The practice of peer review is to ensure that good social science is published. It is a process at the heart of good scholarly publishing and is carried out on all reputable journals. Our reviewers play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of Global Ethnographic and manuscripts are peer reviewed following the procedure outlined below.
Initial manuscript evaluation
The Associate Editor screens all new submissions before deciding if they should be assigned to the Editorial Board for consideration. Those rejected at this stage generally lie outside the aims and scope of the journal. Those that meet the criteria for review are passed on to one of our Editors for consideration for peer review. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will normally be informed within 2 weeks of receipt.
Editorial Board evaluation
When assigned a new submission, the Editorial Board will decide if it warrants peer review or if it should be rejected without review. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are insufficiently original, have serious conceptual and/or methodological flaws, have poor grammar or English language, or are outside the aims and scope of the journal. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will normally be informed within 3 weeks of receipt.
Feedback is provided by the Editorial Board or Associate Editor for all manuscripts rejected without review and, where possible, suggestions are made regarding other suitable publication outlets.
Those manuscripts deemed suitable for peer review are passed to at least 2 expert reviewers for review.
Type of peer review
Global Ethnographic employs double-blind review, where both the reviewer and the author remain anonymous throughout the process.
How the reviewers are selected
Reviewers are matched to the paper according to their expertise, and our reviewer database is constantly being updated. We welcome suggestions for reviewers from authors, though these recommendations may or may not be used.
Reviewer reports
Reviewers are asked to evaluate a manuscript for:
– interest to the general reader
– originality and significance of contribution
– international relevance
– coverage of appropriate existing literature
– adequacy of methodology, analysis and interpretation
– clear, concise and jargon-free writing style
– organisation
Reviewers are asked to provide anonymous comments to the author and are also given the option of providing confidential comments to the editor. The comments to the author are also made available to other reviewers of the manuscript.
Reviewers are not expected to correct or copy edit manuscripts. Language correction is not part of the peer review process.
How long does the review process take?
Typically the manuscript will be reviewed within 2 to 3 months. Should the reviewers’ reports contradict one another or a report is unduly delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. If necessary, revised manuscripts may be returned to the initial reviewers, usually within 1 month. Reviewers and the Editorial Board may request more than one revision of a manuscript, and alternative reviewers may also be invited to review the manuscript at any time.
The final decision and time to publication
The Editorial Board is responsible for the decision to reject or recommend the manuscript for publication. This decision will be sent to the author along with any recommendations made by the reviewers.
Manuscripts that have been recommended for publication are passed to the Editor-in-Chief who is responsible for making the final decision on whether a manuscript is accepted for publication. Please note we may forward accepted papers for legal review if appropriate.
After acceptance, it currently takes 3-4 weeks to get the final corrected article online.
Becoming a reviewer for Global Ethnographic
If you are not currently a reviewer for Global Ethnographic but would like to be added to our reviewer database, please contact us. The benefits of reviewing for Global Ethnographic include the opportunity to see and evaluate the latest work in your research area at an early stage, and to be acknowledged in an annual statement in the journal. You may also be able to cite your work for Global Ethnographic as part of your professional development requirements for various professional societies and organisations.
Highly descriptive blog, I enjoyed that bit.
Will there be a part 2?