The
practice of peer review is intended to ensure that good science is published.
It is an objective process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is
carried out on all reputable scientific journals. Our referees therefore play a
vital role in maintaining the high standards of JSV and all regular manuscripts
are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Special issues and/or
conference proceedings may have different peer review procedures involving, for
example, Guest Editors, conference organisers or scientific committees. Authors contributing to these projects will
receive full details of the peer review process on request from the editorial
office.
The
Editor first evaluates all manuscripts. It is rare, but it is entirely feasible
for an exceptional manuscript to be accepted at this stage. Those rejected at
this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, have
poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the
journal. Those that meet the minimum
criteria are assigned to a handling editor who takes responsibility for the
peer review process. Normally each manuscript is passed on to at least 2
experts for review.
Authors
of manuscripts rejected at the initial submission stage will normally be
informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
This
journal employs single blind review, where the referee remains anonymous
throughout the process.
Referees are matched to the paper according to their
expertise. Our database is constantly being updated. We welcome suggestions for referees from the author
though these recommendations may not be used.
Manuscripts
are sent for review on the understanding that the information they contain is
privileged and confidential to the recipient. They should therefore not be
circulated to colleagues or other contacts. Furthermore, use of ideas and
material from a manuscript sent for review (e.g. in a research publication) is
unethical, unless explicit acknowledgment of their source is made. The Editor
is happy to advise on correct procedure in such instances.
Referees
are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:
- Is original
- Is methodologically sound
- Follows appropriate ethical
guidelines
- Has results that are clearly
presented and support the conclusions
- Correctly references previous
relevant work
Referees
are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not
a required part of the peer review process. However, referees are encouraged to
suggest such amendments as part of their comments to the author.
In principle every manuscript received is
subject to peer review, although the Editor has overall discretion. Short
Communications, Discussion items, and Replies to Discussion are included in the
review process, although detailed differences apply. The timescale for authors
to submit Replies to Discussion, to ensure publication within the same issue,
is approximately 4-6 weeks. Further Discussion items may be prompted by
publication of the Reply, again subject to the same conditions. The Editor may
decide against the publication of any of these kinds of item in JSV, if they
are judged to be defamatory, overly personal, or technically incorrect or
misleading.
JSV aims to achieve rapid publication, and the
valuable contribution of referees to that goal is recognised. Return of reviews
within six weeks is requested and appreciated. It is noted that, as
circumstances dictate, some papers experience a longer review period. However,
in the event of undue delay in the review process, the Editors may involve replacement
referees.
Following review a decision will be reached by the
handling Editor. Papers may be rejected, have revisions requested, or (rarely)
be accepted as submitted. Almost all papers will benefit from the comments of
peers and subsequent revision – this is an important function to maintain
scientific excellence and effective communication.
Revised manuscripts are generally sent to the original
referees for comment; if the referees request further revision, the Editor will
decide what action is appropriate.
The normal time allowed for re-submission of an author's
manuscript following major revision is six months; revised manuscripts received
after this time will generally be considered as new submissions.
A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be
sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the referees.
Additional comments provided by the
referees to the editor may be included verbatim in the covering letter.
The
Editor, rather than the referees, is responsible for the final decision to
accept or reject the article.
Becoming a Referee for JSV
If you are not currently a referee for JSV but would like to
be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editorial
office for your region (see the JSV website, www.elsevier.com/locate/jsvi, for
details). The benefits of refereeing for
JSV include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your
research area at an early stage. You may also be able to cite your work for JSV
as part of your professional development.