Each study undergoes a peer review and text editing process before being published in the journal. This is a prerequisite for further publication. Why is it important?
Peer review – a comprehensive review and evaluation of the material submitted to the editorial board for further consideration. At this stage, the work is evaluated for compliance with the journal's topics and directions, and the authors are provided with recommendations for improving the manuscript. This applies to the requirements set by the journal, including originality, relevance, proper formatting, quality, value of the research (practical significance), and uniqueness.
Editing – an integral stage in the preparation of any publication. This stage is important, because it is during editing that the text is also evaluated from the point of view of the reader. The editor must fully proofread the work, check and correct all errors that are present in the text, and make corrections.
The process of reviewing a scientific text
The main purpose of peer review is to check the manuscript for the accuracy of the information, the relevance of the material to the purpose and main topics of the journal. Reviewing is aimed at achieving high quality of the scientific text.
The review process can sometimes take longer than the authors would like. This is especially true for journals indexed in international databases that have a high status and authority in the scientific community. This is primarily due to the high and stringent requirements for the content they publish.
The review process usually takes up to 1 month. However, if the author does not receive a response for a long time, it is worth contacting the editorial office and clarifying the exact stage of the manuscript. After all, there are situations when a manuscript is classified as ‘spam’ and does not reach the addressee. It is important to notice this in time so as not to delay the manuscript from publication for a long time.
Peer review involves checking the uniqueness of the text. The requirements for each journal specify what this indicator should be. It is generally 85%, but this figure can vary from 70% to 95%, depending on the journal. The work is also checked for the logical presentation of information and its consistency.
Who can be a reviewer?
When selecting reviewers, attention is paid to figures who have:
- Academic degrees and academic titles;
- Publications published in databases such as Scopus and Web of Science;
- High scientific metrics (for example, the Hirsch index);
- Impartiality in their attitude to the author(s) to avoid conflicts of interest.
The process of editing a scientific text
The main purpose of editing a scientific text is to improve its quality. The main task of the editor is to improve the text and its essence for better perception by future readers. The editing process consists of three stages: reading the text, checking the material, and editing the text.
What inaccuracies do editors notice in scientific texts?
- Lack of compliance with the technical requirements set by the publication;
- Unstructured text;
- Errors in spelling, punctuation and style;
- Unclear arguments and theses;
- Contradictions between theses and arguments;
- Doubtfulness of arguments;
- Insufficient completeness of evidence.
What types of editing are there?
In addition to checking and editing the author's material, improving it to the appropriate standards, the editor can evaluate the text objectively. What types of editing are there?
- Structural – checking and editing the text in accordance with the structure of the chosen type of research and established by the journal. If the text does not meet the requirements of a particular structure, the manuscript is sent back to the author for revision.
- Technical – checking and editing the material in accordance with the technical requirements of the journal: margins, font type and size, spacing and indentation, text alignment, design and quality of graphic material (figures, tables, graphs, etc.).
- Literary – at the stage of stylistic and literary editing, errors in spelling, vocabulary, punctuation and syntax are processed and corrected. The editor also checks the relevance of the terms used by the author, how logically and competently the author's thoughts are presented in the text. It is important to see how they are interconnected.
- Semantic – when conducting semantic editing, the editor pays attention to how correctly and clearly the material and author's statements are presented.
The main task of both reviewing and editing is to bring the received text to the standards and requirements of the publication, to improve its appearance and content for further successful publication. Authors should calmly accept constructive criticism expressed by reviewers and editors, as well as listen to all comments and suggestions, as their goal is to bring the author's manuscript to a perfect form.
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