PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Once new article are received, Editorial office will create PDF file version of new article. Also, the article/correspondent details are entered into the system database.
The Editor-in-Chief and/or Associate Editors will then select a number (at least 2) of reviewers who are authorities in the field and who are deemed to have the relevant experience and expertise to provide a full and cogent review of the article.
A copy of the title and abstract is made available to them to assist them in deciding whether they have the pertinent experience to review the article. If they accept the assignment to review, they will receive original article and further details. After that they must Log-In to the database, where they will submit to their comments.
Reviewers are allocated 6 weeks for evaluation of submitted article. An automatic e-mail Letter of Reminder is sent after 5 weeks by the system database if the review has not been returned.
When the reviews are returned to the editorial office they are forwarded to an Associate Editor, who will then make a recommendation.
Each reviewer may suggest one of the following recommendations:
- "Accept" – no changes are required, or a limited number of linguistic or stylistic corrections are needed;
- "Accept with Revision" – some changes are required in order to make the manuscript clearer, better organized or stronger, but hypotheses, data, arguments and conclusions remain generally unchallenged;
- "Reject with Resubmission" – some changes that concern hypotheses, data, arguments or conclusions are required, but the changes may undermine the overall aim of the manuscript;
- "Reject" – no reasonable number of changes would make the manuscript acceptable for publication.
The Editor-in-Chief will then make a final decision based on Reviewers recommendation - "Accept", "Accept with Revision", "Reject with Resubmission" or "Reject".
The corresponding author is contacted via e-mail with the decision and reviewers' reports. The reviewers are informed of the decision and are sent a copy of the other reviewers' reports for their information.
Revised articles follow a similar procedure. Upon resubmission, the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor evaluates the revision and decides whether it can be accepted or whether it is to be sent to the same external reviewers who undertook the initial evaluation. Reviewers are allocated a maximum of 2 weeks for the second review of resubmitted articles.
Confidentiality
Editors and Reviewers receive unpublished work, which must be treated as confidential until published. They should destroy all electronic and printed copies of the draft article and reviewer report once they have received confirmation that their reports have been received by the publishing manager (in case we can't open the report files you send us). Reviewers must not disclose to others which articles they have reviewed; nor are they to share those articles with any other person.
If a Reviewer believes that the involvement of a third party would be beneficial for the quality of review, he or she can invite the third party only after obtaining explicit consent from the Editors.
This applies to all manuscript, regardless the publication status (rejected of published).