The practice of peer review is to ensure that good science is published. It is a fair and impartial 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 Human Evolution and, accordingly, all manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Editor first evaluates all manuscripts. Those rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to at least two peer experts for review.
Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will be informed within two weeks of receipt.
Type of Peer Review
This journal employs single-blind review process, in which the referee remains anonymous throughout the process.
How the referee is selected
Referees are matched to the paper according to their expertise, either by the editor, or a member of the board of associate editors who is a specialist in the relevant area of research. We welcome suggestions for referees from the author(s) though these recommendations may or may not be accepted.
Referee reports • Is original• Is methodologically sound• Follows appropriate ethical guidelines• Contains results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions• Correctly references previous relevant work
Referees are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts.
How long does the review process take?
It is the editors' goal to return reviewed manuscripts within 3 months of submission, subject to referee availability and other factors beyond the editors' control. Authors should contact the handling editor directly via e-mail with questions regarding the status of manuscripts under review.
Final report
The editor's decision to accept, reject, or request revisions of the manuscript will be sent to the author along with a full copy of the referees' comments.
Editor's Decision is final
Associate Editors and/or referees advise the editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the manuscript.
