Peer Review Process (ISRN Journals)
Peer review is the quality-control system that underpins credible scholarly publishing. At ISRN Journals, we use peer review to ensure that manuscripts are evaluated by qualified experts who are independent of the author team, helping to verify that claims are supported by evidence, methods are appropriate, and conclusions are academically defensible. This approach reflects widely used peer-review principles: expert scrutiny improves robustness, clarity, and usefulness, while also reducing the risk of unwarranted claims or weak interpretations reaching publication.
Editorial screening and desk assessment
Every submission is first reviewed by the editorial office to confirm that it fits the journal’s aims and scope and meets baseline scholarly standards. At this stage, the handling editor checks whether the manuscript is sufficiently original, whether the research question and structure are clear, and whether the paper appears methodologically credible for external review. Manuscripts may be desk-rejected at this point if they fall outside the journal scope, contain major scientific or scholarly flaws, or have writing and presentation issues that prevent fair review. This initial screening step is a standard feature of reputable peer-review workflows and helps protect reviewer time while ensuring that only suitable manuscripts proceed forward.
Similarity checks, integrity checks, and submission completeness
During screening, ISRN Journals also checks submission completeness (title page information, references, figures/tables, ethical statements where applicable) and reviews integrity signals, including plagiarism/similarity concerns and other indicators that may require clarification before peer review. Some publishers explicitly include checks for plagiarism and even machine-generated manuscripts at the internal review stage; ISRN Journals adopts the same spirit of integrity screening to safeguard the scholarly record. Where issues are correctable, authors may be asked to revise and resubmit for screening before peer review proceeds.
Double-blind external peer review
Once a manuscript has passed the editorial screening, it then goes through a double blind peer review process. This means that the peer reviewers will not be aware of the authors’ identity, and the authors will not be aware of the peer reviewers’ identity. This process is intended to reduce bias and allow for a more objective evaluation. Usually, two to three external peer reviewers are selected based on their expertise and relevance to the topic. These peer reviewers are matched to the field and method of the manuscript to ensure that the feedback provided to the authors is technically accurate and constructive.
What reviewers evaluate
The peer review process involves providing a report on whether the manuscript is original, methodologically sound, ethical, and supported by results that justify the authors’ claims. Additionally, peer reviewers evaluate whether the authors’ work has been properly cited and whether the work makes a meaningful contribution to the field. Importantly, peer reviewers are not expected to correct grammar or other language errors. These are addressed further on in the publication process if the manuscript is accepted for publication.
Decisions and revision cycles
Once the peer review process has been completed, the editor will review the feedback provided by the peer reviewers. The editor will then make a decision on the manuscript. Across all peer review processes, the possible decisions are usually categorized under a set of options such as acceptance, revisions, major revisions, or rejection. In the case where a manuscript is asked to go through a revision process, the authors are expected to write a response to the peer review feedback provided. A revised manuscript will then be submitted for further evaluation. Additionally, a manuscript can be sent to a new referee if further expertise is required to make a fair evaluation. This option is available to ISRN Journals.
Communication and transparency to authors
ISRN Journals strives to inform the author at crucial stages of the publication process. This includes informing them when their paper has been received, when it has entered the review process, when a decision has been made, and when it has been revised. This helps in timely revisions of the manuscripts and ensures that the authors are aware of exactly what needs to be done to improve their manuscripts for publication.
After acceptance and publication fee
Peer review is completed before publication decisions are finalized. If a manuscript is accepted, the Article Processing Charge (APC) is USD 100 per accepted manuscript. The APC supports editorial coordination, peer review management, production preparation, and online hosting for open access availability.