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 [Journal] and all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Invited material such as Mini-Symposium in Print may have somewhat different peer review procedures involving, for example, guest editors or scientific committees, but the intent is the same. The editorial office can provide details of the review procedure in these instances.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editor-in-Chief 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 an Executive Editors who handles the review process, generally involving two expert referees.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
Type of Peer Review
This journal employs single blind review, where the referee remains 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 not be used in each instance.
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 copyedit 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 4-6 weeks. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed a further expert opinion will be sought. All our referees sign a conflict of interest statement. Revised manuscripts are usually returned to the initial referees within one week. 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 recommendations made by the referees
Editor's Decision is final
Referees advise the Executive Editor, who makes a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief on the final disposition of the article.
Home | Elsevier Sites | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Feedback | Site Map | A Reed Elsevier Company