Editorial Process

Contents

Important Information

When making a decision on a manuscript, it is crucial to carefully consider the reviewers' comments and recommendations. There are three primary decisions an Editor can make:

  1. Request Revisions: This decision should be made if the manuscript has potential but requires significant changes. Requesting revisions allows the author to address the reviewers' feedback and improve the quality of the manuscript. For major revisions or resubmissions, this option ensures that the manuscript undergoes another round of thorough review.

  2. Accept Submission: This decision is appropriate when the manuscript meets the journal's standards with no or minor revisions needed. If the reviewers' comments suggest that the manuscript is ready for publication or only requires minor changes that do not necessitate another review, accepting the submission is the best course of action. It is essential to ensure that any minor revisions are addressed before final acceptance.

  3. Decline Submission: This decision should be made if the manuscript is unqualified, of low quality, or does not fit the journal's scope. Declining a submission is necessary when the manuscript does not meet the journal's standards and the reviewers' comments indicate that significant improvements are unlikely to make it suitable for publication. This option ensures that only high-quality research is published.

Carefully evaluating these options and making informed decisions based on the reviewers' feedback will help maintain the quality and integrity of the IIAIR journal.

Assigning a Reviewer

Once the Editor-in-Chief or the designated Person in Charge (PIC) assigns a manuscript to the Editor, an email is automatically sent with information about the manuscript, submission URL, and username. The Editor then logs in to the system and can access the submission panel. Upon viewing the manuscript, the Editor will be directed to the workflow panel. To assign a reviewer, navigate to the "Review" tab as shown below. Click "Add Reviewer" to proceed.

Next, you can search for a reviewer by name using the search field. You can also apply filters based on criteria shown in the left sidebar. Information about the reviewer’s research interests is also presented. See the example below:

If you want to assign a reviewer outside of the list of internal reviewers, you can invite external reviewers by clicking the "Create New Reviewer" button as shown below:

Then, you need to fill in the required information: name, username, and email. It is recommended that you also provide the reviewing interests and affiliation information. This will be useful for future reviewer assignments for you or other editors. The form can be seen below:

Before assigning a reviewer, please choose the relevant review form based on the manuscript type. There are three categories: Research Article, Survey, and Tutorial. An example is shown below:

You will see the list of assigned reviewers below:

Editor Decision

After receiving the reviewers' recommendations, you need to take immediate action to decide about the manuscript. The options are "Request Revisions," "Accept Submission," or "Decline Submission." For minor revisions that do not require further review, we suggest accepting the submission. However, it is crucial for the Editor to carefully assess the reviewers' comments. For major revisions or resubmissions, we suggest selecting "Request Revisions" for the next round of review. For unqualified or low-quality manuscripts, or based on the reviewers' comments, we suggest selecting "Decline Submission." These decisions can be made using the three buttons on the right sidebar as shown below:

More Information

For more information, please visit the official tutorial from the OJS system: https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/learning-ojs/3.3/en/editorial-workflow