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 of Hydrology and all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editors first evaluate 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 passed on to at least 2 experts for review.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will usually 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 or may not be used.
Referee reports
Reviewers are asked, among other 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
Reviewers are not expected to correct or copy-edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.
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.
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 Journal of Hydrology
If you are not currently a referee for Journal of Hydrology but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the Executive Editor Rink Kruk at hydrol-ee@elsevier.com. The benefits of refereeing for Journal of Hydrology 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 the journal if you have reviewed manuscripts in the preceding 12 months.
