Editorial Team is committed to promoting scholarly excellence through an editorial process that is transparent, timely, ethical, constructive, and respectful. The journal seeks to foster a collaborative academic environment that supports innovation, interdisciplinary research, evidence-based practice, and the dissemination of knowledge for the advancement of Physical Education and Well-being.

The views and opinions expressed in published articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Editorial Board, or the publisher.

Policies

Publication Ethics

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, fairness, and accountability in scholarly publishing. The journal expects authors, editors, reviewers, and all individuals involved in the publication process to uphold ethical research and publication practices. The journal promotes original, responsible, and high-quality scholarship and is guided by UGC and Ministry of Education ethical standards, NCERT Journal Publication Policy (2025), and internationally accepted principles of publication ethics.

Ethical Standards

The journal publishes original and unpublished work that contributes significantly to the fields of Physical Education, Sports Sciences, Health, Well-being, Yoga, Indian Knowledge Systems, and related interdisciplinary disciplines. Manuscripts must present accurate, honest, and transparent reporting of research. Any form of plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, inappropriate image manipulation, or other research misconduct is strictly prohibited. All submissions will be screened using plagiarism-detection software before peer review.

Responsibilities of Authors, Editors, and Reviewers

Authors are responsible for submitting original work, ensuring accurate reporting of research, appropriately acknowledging all contributors and sources, disclosing potential conflicts of interest, and complying with applicable ethical requirements. Research involving human participants or animals should comply with relevant institutional and national ethical standards. Also, Authors must acknowledge funding agencies, if any and parent institutions.

Editors are responsible for ensuring an impartial, confidential, and transparent editorial process. Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance of the manuscript.

Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations, maintain confidentiality, declare any conflicts of interest, and assist editors in maintaining the academic quality of the journal.

Research Integrity and Ethical Compliance

The journal is committed to protecting the integrity of the scholarly record. Allegations of plagiarism, duplicate publication, unethical research practices, authorship disputes, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or any other form of research misconduct will be investigated fairly and confidentially. Where appropriate, the journal may reject manuscripts, request corrections, publish expressions of concern, or retract published articles in accordance with its editorial policies.

The journal recognizes the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in manuscript preparation. AI tools may be used only as supportive writing or language-assistance tools where appropriately disclosed. AI systems cannot be listed as authors, and authors remain fully accountable for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of their work.

Commitment to Ethical Publishing

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being is committed to fostering a culture of responsible scholarship, academic integrity, and ethical publishing. The journal follows internationally accepted principles of publication ethics and editorial best practices and is guided by the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other recognized scholarly publishing standards (Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE Core Practices. https://publicationethics.org/core-practices; Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). COPE Guidelines. https://publicationethics.org/guidance; Elsevier. Publishing Ethics and Research Integrity; Springer Nature. Research Publishing Policies). All participants in the publication process share the responsibility of preserving the credibility, reliability, and integrity of scholarly communication.

Peer Review Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) follow a double-blind peer review process. Every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes an initial editorial screening to assess its relevance to the journal's scope, compliance with the submission guidelines, and adherence to ethical standards. Manuscripts that successfully pass this stage are evaluated by at least two independent experts with relevant subject expertise, who remain anonymous to the authors, while the identities of the authors are also concealed from the reviewers throughout the review process. In case of disagreement, manuscript may be sent to a third reviewer. The journal may invite additional reviewers or seek further expert opinion whenever the editorial team considers it necessary. Editorial decisions are made after careful consideration of the reviewers' recommendations together with the independent academic judgment of the Editor-in-Chief or the assigned handling editor. Authors may be requested to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewers' comments before a final decision is reached.

Copyright and Licensing Policy

Copyright of all articles published in the Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) shall vest with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Upon acceptance for publication, authors grant NCERT the right to publish, reproduce, communicate, archive, preserve, and disseminate their work in both print and electronic formats. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the submitted manuscript is original and that permission has been obtained for the use of any copyrighted material included in the manuscript.

The electronic version of published articles shall be made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licence.

Open Access Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) is committed to promoting the wide dissemination and accessibility of scholarly research through its Open Access policy. The journal does not charge any fee for manuscript submission, processing, or publication. The Journal is published exclusively in electronic form and provides immediate open access to all published content on the NCERT’s ejournal website. The print version of the current issue will be made available through subscription in accordance with NCERT's publication policy. Proposed subscription: Single Copy- Rs 180, Annual Subscription- Rs 360, Triennial Subscription- Rs 1080.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) permit the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools only for language editing, grammar improvement, formatting, or similar editorial assistance. Any use of AI in manuscript preparation (charts, tables, figures, images, etc) must be disclosed by the authors at the time of submission. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance of their work.

AI tools or Large Language Models (LLMs) cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. The journal follows the NCERT Journals Publication Policy (2025) and internationally accepted best practices for the responsible use of AI in scholarly publishing. The Editorial Board reserves the right to seek clarification or take appropriate editorial action in cases of inappropriate or undisclosed use of AI.

Corrections and Retractions Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) is committed to maintaining the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of the scholarly record. Errors identified after publication that do not affect the overall findings may be corrected through errata or corrigenda. In cases involving serious ethical concerns, including plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate publication, or other forms of research misconduct, the journal may issue an Expression of Concern or retract the article following due editorial assessment and author notification.

Complaints or concerns regarding published articles may be submitted to the Editorial Office for review. All cases will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with the NCERT Journals Publication Policy (2025) and internationally accepted publication ethics. Any correction, retraction, or editorial notice will be clearly identified and linked to the original article to ensure transparency and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Archival Policy

The Journal of Physical Education and Well-being (JPEWB) is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. All published articles and past issues are digitally archived and made available through the NCERT Portal (https://ncert.nic.in/ and https://ncert.nic.in/journals-and-periodicals.php?ln=en). Print copies are preserved in the Library and Documentation Division, G.B. Pant Block, NCERT, New Delhi.