Peer Review model
Peer review is a crucial point of high-quality content, published in AJEE. All of AJEE content is subjected to double blind peer-review with the aim of obtaining advice on individual manuscripts from reviewers and the recommendation about the publication of the article and/or improving the study. The only exception from peer review is an Introduction of the Editor-in-Chief, which appears in each of the Journal’s issues.
The process of peer review used by our Editorial Team is clearly described in our Rules, you may find on this page http://ajee-journal.com/submissions . In addition, we recommended to familiarize with the COPE guidelines https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/cope-ethical-guidelines-peer-reviewers and Elsevier best practices of peer review and widely apply it within the peer review.
AJEE reviewers are external experts, who are well-known specialists in a particular area of legal research, related to the manuscript, chosen by managing editors to provide opinions, who have no conflict of interest with author(s). We support any warnings of reviewers and oversee the peer review for avoiding any fraudulent or manipulated acts, on the side of authors, as well as on the side of the reviewers.
We put in efforts that all judgments and findings, which have been given in the peer-review process, are objective, if not, a responsible editor has to change reviewers and conduct an additional review.
Reviewers should assess the manuscript in general and give their competent advice concerning the possible publication of the manuscript in the regular issue of AJEE or in special issue. The special issue of AJEE has an additional guest-editor (or editors) for quality checking and control.
All reviewed articles are treated confidentially prior to their publication, in any case avoiding copying, transferring to third parties, publicly discussing its content, as well as using any data, ideas or arguments of the manuscript. The responsibility for these lies upon the reviewers and the editors jointly. All our reviewers strongly support and execute the publication ethics of AJEE, which is confirmed before a responsible editor.
Editorial and Peer Review Process
AJEE is an Open Access Journal which supports online submission and a double-blind peer review system. These are the requirements to be followed by the authors while submitting, reviewing, editing and other actions within publishing process.
The best practice of international publishing community was used for these requirements of Elsevier https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/how-to-review and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) https://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines-new/principles-transparency-and-best-practice-scholarly-publishing and https://publicationethics.org/files/u7141/1999pdf13.pdf
We support the recommendations of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), in particular, most useful tools you may find here https://ease.org.uk/publications/author-guidelines-authors-and-translators/ https://ease.org.uk/publications/ease-toolkit-authors/
Our workflow on Scholastica
Authors submit their manuscripts to the Journal which the Editor in Chief (EIC) will screen and assign the paper to the appropriate managing editor or Section editor, based on subject area.
The assigned editor (AE) reads their assigned papers, ensures the paper is appropriately anonymized for double-blind peer review, and if not, will manage file versions to swap in the anonymized version.
When ready, the AE will invite peer reviewers to the manuscript. The reviewers will submit their reviews which the AE will then read.
The AE prepares the recommendations about the paper and assigns it to the EIC when the paper is ready for a decision. The EIC will issue the decision to the author
If the decision is a Revise & Resubmit, steps 2-6 above may be repeated. The editor accepts the submission and directs it to the reviewers with the submission confirmation letter serving to the author.
Peer reviewers are invited to participate in the peer review process by Managing Editors of AJEE, who oversee the manuscript handling and coordination. Section Editors and authors may also recommend potential peer reviewers during the submission process. However, the final decision to invite specific peer reviewers rests with the Managing Editors, taking into consideration recommendations from Section Editors and authors.
It is important to note that while authors may suggest potential peer reviewers, the ultimate decision to invite them or not is based on various factors, including the reviewer's expertise, objectivity, and absence of any competing interests. AJEE Managing Editors carefully evaluate these recommendations to ensure a fair and unbiased peer review process.
The power of peer reviewers lies in their ability to provide valuable evaluations and feedback on manuscripts. Their expertise, impartiality, and adherence to confidentiality play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and quality of the journal. Peer reviewers' contributions significantly influence the editorial decisions made by the journal's editorial team.
In AJEE, we offer a mutually beneficial program for individuals interested in serving as peer reviewers for the Journal. We strongly encourage reviewers to adhere to the rules and guidelines on peer review and academic integrity. Additionally, we support their career development by providing opportunities to become Managing Editors or members of the Editorial Board.
See more in Author's Guide, AJEE Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, and here