Peer Review Process

Publication of articles in UCEJ is dependent solely on scientific validity and coherence as judged by our editors and/or peer reviewers, who will also assess whether the writing is comprehensible and whether the work represents a useful contribution to the field. UCEJ acknowledged the effort and suggestions made by its reviewers.

 

Initial evaluation of manuscripts

 

The Editor will first evaluate all manuscripts submitted. Although rare, yet it is entirely feasible for an exceptional manuscript to be accepted at this stage. Those rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, or are outside the aims and scope of the UCEJ. Those that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to experts for review.

 

Type of peer review

 

Submitted manuscripts will generally be reviewed by two to three experts who will be asked to evaluate whether the manuscript is scientifically sound and coherent, whether it duplicates the already published works, and whether or not the manuscript is sufficiently clear for publication. The method used is a blind peer review.

 

Review reports

 

Reviewers are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript:

 

Is original by stating the objectives and gap clearly

Is methodologically sound

Follows appropriate ethical guidelines

Has results/findings which are clearly presented and support the conclusions

Correctly references previous relevant work

Reviewers are not expected to correct or copyedit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer-review process.

 

Decision

 

Reviewers advise the editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article. The Editors will reach a decision based on these reports and, where necessary, they will consult with members of the Editorial Board. The editor’s decision is final.

 

Becoming a Reviewer

 

If you are not currently a reviewer for UCEJ but would like to be added to the list of reviewers, please contact us. The benefits of reviewing for UCEJ include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in a related research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in our list of reviewers. You may also be able to cite your work for UCEJ as part of your professional development requirements. UCEJ's reviewers are volunteers who contribute their expertise to the science, thus no financial payments are made.