Electoral Studies - Elsevier

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ELECTORAL STUDIES

An International Journal on Voting and Electoral Systems and Strategy Peer Review Policy for Electoral Studies Peer Review Policy Statement The practice of peer review is 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 Electoral Studies and all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below. Special Issues (a whole issue of the journal on a theme topic) and Special Sections (a part of the journal on a theme topic) have different peer review procedures involving Guest Editors. Authors contributing to these projects will receive full details of the peer review process from the relevant Guest Editor. The Editor of the journal has final decision-making responsibility for Special Issues or Sections. Initial manuscript evaluation The Editor first evaluates all manuscripts. 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 passed on to at least 2 experts for review; these may include members of the Editorial Board. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 2 weeks of receipt. Type of peer review This journal employs double blind reviewing, where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process. How the referee is selected 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 or may not be used. Referee reports Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript: - is original - is methodologically sound - follows appropriate ethical guidelines - has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions - correctly references previous relevant work Referees are not expected to correct or copy edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process. How long does the review process take? Typically the manuscript will be reviewed within 2 months. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report is unduly delayed a further expert opinion will be sought. Revised manuscripts are usually returned to the initial referees within 2 weeks. Referees and/or Editors may request more than one revision of a manuscript. Final report A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the referees, and may include verbatim comments by the referees. Editor's decision is final Referees advise the Editors, who are responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article. Becoming a referee If you are not currently a referee for Electoral Studies but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editorial office. The benefits of refereeing for Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies as part of your professional development requirements for various professional societies and organisations.

Electoral Studies