Publish — Manuscript Review and Publication

All manuscripts submitted to our journals undergo thorough peer review (independent of paper types).

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to our journals undergo single-blind peer review (independent of paper types). The peer review process is organised in such a way that all submitted papers undergo initial editorial office checks and scope and relevance checks by Section Editors or Editors in Chief (depending on the scope/nature of content) after which they are forwarded to Editorsial Board Members for review coordination. They will collect external peer review reports, request author revisions (peer-review again whenever necessary), before making the final decision on publication or rejection.

Section Editors and the Editor in Chief may also be called upon for appeals or other issues requiring additional editorial input and guidance.

Editorial Process in IntechOpen journals - Roles and responsibilities

Editorial Board Member

An Editorial Board Member serves as an intermediary between the Section Editors or Editors in Chief and the external reviewers. After an initial screening for quality, scope, and relevance by the Section Editors or Editors in Chief, the manuscript is forwarded to an Editorial Board Member. This individual is responsible for coordinating the external peer review of the submission. They identify and invite qualified external reviewers to evaluate the manuscript, ensuring that a comprehensive and unbiased assessment is obtained.

Upon receiving the reviewers' reports, the Editorial Board Member synthesizes the feedback and may request additional revisions from the authors, orchestrating further rounds of review if necessary. Once the review process is complete, they make a publication recommendation, which is then screened by the Section Editor for a final decision on whether the manuscript will be published or rejected. Editorial board members commit to upholding the journal's standards of quality and integrity.

Section Editor

The Section Editor serves as a gatekeeper in the journal's peer-review process, overseeing a specific subject area or section within the journal. Upon receiving new manuscript submissions, the Section Editor is responsible for initial screenings to assess the quality, scope, and relevance of each paper. This involves ensuring that the submission aligns with the journal's guidelines and scope, as well as gauging its potential impact and originality within the field.

After this initial assessment, manuscripts deemed to meet the journal's standards are forwarded to an Editorial Board Member for coordination of the external peer-review process. Once the Editorial Board Member has gathered feedback from external reviewers and possibly requested revisions from the authors, the Section Editor screensthe final recommendation on whether to publish or reject the manuscript. This decision is made based on a comprehensive evaluation of the manuscript, taking into account the Editorial Board Member's recommendation, external reviewers' comments, and the paper’s overall quality, relevance, and contribution to the field. Section Editors commit to upholding the academic rigor and ethical standards of the journal, ensuring the quality and integrity of the publications.

External Reviewer

The role of an external reviewer is to independently evaluate and provide a feedback onthe submitted manuscript. They are selected by the handling Editor (Editorial Board Member or a Guest Editor) based on their expertise, scientific background, and publication history. Reviewers interact with the handling Editor and no information aboutthe reviewer identities, review process, and editorial decision process is published.

Editorial manuscript handling

IntechOpen journals aim for peer review to be completed within 100 days of submission and work with Section Editors to ensure that peer review is robust whilst maintaining goals for fast turnaround times and decisions.

Plagiarism reports

Section Editors will be sent a report from iThenticate for each manuscript submitted to their section that passes initial editorial checks. Editorial Board members handling the submission will also have access to the report and they are obliged to use it in their assessment of the manuscript.

Becoming an Editor

Academics who are interested in becoming Editorial Board members should contact the editorial office at journals@intechopen.com