Peer Review

Independent peer review with a clear procedure, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest management and editorial independence.

Editorial screening

The editor assesses whether the manuscript fits the journal scope, meets basic scientific standards and presents any evident ethical concerns.

Single-anonymous review

Reviewers can see the authors’ identities; authors are not informed of reviewer identities. Scientific manuscripts are normally sent to two independent specialists with relevant expertise.

Confidentiality and conflicts

Manuscripts are confidential. Reviewers disclose conflicts and decline reviews when independent assessment is not possible.

Scientific assessment

Reviewers assess methods, reliability of results, whether conclusions follow from the data, scientific argument and relevance to the journal.

Editorial decision

Possible decisions are Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision or Reject. The Editor-in-Chief or assigned editor makes the final decision.

Editors as authors

An editor takes no part in assessing their own manuscript. Such submissions are handled by an independent editor.

Editorial timeline
Initial screening: up to 7 days. Peer review: typically 2–4 weeks. A first decision is normally communicated within approximately 30 days. Revised manuscripts are normally reassessed within 7–14 days when additional external review is not required. Accepted articles are published online as soon as they are ready, normally within 7–14 days after final acceptance and editorial production, and are included in the current quarterly issue. These are target times and may vary.

Advertisers, sponsors and commercial partners do not participate in reviewer selection and do not influence publication decisions.