Peer Review Policy on the Biochemical Engineering Journal
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 the Biochemical Engineering Journal 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.
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 single blind review, where the referee remains anonymous throughout the process.
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 referees are requested to review the manuscript within 4 months. Should the referees' reports contradict one another or a report is unnecessarily delayed a further expert opinion will be sought. Revised manuscripts are usually returned to the initial referees within 2 weeks. Referees may request more than one revision of a manuscript. Usually referee selection takes at least two weeks.
Final report
A decision to accept, revise or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the referees, and may include verbatim comments by the referees.
A decision of 'revise' does not necessarily mean the manuscript is to be accepted.
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
If you are not currently a referee for the Biochemical Engineering Journal but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editors. 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 work for the Biochemical Engineering Journal as part of your professional development requirements for various Professional Societies and Organisations.
