Review

After studies are received, a receipt notice shall be sent to author/authors informing on the average length of the evaluation process.

Under no circumstances will an attestation of evaluation be issued before final acceptance of a manuscript.

Received studies shall be screened by the executive board to determine whether they meet the requirements set by the Journal’s rules and guidelines. If it be so, evaluation process shall start within 5 days since the reception of the study. If not, the executive board shall return studies to their authors informing on the reasons for its decisions.

Duly anonymised selected studies shall be sent out for evaluation to two peer-reviewers appointed by the executive board. The identity of reviewers shall not be disclosed (double blind).

External peer review shall value originality, current interest and newness, relevance and significance of studies for the advance of scientific knowledge, as well as aspects regarding scientific reliability and validity such as proven methodological quality, format, writing and consistency.

Evaluations shall be forwarded through online established means to the executive board within fifteen days. The result of the evaluation may be: a) publishable; b) publishable with minor modifications; c) publishable with major modifications; d) not publishable.

The results of the evaluation’s results shall be conveyed to studies’ authors through online established means together with a summary of the main issues addressed by the evaluation report. Reviewer’s identity shall be omitted in case modifications were required.

The executive board shall accept provisionally every manuscript having two favorable evaluations regardless of the requirement of modifications. In this case, articles shall be returned to their submitters so that authors can consider suggestions and comments within a maximum term of ten days.

Articles with two negative evaluations or with one negative evaluation and an evaluation suggesting major modifications shall not be published.

In case one of the evaluations proposes either the non-publication or the publication with major modifications, reports shall be forwarded to authors so that they can take into account suggestions to review manuscripts and submit them once again. The reviewed version of articles must be submitted to the Journal within a maximum term of 15 days. After its reception, reviewed articles shall be forwarded to one of the initial reviewers and to a new appointed reviewer. Only when both evaluations were positive or positive suggesting minor modifications, the executive board shall accept provisionally the article for publication.

The publication of every provisionally accepted study shall be endorsed by the board of editors. The board of editors must take a decision within a maximum term of 5 days after reception of the study.

Decisions adopted in the editorial process are not reviewable.

A study that has been finally accepted shall be returned to authors only in case of non-compliance with style guidelines so that authors can make final formal adaptations.