A companion journal of Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Peer Review Policy Applied Soil Ecology
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 Applied Soil Ecology and all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Special issues and/or conference proceedings may have different peer review procedures involving, for example, Guest Editors, conference organisers or scientific committees. Authors contributing to these projects may receive full details of the peer review process on request from the Editorial Office.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editor 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 passed on to at least 2 experts for review.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
Type of Peer Review
This journal employs blind reviews, where the referees remain anonymous throughout the process. The manuscript is normally sent to two referees who have no conflict of interest.
How the referee is selected
Referees are matched to the paper according to their expertise. Our database is constantly being updated. Authors are encouraged to make suggestions for possible referees involving no conflict of interest.
Referee reports
Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript: • Is original • Is methodologically sound • Is statistically sound • Has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions • Correctly referenced other relevant work
Referees are not expected to correct or copy edit manuscripts, unless they wish. Detailed language correction is not part of the peer review process.
How long does the review process take?
Typically a manuscript will be reviewed within 3 months. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report be unnecessarily delayed a further expert opinion will be sought. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the initial referees for further review. Referees may request more than one revision of a manuscript.
Final report
A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be made by the Editor and 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 Editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article.
Becoming a Referee for Applied Soil Ecology
If you are not currently a referee for Applied Soil Ecology but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the Editorial office. The benefits of refereeing 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 reviewing work for Applied Soil Ecology as part of your professional development requirements for various Professional Societies and Organisations.
