The practice of peer review is to ensure that good academic research is published. It is an objective process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is carried out on all reputable social science journals. Our referees therefore play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of Geoforum and all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editors first evaluate all manuscripts. It is rare occurrence, but it is possible that an exceptional manuscript will be accepted at this stage. Manuscripts can also be rejected at this stage; these will be papers that are insufficiently original, have serious flaws, have poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will normally be informed within three weeks of receipt. Manuscripts that meet the minimum criteria are entered into the review process, following confirmation by the author that the paper reports original research, has not been submitted for consideration to any other journal and, if a co-authored paper, that they have permission from their co-authors to submit the manuscript to the journal.
Type of Peer Review
This journal employs a system of double blind reviewing, where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process. It is the responsibility of every author to ensure that there are no potentially identifying references in any part of a paper. Where a manuscript is submitted as part of a theme issue, one of the reviews will be provided either by a Guest Editor or an Editor, who will be aware of the identity of the author. Therefore, for these reports only, a system of single blind reviewing applies.
How the referee is selected
Referees are matched to the paper according to their expertise. Our database is constantly being updated. Authors may suggest possible referees for their manuscripts, but Editors may acted upon this advice. Manuscripts are normally reviewed by three referees; all manuscripts are reviewed by at least two referees, while some manuscripts may be reviewed by more than three referees.
Referee reports
Referees are asked to evaluate the following:
Does the paper make a contribution to knowledge? This might be achieved by advancing or criticising a theoretical perspective, or by providing new empirical material, for example.
Is there any existing work in this area which the author has failed to acknowledge?
Is the argument in the paper easy to follow? Do some parts of the argument need to be better explained in places?
Is the paper too long or too short for publication in an academic journal? Do any sections of the paper need to be condensed or expanded?
Is the paper suitable for the audience of Geoforum, the majority of which are human geographers?
Is original
Is theoretically and methodologically sound
Contains a consideration of research ethics, where this is appropriate
Has findings which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
Demonstrates and awareness of and correctly references previous relevant work
Referees are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process. Referees are expected to inform the editors if they consider that reviewing the manuscript could lead to a conflict of interest.
How long does the review process take?
Manuscripts are normally reviewed within four months. While every effort is made to expedite the review process, delays beyond four months are possible on occasion depending on the availability of appropriate experts to review manuscripts. Should referees' reports contradict one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed further expert opinion will be sought. Revised and resubmitted manuscripts that need further comments from the referees are normally returned them within three weeks of resubmission. Editors may request more than one revision of a manuscript from an author.
Final report
A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the editor and referees, and will normally include the reports on referees' reports on the manuscript.
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 for Geoforum
If you are not currently a referee for Geoforum but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editorial office at geoforum@nottingham.ac.uk. The benefits of refereeing for Geoforum include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in an annual statement in Geoforum if you have reviewed a manuscript in the preceding 12 months. You may also be able to cite your work for Geoforum as part of your professional development requirements for various Professional Societies and Organisations.
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