Peer review process

Peer Review System

The journal adopts a double-blind peer review system, under which the identities of both authors and reviewers are protected throughout all stages of the evaluation process. This model ensures fairness, objectivity, editorial independence, and academic rigor in the assessment of submitted manuscripts.

All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening, aimed at verifying the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s scope and focus, compliance with editorial and formal guidelines, as well as the originality of the content and the absence of plagiarism or other unethical practices.

Once this stage has been successfully completed, manuscripts are generally sent to two external and independent reviewers. The peer review process is conducted entirely outside the publishing institution. Reviewers must not have academic, professional, or institutional ties with the authors or the editorial team, thereby ensuring the absence of conflicts of interest.

Selection of Reviewers

Reviewers are appointed according to the following criteria:

• One reviewer with demonstrated expertise in the central subject area of the manuscript.
• A second reviewer from a related or complementary disciplinary field, in order to ensure both technical depth and clarity of presentation, as well as scientific relevance and interdisciplinary coherence.

For manuscripts of a highly specialized nature, the evaluation may involve an external expert reviewer together with an academic editor with subject-matter expertise, while maintaining full independence of the editorial process.

Reviews must be conducted in a critical, objective, ethical, and constructive manner, with the aim of strengthening the scientific contribution of the manuscript and improving its overall academic quality.

All manuscripts under review are treated as strictly confidential. Reviewers undertake not to disclose, reuse, or derive any direct or indirect benefit from the evaluated content. Should an external consultation be required to verify specific technical aspects, this will be communicated in advance and authorized by the editorial team.

Stages and Timeline of the Review Process

Manuscript Submission

Upon receipt of a submission, the corresponding author receives an automatic email notification including a unique reference number, which allows tracking of the editorial process.

Initial Editorial Evaluation

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated Editor conducts a preliminary assessment to verify:

• The manuscript’s suitability to the journal’s scope and focus.
• Compliance with editorial and formatting guidelines.
• The originality and academic relevance of the content.

This stage typically takes 7 to 15 days. If the manuscript is rejected at this phase, the author will be notified in a timely manner.

Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial evaluation are sent for external review under the double-blind system.

The estimated duration of this phase, including the issuance of the first editorial decision, is 20 to 45 days.

Review Reports and Request for Revisions

When revisions are required, authors receive the full reports from the reviewers and the editor.

The revised version must be submitted within a maximum period of 15 days, accompanied by a detailed response document addressing each comment and recommendation.

Additional Review Rounds

In the event of substantial discrepancies between reviewers’ reports, the Editor may request the assessment of a third external reviewer.

If a second round of review is necessary, efforts will be made to involve the same reviewers who participated in the initial round.

Final Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests with the responsible Editor, who will consider the reviewers’ reports in an integrated and comprehensive manner.

Publication

Accepted articles proceed to the stages of copyediting, layout, and publication, which typically take 10 to 20 days following final acceptance.

At this stage, the corresponding DOI is assigned, and the articles are submitted to the relevant registration and indexing systems.