Review process

Double-blind peer review

Authors do not see the reviewers' identities and reviewers do not see the authors' identities. Submissions reach reviewers with author details removed.

Stages

1. 1

   Pre-evaluation

   The editorial office checks the submission against the journal's scope and author guidelines and reviews the similarity report. Submissions that do not fit are returned to the author or rejected.

2. 2

   Editor-in-chief routing

   The editor-in-chief assigns the submission to a section editor with matching expertise.

3. 3

   Reviewer invitation

   The section editor invites reviewers with expertise in the subject; reviewers accept or decline the invitation.

4. 4

   Peer review

   Reviewers assess the submission and send their reasoned recommendations.

5. 5

   Editorial decision

   The section editor makes a recommendation based on the reviews; the editor-in-chief makes the decision.

6. 6

   Re-review

   After a major revision, the revised manuscript goes back to the reviewers.

7. 7

   Publication preparation

   Accepted articles go through copyediting, layout and proofreading before publication.

Reviewers and timelines

• Each submission is assessed by at least 2 and preferably 3 reviewers.
• Reviewers respond to the invitation within 7 days.
• Reviewers complete their assessment within 30 days.

Decisions

Accept

The article moves on to publication preparation.

Minor revision

The author uploads a revised manuscript within 10 days; the editor checks it again.

Major revision

The author uploads a revised manuscript within 15 days, which goes back to the reviewers.

Reject

The submission is closed with a reasoned decision.

Similarity check