Peer Review Process

The aim of the peer review process is to ensure that high-quality scientifically sound manuscripts within the scope of the journal are selected for publication by the journal. It is an objective process at the heart of scholarly publishing carried out by all reputable scientific publications.

 

Initial manuscript evaluation

The editor-in-chief first evaluates the submitted manuscript to check if it meets the minimum criteria. Manuscripts rejected at this stage lack originality, have serious apparent scientific flaws, have poor English writing, are outside the aims and scope of the journal or do not meet the time-schedule of the journal. This stage usually takes less than two weeks. Manuscripts passing this stage will be sent to an associate editor with the most relevant knowledge of the subject for further evaluation.

 

Formal review by the referees

Manuscripts passing the initial evaluation undergo strict and rigorous evaluation by at least two referees assigned by the associate editor according to their expertise. International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IJNN) employs double-blind reviewing where both the referees and the authors remain anonymous to each other during the review process. Referees are asked to report on whether the manuscript is original, scientifically sound, advances beyond similar works published a priori, follows appropriate ethical guidelines, clearly presents results, supports the conclusions and correctly references relevant works. Reviewers are required to fill the review report to encourage objectivity and to ensure the thoroughness of their evaluation. Should the referees’ reports contradict one another, a further expert’s opinion will be sought.  However, the associate editor and, ultimately, the editor-in-chief will make the final decision regarding acceptance, acceptance after requested revisions have been fulfilled, or rejection of the manuscript for publication. The usual amount of time for this stage is about 5 months.

 

Revision

In case of disagreements between the journal and the authors of the manuscript over requested revisions, the corresponding author, on behalf of the authors of the manuscript, is entitled to submit a formal response countering the reviewers’ comments and the editor’s statement. The editors will then review the response and a final decision will be made and announced to the corresponding author. Requested revisions (if any) should be fulfilled promptly within the stated time period.

 

Publication after acceptance

Manuscripts accepted will be scheduled for publication in a forthcoming issue and the author will be informed of the provisional date. Depending on the number of papers awaiting publication and project size of forthcoming issues, this may require some papers to be scheduled an issue ahead.