Peer Review Policy for Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (ECRA)
Peer Review Policy for Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (ECRA)
Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (ECRA) is committed to only publishing original research articles of the highest caliber. All submitted manuscripts are subject to a systematic peer review process. ECRA takes great care in selecting referees, area editors and special issue editors and expects them to work according to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. The following further details the Journal's review process, including the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Coordinating Editor-in-Chief first evaluates all manuscripts. It is rare, but it is not impossible for an exceptional manuscript to be accepted at this stage. Reasons for rejection at this stage include insufficient originality and scientific merit, obvious technical flaws, poor writing, inappropriate length, and improper match with the aims and scope of the journal. Manuscripts that meet these minimum criteria are passed on to an Area editor (or a guest editor for special issues) for further evaluation. The area editor (or guest editor) may in turn decide to reject the submission outright (e.g. if it does not fall within the scope of the special issue or is clearly below standards). Most typically, the area editor (or guest editor) coordinates the evaluation of the manuscript with the help of two independent experts.
Type of Peer Review
ECRA employs a single blind review process, where the referee remains anonymous throughout the process.
How the referee is selected
The Area Editor or Special Issue Editor matches the manuscript with referees who are knowledgeable of the topic(s) it addresses. Our database is constantly updated to stay abreast of new developments. We also welcome suggestions for referees from the author(s), though these recommendations may or may not be used.
Referee reports
Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:
- Is original
- Is methodologically sound
- Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions
- Correctly references previous relevant work
Referees are requested to identify presentation problems and suggest possible ways of improving papers. If a paper's presentation is substandard, the reviewer should simply reject it - and possibly suggest that the authors resubmit (rather than accept the manuscript subject to major changes). Reviewers are also encouraged to list typos or language problems they come across. This will be much appreciated by authors as they submit the final version of their paper.
How long does the review process take?
Typically the manuscript will be reviewed within three months, but review time may be longer or shorter in individual cases. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report be unnecessarily delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. Revised manuscripts are usually returned to the initial referees within eight weeks. Referees may request more than one revision of a manuscript.
Final report
The final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the Editor-in-Chief, the Area Editor or Special Issue Editor and by the referees,. ECRA is committed to only accepting manuscripts of the highest quality. Area editors (or special issue editors) are expected to work with individual authors to ensure that each accepted paper is free of typos and language problems - Elsevier does not do any copy editing of its own.
Becoming a Referee for Electronic Commerce Research and Applications
If you would like to be considered as a possible referee for ECRA, please contact the Coordinating Editor-in-Chief at sadeh+ecra@cs.cmu.edu. Make sure to provide a short resume along with a list of relevant publications.
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