JUR’s peer review referees play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of JUR. All manuscripts are peer-reviewed following the procedure outlined below. Submission Process:
Desk Editor Review Once a manuscript has passed an initial submission check, the journal editor first evaluates and assesses its content to determine whether it is suitable for peer review. The manuscript is desk reviewed for issues such as suitability to the scope of the journal, the clear message and unambiguity of the research focus; research impact and novelty; consistency, accuracy and soundness of methodology and results; manuscript adherence to journal’s writing guidelines, as well as typos, grammatical errors and poor punctuation. As such, a manuscript can be initially rejected for serious scientific flaws, or for poor grammar or English language, or if outside the scope of the journal. Reviewing Process Following the initial acceptance, the manuscripts are sent to 3 members of the JUR reviewers, depending on the relevance of the topic and keywords to the reviewer’s specialization. The reviewers submit their review reports by 3 to 4 weeks. Reviewing a manuscript can take up to a maximum of three rounds of revision. The final decision for publication is made by the executive group of the Editorial Board, based on the reviewer's comments and suggestions. Role of reviewers Reviewers ensure the rigorous standards of the scientific process and the integrity of the journal. Reviewers evaluate article submissions to the journal based on its requirements, predefined criteria, and the quality, completeness and accuracy of the research presented. They provide feedback on the paper, suggest improvements and make a recommendation to the editor about whether to accept, reject or request changes to the article. Type of Peer Review JUR employs double-blind reviewing, where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process. Reviewer Selection Whenever possible, reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise. The reviewers’ database is constantly updated. Reviewers’ Reports Reviewers focus in their evaluation of the manuscript on the following aspects: originality, sound methodology, appropriate ethical guidelines, clarity of results and conclusions, correct referencing to previous relevant work. Language correction is not part of the peer-review process, but they may suggest language and grammar corrections to the manuscript. Main Evaluation Criteria The main criteria in considering a manuscript for publication are originality of the work, utilization of appropriate research techniques and methods, significance of the topic, and the quality of the findings, results, and implications. How long does the review process take? The time required for the review process is dependent on the response of the referees. Should one referee's report contradict the other two referees’ reports, or a report is unnecessarily delayed, an additional reviewer’s opinion will be sought. The Editor's decision will be sent to the author with recommendations made by the reviewers, which usually includes their comments. Revised manuscripts are returned to initial reviewers who may then request another revision of a manuscript. Final Editor Review A final decision to accept or reject the manuscript will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the reviewers. After the manuscript is accepted from peer reviewers, the journal editors perform a final review before issuing acceptance and publishing the paper. The manuscript is meticulously checked for its following of all journal’s writing and formatting guidelines. The author is given acceptance after fulfilling all adjustments requested by the final editor review process Free article access Online access to published articles through our website is free. Duties of Editor and Editorial Board The editor maintains, develops and promote the journal’s profile and reputation. He ensures that the journal’s aims, scope and content respond to any changes of direction in the field of study to incorporate newly-emerging work. He is responsible for engaging the Editorial Board on the progress and updates of the journal. The Editorial Board are involved formally through an annual Editorial Board meeting, or informally in ad hoc meetings and discussions. The main role of the board is to provide strategic input to the journal’s development and performance. |