Peer ReviewEditorial and Peer Review ProcessPeer Review ProcessEditorial and Peer Review ProcessManuscript StatusAuthors can check the status of a manuscript at any time in the submission system. Authors will also be notified by email when a decision is made. Show Understanding manuscript statuses
Editorial ProcessInitial checksNew submissions go through an in-house quality control check to ensure adherence to our policies and requirements, including:
Manuscripts will not be seen by an Academic Editor or peer reviewers until they pass this check. We aim to check manuscripts as efficiently as possible, but timing may vary depending on whether we need to return the submission to the author for follow-up queries or additional information. Editor assignmentAfter a manuscript passes the quality control check, it is assigned to an Academic Editor according to relevant expertise.See the list of Editorial Board members. The Academic Editor is asked to evaluate the manuscript based on the Journal of Engineering criteria for publication. Editors can choose to perform the evaluation on the basis of their own expertise, or assign external reviewers. How long does it take to assign an Academic Editor? Can authors suggest an Academic Editor? Will authors know which Academic Editor is assigned? The editors identity is anonymous until the manuscript receives a decision. Peer reviewThe Academic Editor decides whether reviews from additional experts are needed to evaluate the manuscript. After agreeing to review a manuscript, external reviewers are typically granted 3 weeks to complete the assignment. We will follow up with late reviewers and keep authors informed if there are any delays. Will authors know who is reviewing theirmanuscript? Will authors know the identity of the editor reviewing their manuscript? Will editors and reviewers know the names of authors during review? Can authors ask to exclude reviewers? How many reviewers will a manuscript have? When reviews have been received, authors may see the status Required Reviews Complete. Please note that additional reviews may still be pending after this status is activated. Editorial decisionsThe final decision on a manuscript is made by the Academic Editor. The time to receive a decision depends on how long it takes for the editor to assess the reviews. While the Academic Editor is entering the decision, authors may see the status Decision in Process. When the decision is final, authors will receive the notification by email and see the decision term in the submission system. What are the possible decision outcomes?
RevisionsAuthors who receive a decision of Minor Revision or Major Revisionhave 45 days to resubmit the revised manuscript. In most cases, the revised manuscript will be re-assigned to the original Academic Editor. The Academic Editor will determine if additional input is needed from reviewers. Read the guidelines for revised manuscripts AppealsAuthors may submit a formal appeal for rejected submissions. Appeal requests must be made in writing to [emailprotected]with the word appealin the subject line. Authors must provide detailed reasons for the appeal and point-by-point responses to the reviewers' and/or Academic Editor's comments. Decisions on appeals are final without exception. Priority is given to new submissions, so the appeal process may take longer than the original submission process. Accept DecisionsThere are two types of accept decisions: editorial accept and formal accept. Editorial acceptEditorial acceptance means that the manuscript is provisionally accepted pending final checks for formatting and technical requirements. You will be notified of these requirements by email. See details of our final checks below. The editorial acceptance date is is the acceptance date that will appear on the published article. Formal acceptFormal acceptance is issued when the final checks are complete. At this time, the manuscript will be sent to our production department. Communication with authors All communication about editorial accept decisions and final checks will be sent to the corresponding author. Final ChecksWhen a manuscript is editorially accepted, it will go through a final round of checks to ensure the formatting and content meet our technical requirements. Some of the manuscript elements checked at this stage include:
When you receive a decision of editorial accept, this will be your lastopportunity to correct any errors in your manuscript. Please check your files very carefully, because you will not be able to check or change anything after this point. Author ProofTo ensure prompt publication, your manuscript will not be subject to detailed copyediting and you will not receive a typeset proof for review. You will be able to review the final version of your manuscript when it is returned to you at editorial accept. |