The peer-review process is a critical component of scholarly publishing, ensuring the quality and credibility of scholarly articles. Here’s a general overview of the process:
- Submission of Manuscript: The author submits their manuscript to a journal, usually through an online submission system.
- Initial Editorial Assessment: The journal's editorial office checks the manuscript for adherence to submission guidelines and overall suitability for the journal.
- Editor-in-Chief Review: The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) reviews the manuscript for its scope, originality, and significance. The EiC may reject the manuscript at this stage if it doesn't meet the journal's standards.
- Assignment to Associate Editor: If the manuscript passes the initial review, it is assigned to an Associate Editor (AE) who manages the peer-review process.
- Reviewer Selection: The AE invites experts in the field to review the manuscript. Typically, two or more reviewers are selected.
- Review Process: Reviewers evaluate the manuscript, providing detailed feedback on its strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. They recommend whether the manuscript should be accepted, revised, or rejected. There are different types of peer review, including:
- Single-blind: Reviewers know the identity of the authors/institutions, but authors do not know the reviewers.
- Double-blind: Both reviewers and authors are anonymous to each other.
- Open: Both the identities of authors and reviewers are known, and sometimes the reviews are published alongside the article.
- Editorial Decision: The AE considers the reviewers' feedback and makes a recommendation to the EiC, who makes the final decision. If the reviews are conflicting, additional reviewers may be consulted.
- Communication of Decision: The decision, along with reviewers' comments, is communicated to the author. If revisions are required, the author must address the feedback and resubmit the manuscript.
- Revisions and Resubmission: The revised manuscript undergoes further review, either by the original reviewers or new ones, until it meets the journal's standards.
- Final Acceptance and Publication: Once the manuscript is accepted, it goes through copyediting, proofreading, and formatting before being published.
This rigorous process helps ensure the integrity and quality of academic research.
