Article Peer Review Process
The complete author-centric manuscript lifecycle: understanding technical evaluation, double-anonymized peer review, revision deadlines, editor reassessment, and formal acceptance.
The 8-Step Manuscript Journey
Follow your manuscript through each phase of submission, technical checks, evaluation, and publishing.
Manuscript Submission
The author submits the manuscript via the online portal or editorial email. During submission, authors may optionally recommend up to 3 qualified peer reviewers who have no conflict of interest.
Technical Evaluation
Editorial office staff ensures the manuscript complies with formatting instructions, Vancouver reference syntax, and runs similarity checks via iThenticate. Incomplete submissions are returned for technical corrections.
Editorial Screening
The Editor-in-Chief assesses the submission's suitability in terms of journal scope, academic significance, and novelty. Manuscripts outside the journal's scope are desk-rejected at this stage.
External Peer Review
Section Editors assign at least two independent, external subject-matter experts. Reviewers evaluate scientific soundness under double-anonymized conditions (authors and reviewers remain mutually anonymous).
Editorial Decision
Section Editors synthesize the reviewer reports and submit recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief. The EiC issues a formal decision letter containing blinded reviewer comments and deadlines.
Revisions & Response
Authors submit a revised manuscript with tracked changes alongside a detailed point-by-point "Response to Reviewers" addressing every comment within the designated timeframe.
Final Decision
The revised paper is reassessed by the Section Editor and original reviewers. Upon satisfying all scientific requirements, the EiC issues a formal Acceptance Letter.
Production & Publication
The accepted manuscript enters typesetting, author proofreading, DOI assignment via CrossRef, and immediate global open-access publication under CC BY 4.0 licensing.
Decision Determinations
After comprehensive peer review, authors receive one of four formal determinations:
Acceptance
The paper meets all scholarly standards without requiring further scientific changes. Proceeds directly to copyediting and digital production.
Action: Production & ProofingMinor Revision
Small clarifications, textual adjustments, or reference additions required. Typically re-evaluated directly by the handling Section Editor.
Action: 14-Day Revision WindowMajor Revision
Substantial experiments, statistical re-analyses, or structural rewrites needed. Undergoes a second round of external peer review upon resubmission.
Action: 30-45 Day Revision WindowRejection
The study contains critical methodological flaws, lack of novelty, or irreconcilable data errors. Authors receive detailed feedback to assist future work.
Action: Formal Decision NotificationPreparing Your Revision
Submitting authors of manuscripts that require a "minor revision" or "major revision" will receive a decision letter from the Editor-in-Chief containing the recommendations of the reviewers and editors alongside a deadline to submit the updated model.
When submitting a revised version, authors must upload an in-depth "Response to Reviewers" document that states point-by-point how each issue raised by the reviewers has been covered:
Editor Assessment & Resubmission
The editor reviews the changes when you resubmit your work. For major revisions, the handling editor frequently invites the original reviewers to evaluate how effectively their criticisms were addressed during a second round of peer review.
If the editor feels the modifications remain insufficient, authors may be asked for additional edits or the paper may be rejected. If your edits satisfy journal standards, the paper advances to formal acceptance.
Accepted for Publication
Once accepted, you will receive an official confirmation email from the Editor-in-Chief. Your article moves through final quality checks and into Production, where our Production Editor coordinates typesetting and digital proofing.
Authors receive a timeline and access to our tracking portal, Publishing at Work, where you can monitor production stages in real time.
Ready to submit your research manuscript?
Submit your paper to experience our streamlined, transparent, and rigorous peer-review evaluation.