Peer review policy

All research articles published in the journal are subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer review process based on the initial selection of the editor, the anonymous arbitration of external reviewers of expertise in their particular field and the subsequent revisions of the article’s own author(s) when needed.

Once receipt of the manuscript is acknowledged, it is sent for review through a double-blind peer review process. The reviewers will make a decision (accepted, accepted with modifications, resubmit for review, or reject the submission). The response time from receipt of the manuscript until the editorial decision is communicated is a maximum of 6 months, as sometimes a third reviewer must act as a tiebreaker, especially if one reviewer rejects the submission and another accepts it.

The double-blind peer review process ensures that the assigned reviewers have no knowledge about the identity of the author, just as authors have no knowledge about who is reviewing their work. Notwithstanding, journals are encouraged to publish the list of external reviewers that have collaborated with it the two preceding years.

All reviewers must follow the following ethical principles:

• They must only accept to review manuscripts about subjects in which they are sufficiently experienced, pledging to complete the revision in the accorded period.
• They must be as objective and constructive in their review as possible, refraining from making personal comments that may be defamatory or insulting.
• They must indicate any potential conflict of interest, including any type of relationship with the author(s) that may bias their assessment.
• They must judge the author(s) by their merits, regardless of ethnicity, religion, nationality, sex, seniority or institutional affiliation.
• They must be confidential concerning the peer review process.
• They must provide a review report constructive, thorough, verified and adequately substantial.
• They must notify the journal’s editor concerning similarities between the article in consideration and any published work or manuscript sent for consideration known to them.

The Editorial Board, taking into consideration the reports of the external reviewers, will decide whether to finally publish or reject an article and will always notify their decision to its author(s).