Review process

Manuscripts are initially screened by the Editor-in-chief for completeness and adherence to the formal aspects of the Instructions to authors, journal scoops and publishing standards. Otherwise, manuscripts are rejected and authors are informed about this decision. If they wish, they must remedy to required corrections and resubmit.

Papers that pass the Editors’ desk will be assigned an Associate Editor with the requisite subject area expertise (depending on the particular subject area of the manuscript, this role may also be assumed by one of the Editors). The Associate Editor assesses the manuscript and decides if it warrants progression to the peer review stage and if so, selects reviewers and oversees the subsequent review process.

Papers that pass the Associate Editor stage will be reviewed typically by two peer reviewers who are experts in the field(s), with the selection of peer reviewers also taking into account the research methods and geographical focus of the paper.

Based on the reviewer reports, Associate Editors will recommend to the Editors a decision on the manuscript.

The final decision rests with the Editor-in-chief.