Peer Review Process

Double-Blind Peer Review Policy

Veredas Journal ensures the quality, reliability, and accuracy of the research it publishes through a stringent peer review process. Veredas is committed to maintaining the highest levels of academic rigor and integrity. To promote fairness and neutrality, all submissions to Veredas Journal undergo a double-blind peer review. This document details the principles, procedures, and roles associated with the double-blind peer review process.

Objectives
The double-blind peer review process is designed to:

  1. Enhance the quality of published research by ensuring that only well-executed and scientifically sound studies are accepted.
  2. Provide constructive feedback to authors to help them refine and improve their manuscripts, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and completeness.
  3. Maintain the integrity and credibility of VJ publications by upholding high academic and ethical standards.
  4. Ensure impartiality by eliminating biases related to authors’ identities, affiliations, or geographical locations, focusing solely on the merit of the work.
  5. Encourage scholarly discourse by fostering an environment where reviewers provide objective and balanced evaluations of the research.
  6. Promote transparency in the review process while safeguarding anonymity and confidentiality to protect the interests of both authors and reviewers.
  7. Support the academic community by facilitating a rigorous evaluation process that benefits authors, reviewers, and readers alike.
  8. Facilitate the dissemination of impactful research by selecting studies that contribute meaningful knowledge to their respective fields.
  9. Identify and address ethical concerns in manuscripts, ensuring compliance with research and publication standards.
  10. Foster trust in the publication process by providing a fair, transparent, and reliable system for evaluating submissions.

The Double-Blind Peer Review Workflow
The double-blind peer review process is a structured and systematic approach designed to ensure the quality and integrity of the manuscripts published by Veredas Journal. It consists of the following steps:

1. Manuscript Submission
Authors submit their manuscripts through the Veredas Journal online submission system, ensuring all necessary files, such as the manuscript text, figures, and supplementary materials, are uploaded.

2. Initial Screening    

  1. The editorial office conducts a preliminary review to ensure that the manuscript adheres to the journal’s submission guidelines, including formatting, word count, and referencing style.
  2. At this stage, the manuscript is also checked the plagiarism, and to determine whether it fits within the journal’s scope and meets basic quality standards. Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria are desk-rejected, and authors are notified.

3. Reviewer Selection

  1. The editor identifies two or more qualified reviewers based on their expertise in the manuscript’s subject area and their track record as reviewers.
  2. Reviewers are invited to assess the manuscript and are provided with an anonymized version that conceals the authors’ identities and affiliations. This ensures that the review remains unbiased.
  3. In cases where suitable reviewers decline the invitation, the editor may reach out to additional experts to ensure the manuscript is thoroughly reviewed.

4. Review Process

  1. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript according to several criteria, including originality, significance, methodology, relevance, presentation, and clarity of writing.
  2. They prepare detailed feedback, highlighting strengths, identifying weaknesses, and providing constructive suggestions for improvement.
  3. Reviewers submit their recommendations through the online system, categorizing the manuscript as “accept,” “minor revision,” “major revision,” or “reject.”

5. Editorial Decision

  1. The editor consolidates the reviewers’ comments and recommendations, taking into account the feedback provided and their own assessment of the manuscript.
  2. Based on this information, the editor makes an initial decision on the manuscript’s fate.
  3. If revisions are required, the authors receive an anonymized version of the reviewers’ comments and are given a specific deadline to submit a revised manuscript addressing the concerns raised.

6. Final Decision

  1. The revised manuscript is resubmitted and may undergo additional rounds of review to ensure that all issues raised during the initial review have been adequately addressed.
  2. The editor makes a final decision based on the reviewers’ feedback on the revised manuscript, determining whether the manuscript is accepted for publication or rejected.

7. Publication

  1. Once a manuscript is accepted, it proceeds to the production stage, where it is copyedited, formatted, and proofread.
  2. Authors review the final proofs to ensure accuracy before the manuscript is published in the Veredas Journal.
  3. The published article becomes part of the journal’s archive and is made available to readers worldwide.