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 by all reputable scientific journals. Our referees therefore play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of JCP 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 in Chief first evaluates all manuscripts prior to assigning each one to an associate editor. 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 for review to an associate editor who handles the review process.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
Type of Peer Review
A manuscript will generally be sent to at least two referees who remain anonymous throughout the process. On occasions a decision may be made based on comments from a single referee.
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 although these recommendations may or may not be used.
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 3 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.
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, and usually includes verbatim comments by the referees.
Editor's Decision is final
Referees advise the associate editor responsible for handling the manuscript, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject it.
Becoming a Referee
If you are not currently a referee for JCP but would like to be added to the list of referees for this title, please contact the editorial office at jcp@elsevier.com. The benefits of refereeing for JCP 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 journal as part of your professional development requirements for various Professional Societies and Organisations.
