Editorial Procedure
Acknowledgement of Manuscript Receipt
The Editor acknowledges the receipt of a manuscript by email within three working days. The manuscript is given a unique ID. The Editor forwards the manuscript to Associate Editor who reads and examines the manuscript for conformity to the Guidelines to Authors. The Editor may return the manuscript back for correction if it does not meet the criteria stipulated in the Guidelines to Authors. The Editor corresponds only with the corresponding author of a manuscript. If at any stage there is a change in the corresponding author this should be brought to the information of the Editor in writing.
Review Process
The Editor contacts two reviewers to obtain their consent for the review of the manuscript. These reviewers are selected on the basis of their knowledge and experience in the subjected area included in the manuscript. They are provided with the title and abstract of the manuscript. The reviewers are finally approved by the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal. The reviewers are invited in confidence to give their assessment and recommendations on the suitability of the manuscript and provide comments for the author(s) and Editor. The identity of author(s) is not disclosed to the reviewer and the manuscript is reviewed blindly by the reviewers. Similarly, the identity of the reviewers is also not disclosed to the authors without written permission form the reviewer. The review process usually takes eight to twelve weeks. However in circumstances beyond the control of the Editor this time could be extended. The outcome of this round of review may be “Accept”, “Minor Revision”, “Major Revision” or “Rejection”. Two positive reviews are required to finally accept the paper. However the final decision regarding the manuscript acceptance or rejection lies with the Editor of the Journal. The Editor will notify author(s) of the outcome of the peer-review process through e-mail. The Editor will also notify the author(s) of the date for the submission of final copy of a manuscript.
Re-review
For a manuscript that receives a re-review decision the Editor makes a final decision of “accept” or “decline” on the basis of a review of the revised version. This final decision will depend on how well the reviewer’s comments were addressed. The manuscript is returned to the author for further revisions if the Editor thinks that the author(s) did not provide enough revisions to satisfy the Editor/reviewers.
If the revised manuscript contains new material that is erroneous or if it is of unacceptable quality then the manuscript may be declined. A manuscript that has been declined may not be resubmitted to the Journal unless it has been substantially revised and is treated as a new submission. The author(s) may also choose not to revise the manuscript and may notify the Editor to remove it from further consideration in the Journal. If a revised manuscript is not submitted for re-review within 365 days from the date when the decision letter was sent to the corresponding author the manuscript will be considered with drawn from the journal.
