Q. How are manuscripts selected?
A. The Managing Editor conducts a preliminary review of all the manuscripts sent to the journal. Manuscripts that are considered entirely inappropriate will be rejected at this stage. Next, the selected manuscripts are allocated to suitable reviewers. All reviews are conducted anonymously, to help ensure the integrity, objectivity, and fairness of the evaluation. The two reviewers will be asked to evaluate the strength of the manuscript based on its theoretical or conceptual framework, methodology, argument, contribution to the field, literature review, prose and style. They will then provide comments and suggestions for revision for the author where appropriate. Based on their evaluation, reviewers will suggest one of the following:
• That the manuscript be rejected
• That the author(s) be invited to revise and resubmit the manuscript
• That the manuscript be accepted with minor changes
Reviewer’s comments are forwarded to the author. Where revisions are indicated, constructive suggestions and advice will be provided to the author for revising the manuscript. Manuscripts are rarely accepted without revision.
The decision as to whether or not, or how, to address the reviewers comments are left with the author. If the author decides to submit a revised manuscript, he or she is also expected to detail how they have addressed the reviewer’s comments.
At least one of the original reviewers will be asked to re-examine the revised article, usually in conjunction with a separate reviewer.
When the second review is complete, the Managing Editor decides whether the paper is ready to be published; needs another round of revisions; or the paper should be rejected. It should be noted that the final acceptance or rejection entirely rests with the editorial board, who reserve the right to refuse publication on reasonable grounds.
Q. What happens after my manuscript has been accepted?
A. After a manuscript has been accepted, it is considered to be ‘in press’. At this stage, the author may be asked to respond to queries from the publisher normally on issues of style, in-text citations, references, tables, clarity, and grammar. Following these minor corrections, proofs are sent to the corresponding authors for their final approval. At this point, only essential changes are accepted.
Q. How long will it take for my accepted article to be published?
A. Your article should normally appear in print within three-six months of acceptance depending on the timing within the journal cycle, and will normally appear online within three months of acceptance.
Q. What is the normal rate of acceptance for manuscript submissions?
A. The acceptance rate varies but, as an example, the acceptance rate for manuscripts submitted to the Volume 37 (2010) issue was 58.9 per cent.